Lime, Coconut and Almond Cake

I have to start off by saying this is the Best cake I've ever made in my entire life; of course that's because it's also the first cake I've ever made. lol

So today a bunch of us Junior Staff got together at the hinds' house for a surprise birthday party for David Merani. I had asked Mrs Hinds what kind of cake David like and she said he doesn't care as long as it was sweet. So with that in mind I went about looking for a recipe for a cake that I could make for the party. I got on the internet and typed in healthy cake recipes, and this is what I got. Lemon, Coconut and Almond Cake.

With some uncertainty as whether or not it would turn out okay, I started reading the recipe, mixing ingredients together, and making mistakes. lol Well not really. I think the only thing I did wrong was put the lime juice in the cake instead of the icing. After mixing all the ingredient together and putting it into three different size pans , it was time to bake them. "Ummm...The smell coming from the oven made my mouth water."

After letting them cool, taking them out of the pans, and stacking them on top of each other, it was time for the decorating. Just as unsure I was about making my first cake, I had the same feeling about making the icing, the difference was, I had no recipe. That was quite the adventure! I have to say, the decorating was by far the best part. It was so much fun to transform this pile of stacked slabs of sponges into something that, not only looked good, but also tasted pretty fabulous!

Anyways, the reason I'm sharing this with you is because I had allot of fun making it and enjoyed the taste of it in my mouth, and wanted you to have an opportunity to have the same experience as I had. So here it is. I'm giving you the recipe so you can try it out for yourself. Enjoy and I want to hear what you think of it.

Lime, Coconut and Almond Cake
• Flavoured with tropical notes of coconut and lime, this cake is adapted from Australian celebrity chef and author Bill Granger's Bills Open Kitchen (Murdoch Books). His recipe calls for ground macadamia nuts, but we love it with almonds for a fraction of the cost and fat.
•
• Preparation time 25 minutes
• Baking Time 45 minutes
• Makes 8 wedges
•
• Ingredients
• 6 eggs
• 1 to 2 limes
• 1 cup (250 mL) ground almonds
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sweetened desiccated coconut
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking powder and salt
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
• 1 cup (250 mL) sifted icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly butter an 8-1/2- or 9-inch (22- or 23-cm) springform pan. Separate eggs, placing yolks in a large mixing bowl and whites in another large mixing bowl. Finely grate 3 tsp (15 mL) peel from lime and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, combine almonds, coconut, flour, 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lime peel, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to evenly mix.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, gradually beat granulated sugar and then vanilla into egg yolks. Then beat on high, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, until mixture is almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, gently fold in almond mixture.
3. Immediately wash beaters well, then dry. Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Stir one-third of whites into egg-yolk batter just until evenly mixed. Then turn remaining whites overtop. Using a spatula, gently fold together just until no streaks remain. Do not overmix.
4. Immediately turn into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake in centre of 350F (180C) oven until a skewer or cake tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
5. For icing, squeeze 2 tbsp (30 mL) juice from lime into a medium-size bowl. Stir in icing sugar, then remaining 2 tsp (10 mL) grated lime peel. When cake is baked, place pan on a rack. Let stand 10 minutes, then run tip of a knife between cake and pan. When cooled, release hinge and remove outer ring. Place cake on a serving plate. Spoon and spread icing overtop, letting it drizzle down side. Cake will keep well, covered and refrigerated, up to 3 days. Best served at room temperature.

Ps. I tried getting some pictures of David enjoying it, but it was sort of hard; he kept laughing.