If you love starting the day with a fluffy and exotic-tasting dessert, the soft coconut cake is the perfect recipe for you! It is simple and quick to prepare, but the result is surprisingly delicious: a cake that wins you over at the first bite thanks to its unique texture and enveloping coconut aroma. This cake is a variation of the various cakes with ricotta in the dough – like the lemon and ricotta cake or the chocolate and ricotta cake – that I have experimented with several times over time. The cow ricotta gives the cake an irresistible softness without altering its flavor: the true protagonist remains the coconut, which stands out with a strong and intense taste. If you are looking for breakfast desserts that combine simplicity and taste, the soft coconut cake is the ideal choice. Prepare it today and let yourself be conquered by its tropical aroma and surprising softness: it will make your breakfast or snack moments even more delicious and special!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 310.17 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 37.19 (g) of which sugars 24.25 (g)
- Proteins 6.60 (g)
- Fat 16.25 (g) of which saturated 5.54 (g)of which unsaturated 10.16 (g)
- Fibers 0.61 (g)
- Sodium 59.02 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 118 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a 20 cm (8-inch) Soft Coconut Cake
To make the gluten-free coconut cake, I used fine rice flour instead of 00 flour, in the same quantity. If you are celiac, remember that the following ingredients must have the “gluten-free” label: rice flour, grated coconut, baking powder, vanilla extract, powdered sugar.
- 1 cup cups cow's milk ricotta
- 3/4 cup cups sugar
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 1 cup cups all-purpose flour (or fine rice flour, gluten-free)
- 1/2 cup cups grated coconut
- 1/3 cup cups vegetable oil (or 100 g melted butter)
- 1 packet baking powder (16 g)
- 1 packet vanilla extract
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- Electric Whisks
- 1 Cake Pan 8-inch diameter
- 1 Spatula
- Parchment paper
How to Prepare the Soft Coconut Cake
To prepare the soft coconut cake, start by placing the ricotta and sugar in a bowl (1). Work the mixture with the electric whisks until creamy (2). At this point, add the first egg (3).
Incorporate it carefully into the ricotta, always using the electric whisks. Only when you have perfectly combined it, add the second egg (4). Mix carefully and, after incorporating it, add the third and work again with the electric whisks until you get a homogeneous and fairly fluid mixture (5). At this point, add the powdered ingredients, namely the all-purpose flour (or fine rice flour), grated coconut, baking powder, and vanilla extract (6).
Incorporate them with the rest of the ingredients using the electric whisks: you will get a fairly firm batter (7). Finally, add the melted butter or vegetable oil (8).
Continue to work everything with the whisks until the butter or oil is perfectly combined with the rest (9). Line a 8-inch diameter cake pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have one of this size, you can consult this guide, which will help you recalculate the doses based on the size of your cake pan. Pour in the batter and smooth it with a spatula (10). Bake the coconut cake in the preheated oven at 350°F (static) for 40-45 minutes, doing a toothpick test before removing it from the oven to ensure it is cooked inside. Remove from the oven and let it cool (11).
Serve the soft coconut cake slightly dusted with a bit of powdered sugar, for breakfast or a snack.
Storage
This coconut dessert stays soft for 4-5 days if stored at room temperature inside a cake container.
Tips and Variations
Small variations in baking times may depend on both the oven’s power and the initial consistency of the ricotta, whether more moist or drier; it is good to always check the cake at the end of baking before removing it from the oven. If you like, you can enrich the cake with 100g of dark chocolate chips.
