Recipe: Coffee, cardamom and coconut macaroon cake

Coffee, cardamom and coconut macaroon cake. Photo / Olivia Moore-That Green Olive

This gluten-free cake fondly reminds me of the classic coconut macaroons so many of us grew up eating; slightly chewy, slightly crisp and meringue-like, and laden with desiccated coconut.

This cake is similar — it has a slightly crunchy exterior and a nice chew from the coconut. I especially love the way coconut tastes when paired with coffee and cardamom.

The delicate crunch on the outside of this cake comes from aerating the eggs — after beating the eggs with sugar, you’ll end up with a voluminous mixture that translates to delicate air pockets and a slightly crisp shell. The cake is also gluten free, and has a nicely dense texture thanks to the almond meal.

Give this cake a try — it tastes best with a cup of coffee for morning tea!

Go to Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com

Ingredients

Serves 8-10

• 175g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 150g almond meal
• 50g cornflour
• 50g toasted desiccated coconut
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup oil
• ¼ cup milk (dairy free if needed)
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan forced. Lightly grease a 20cm springform cake tin.
2. Place brown sugar, eggs and instant coffee in a medium bowl. Beat for 5 minutes until creamy and voluminous, and the instant coffee and sugar have dissolved.
3. In a separate bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Add oil and mix to coat, then add the beaten egg mixture along with remaining wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 140C and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp on top. A skewer inserted should come out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before gently transferring to a cooling rack.