Mary Berry Coconut Cake Recipe

A good cake can make your day, and for extremely down days, you need a good bite, moist, spongy, and just right to fix it. For ages now, Mary Berry’s coconut cake recipe has been doing that. When you find your hands on this recipe, you know that if you follow it right to the brim, you are about to be left with a treat.

Mary Berry, who is Britain’s beloved baking icon, brings this recipe with simple ingredients, and it is honestly a no-fuss comfort food. So if you are trying to have something fun on your Sunday brunch bake board, check out Mary Berry’s Coconut Cake recipe.

Why Mary Berry’s Coconut Cake Is Leagues Apart

Okay, so coconut cake is pretty much baking 101, right? Why even bother with Mary Berry’s recipe? Simple: it’s all about how she gets the balance just right.

This cake is moist, not brick-heavy, sweetly good, not like a sugar bomb. It uses the usual stuff and the usual method, but the final result is totally up to date.

Berry keeps it real with the ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and, duh, coconut. Then, she uses coconut in three ways to make the flavor seriously pop.

Here’s the cool part: you can totally serve this cake at tea time, or go big and use it as a celebration centerpiece. Want to make it even easier? Turn the batter into coconut cupcakes!

Also Read: Banana Brown Sugar Oatmeal Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need for Mary Berry Coconut Cake

Serving: 10-12 slices

For the Cake:

225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

225g (1 cup) caster sugar

4 large eggs

225g (1¾ cups) self-raising flour

100g (1 cup) desiccated coconut

60ml (¼ cup) coconut milk (or whole milk)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lime (optional, for a zesty twist)

For the Icing:

125g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

250g (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted

2 tbsp coconut cream (or milk)

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp toasted coconut flakes (for garnish)

Also Read: Strawberry Crepes With Goat Cheese and Basil

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Perfect Mary Berry Coconut Cake

To start, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C (320°F) for a fan oven.

Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and line them with baking paper to ensure even baking, plus your cake will come out easily once cooled.

Next, grab your stand mixer or hand whisk.

Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until light in colour and pale, which should take about 3-4 minutes. This is a key step to getting that light, airy texture so your cake is not dense.

Next, add in the eggs one at a time and beat each one in well.

Note: If it looks curdled (this can happen with the eggs and butter),it’s not a problem! Just add a spoonful of flour, and it will revert to normal.

Now add in the flour and baking powder. Gently fold in the mixture with a spatula from this point on; don’t whip any further.

Fold in the coconut until combined, but don’t overdo it; the mixture can become too wet.

Now that you have the cake batter looking correct, stir in the coconut milk.

Note: You could use a variety of milks for different flavours (for nut, cow’s, etc.), or use regular milk, and add extra vanilla to maintain flavour slightly milder. Alternatively, you can add a touch of lime zest for a little citrus change if you’re feeling that way.

How to Make the Perfect Coconut Icing

Mary’s coconut icing gets a light note from all the depth of flavour, so now let’s learn how to add this buttery coconut flavor. In a bowl, beat the butter until it is light, creamy, and smooth. To this, sift the powdered icing sugar and mix in one to two spoonfuls at a time. Add the coconut cream, along with a pinch of salt, and beat some more as you go for about 2 – 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

After beating the coconut icing, taste it and see if you need to add some sugar or other ingredient appropriately. If you find that the icing mix is thick, you can measure in a small amount of milk to thin it out a little bit.

Assembling the Cake

Carefully layer the cakes right on the serving plate or cake stands on top of each other. Scoop an ample amount of icing and spread a nice thick layer on each of the layers. Place your second layer on top and gently press down to make sure you can check you have enough icing in between the two layers to anchor them together.

Then apply a pulled-down crumb coat, which is simply adding the icing you saved out to the sides of the cake, and smooth it out again with the palette knife. Once you have built up the icing on the sides to cover everything, you can add your own decoration. We decorated it with toasted flakes of coconut. You could also decorate with some fresh fruit on top like pieces of mango or fresh pieces of pineapple.

You could also finish the cake with a sprinkle of lime zest, or some edible flowers, classic Mary Berry touch.

Fun Twists On The Classic Mary Berry Coconut Recipe

Want to make your cake extra special? Try these cool ideas.

Coconut and Pineapple Cake: Toss some crushed pineapple into the batter. It’s like a pina colada, but in cake form!

Coconut and Raspberry Layer Cake: Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam between the cake layers. The tartness is a great surprise.

Chocolate Coconut Cake: Some folks argue about coconut and chocolate, but if you dig it, toss some chocolate chips into the mix.

Mary Berry’s Secret to a Perfect Coconut Cake

With decades of experience, Mary can help even the greenest home baker to shine with these tips:

Ingredients that are at room temperature will meld together easier and yield a more even batter.

Be exact with your measurements. Coconut flour and desiccated coconut will absorb moisture differently, similarly much will make your cake crumbly.

Don’t rush the cooling process. Coconut icing needs a firm base, so let your cake cool completely before icing.

Toast those flakes. Heating some coconut flakes in a dry pan will boost the flavour and achieve a crisper texture!

Store any leftovers wrapped up in cling film or in an airtight tin, and they will keep for 3 days. The flavours will intensify after 1 day.

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Conclusion

The Mary Berry Coconut Cake recipe is great if you are skeptical about baking. The recipe is easy to follow, and the cake can be made into different variations based on your palate. Most importantly, it will leave your kitchen smelling tropical, warm, and toasty in scent.

So the next time you need a quick dessert to impress the table, do not go into elaborate YouTube recipes and come back right here!

Ava Jones

Hey welcome to my blog . I am a modern women who love to share any tips on lifestyle, health, travel. Hope you join me in this journey!