Coconut and Lime Angel Cake

I can't believe that I have been sitting on this beautiful recipe for such a long time! Judging by the photo, it must have been one of my Stour Puddings for 2019. Oops.... Better late than never, and if you are making a lot of custard at the moment - aren't you? - you will have left over egg whites. An angel cake uses 10 egg whites, and is somehow not quite as sugary as a meringue. It is supposed to be made in an angel cake pan, which is a peculiar device with a core and legs. It is easily available from any website.  This recipe is from my favourite Delicious Magazine, the source of a lot of cooking inspo. 

Coconut and Lime Angel Cake 

Coconut and Lime Angel Cake

5oz/125g plain flour
10oz/300g caster sugar (put 4 oz/100g into a separate bowl)
10 egg whites
Finely grated zest 4 limes, 1 tbsp juice
1tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt

½ pint/300ml double cream (at least!)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp icing sugar
75ml coconut cream
3 tbsp coconut rum (I didn’t have any so used more coconut cream)
Coconut flakes to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.  

Sift the flour and 100g sugar into a small bowl and put onto one side.  Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy, then add the lime juice, zest, cream of tartar and salt.  Carry on whisking on medium until the mixture forms soft peaks.  This will take about 2 minutes.    Turn the mixer up and add the rest of the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is glossy.  

Now gently fold in the flour/sugar mixture, 1/3 at a time, using a metal spoon.  It is important to get it mixed in, but not bash out all the air you’ve so carefully incorporated! 

Pour/scoop the mix into the dry pan, using a knife to slice through it to eliminate any pockets of air.   Bake 45-50 minutes until springy.

When you take it out of the oven, immediately turn the whole thing upside down and rest the pan on its little legs.  Leave the cake to cool for at least an hour.   Then take out of the pan (you will probably have to put a knife round the edges) and allow to rest on a wire rack.  

Whisk all the remaining ingredients (other than the coconut flakes) until soft peak stage.  Slather this delicious mixture all over the cake, and then decorate it with coconut flakes (I like to add a little extra grating of lime zest).   The recipe I have used says it is “best eaten the day it is made”.  Too right!