Coconut Snow Balls with Italian Meringue & Raffaello

375g butter, softened 275g castor sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp coconut essence

1 tsp caramel essence 100ml coconut cream 400g self-raising flour Freshly grated coconut, to garnish

Italian meringue topping:

3 large egg whites 1¼ cups sugar

5 tbsp cold water

¼ tsp cream of tartar 1 teaspoon vanilla esence

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Line 2 muffin trays with paper cases.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.

Add essences, coconut cream and beat well. Sift in flour and mix to a thick cake batter.

Divide mixture equally into the trays. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until done. Remove from the oven, loosen gently from cases and cool.

For the topping:

In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water.

Combine egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Attach the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 7 minutes.

Beat in the vanilla.

To assemble:

Cut each cake in half, and spread with Italian topping. Join the two pieces and spread topping around the cakes to cover completely.

Roll in fresh coconut. Leave to set in the fridge for 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, top each snowball with a raffaello chocolate ball.