Happy 1st Blogiversary! :)

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I started this blog! I don't post as much as I would like to, but would like to thank anyone who has taken a little bit of time out of their lives reading my very badly written posts together with poorly shot photos. And I would also like to thank my faithful guinea pigs who I fob off my test recipes (both successful and failed!) / baked blog goodies to.

And I do apologise if I've made you fat.

Anyway...more to the point! What a better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than with cake? Ohhh yeahhhhh...

I've had this recipe bookmarked (along with 129839811237 other recipes...) but never got round to try it out. I don't know about you guys but I'm a big fan of Ferrero Rochers. And I'm an even bigger fan of Raffaellos. Crispy, creamy, coconutty, spherical delights. Honestly, I could easily eat a whole tray.

And this translated to cake? Melina over at Sugar and Buttery is a culinary genius.

The thing with this cake is, it doesn't have to be neat. There's just something so appealing about glorious pools of chocolate ganache collected around the base with flaked coconut lazily sprinkled on top. Pass me a fork and I'll dig right in.

I'm thinking next time I make this I could sprinkle some crushed biscotti or wafers on top, just for that extra crunch but it's pretty damn good as it is.

So. Fluffy.


RAFFAELLO COCONUT CAKE
Recipe adapted from Sugary & Buttery and Completely Delicious
Yields 1x 4 layer 6" cake.

For the cake:
100g egg whites (or approx. 3 large egg whites)
80ml whole milk
160ml full fat, unsweetened coconut milk
280g caster sugar
100g salted butter
50g coconut oil
226g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Swiss meringue buttercream:
100g egg whites
165g caster sugar
226g salted butter
2 tbsp dried coconut milk powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

White chocolate ganache:
80g white chocolate
2 tbsp condensed milk

To decorate:
Large handful of unsweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted.

1. CAKE: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two 6"cake tins (with at least 3 inch high sides) with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a measuring jug, add the egg whites, vanilla extract milk and coconut milk. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer (you could also use a hand mixer), cream the butter, coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. In three additions add the dry ingredients, alternating with 2 additions of the coconut milk/ egg white mixture, mixing until incorporated in between each addition.
5. After all the ingredients have been added, on medium-high speed whisk the mixture for another 2 minutes. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake tins and bake for 45-50 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Cool for 5 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack to cool down completely before decorating. Once cool carefully cut each cake into two. You may need to trim the top of the cake first as it may have domed slightly.
7. BUTTERCREAM: Place egg whites and caster sugar in a squeaky clean heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir frequently with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved. (Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water, and keep whisking so the egg whites don't scramble!)
8. Using an electric whisk, or pour into the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium high to stiff peaks and the bowl is cool to touch.
9. Add butter, approximately a tablespoon at a time to the meringue and whisk on low until each addition is incorporated. Turn the speed up to medium high and keep whisking until the butter and meringue mixture come together into a silky smooth buttercream.
10. Lastly add the vanilla extract and coconut powder and mix to incorporate.
11. ASSEMBLE: Dab a small bit of buttercream onto your cake board/plate (to secure the cake) and place the first layer of cake on top. Spoon about 80g ish of buttercream on top of the cake and spread into an even layer using a palette knife. Place the next cake layer on top and press down lightly to align. Repeat for the rest of the cake layers.
12. Crumb coat the entire cake (coat in a thin of layer of buttercream to lock in all the crumbs) and place in the fridge for 15mins to set a little. After chilling, frost the rest of the cake with the remaining buttercream. If you're like me and don't like too much buttercream, feel free to cover the cake in a thinner layer of buttercream!
13. GANACHE- melt the white chocolate either in a clean, heat proof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave and stir in the condensed milk. Set aside to cool (you don't want to melt your cake!). Pour over the top of the cake and let the ganache run down the sides of the cake.
14. TO FINISH: Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on top.