One-bowl cake has coconut, cashews, luxurious texture
I’ve made many cakes in my time, and yet, it’s never enough! I’m always on the hunt for something new, something different, something that makes me stop and say, “Hmm, I’ve never done that!”
So I’d like to give the ol’ tip of the hat to Milk Street for introducing me to this Coconut Cashew Cake. It’s made with semolina, a high-protein flour you’ve probably encountered in pasta or pizza.
When used in the wrong type of recipe, high-protein flours can lead to tough, rubbery cakes. In this case, semolina and shredded coconut are toasted in the oven before being whisked together with a can of coconut milk. The shredded coconut acts as a kind of flour substitute that adds flavor but not gluten or structure. The coconut milk also helps keep things tender and moist, so the semolina provides the cake with a pleasantly springy but not chewy texture.
I can best describe the result as part cake, part pudding and part spoon bread. It also features one of my favorite spices, cardamom, which makes the dessert especially aromatic, along with the coconut and a sprinkling of roasted cashews.
Like many of the recipes shared by Milk Street, the newish cooking empire created by Christopher Kimball after his departure from America’s Test Kitchen, this one boasts an international pedigree. It hails from Myanmar (formerly Burma), where it’s known as sanwin makin.
All you need is a single bowl and less than half an hour of active time to pull together the cake. I hope you find it as easy, novel, intriguing and delicious as I did. Really, can you have too many good cake recipes? I’d say there’s no such thing.
SEE RECIPE, PAGE C-12
PG tested
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (do not use light)
1 cup semolina flour ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 generous packed cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (half stick) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3 large eggs 1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ cup roasted unsalted cashews, chopped
lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat inside of 9-inch round cake pan with cooking oil spray. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper, then grease the paper’s surface with cooking oil spray.
Pour coconut milk and its solidified fat into a mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly to emulsify it, as needed.
Combine semolina and ¼ cup of the shredded coconut on rimmed baking sheet, spreading them in an even layer. Toast (middle rack) for 10-12 minutes, until the coconut
is fragrant and golden at the edges, stirring halfway through the oven time.
Transfer to mixing bowl with the coconut milk and whisk to incorporate. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Add brown sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, cardamom and salt to the semolina mixture, whisking to form a thin batter. Pour into prepared pan, then scatter cashews and remaining 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut evenly over the surface.
Bake (middle rack) for 2833 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. The cake’s surface may crack a bit; that’s OK. Cool (in the pan) on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run a roundedged knife around the edges to loosen it. Invert cake onto rack, remove the pan and paper. Turn cake right side up, onto a serving plate. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with the whipped cream, if desired. Yields 8 servings. — Adapted from “The Complete Milk Street TV Show Cookbook” by Christopher Kimball (Little, Brown, 2018).