Sponge Cake With Coconut Icing

Sponge Cake With Coconut Icing

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• Sponge Cake
• 1 cup cake or pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• Coconut Icing:
• 2 TB plus 1 tsp pineapple juice
• 1 TB plus 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:

To Make the Cake:
Line the bottom of a cake pan with parchment paper. Prepare a wok for steaming.
Place the flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the baking powder and salt and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the sugar to the eggs and beat until they are frothy (about 3 minutes). Stir in the almond extract.
Gradually add the flour mix to the egg mixture, stirring. Add the coconut milk. Stir until you have a smooth batter that is thoroughly mixed, but do not beat.
Pour the batter into the pan (ideally it should only come 2/3 to 3/4 up the side of the pan). Cover and steam for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from the pan, turning the cake over. Cut the cake into squares or diamond shapes.

To Make the Coconut Icing:
In a small bowl, mix the pineapple juice and cornstarch and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Give the the pineapple juice/cornstarch mixture a quick re-stir and then add to the saucepan, stirring. Cook for a few minutes on medium-low heat to thicken. Cook for another minute, then remove and use to ice the cake. Chill the cake until the icing stiffens. Refrigerated in a sealed container, the icing will keep for a few days. It can be used again to ice another sponge cake, or as a simple (but sweet!) dessert for one to two people.