Strawberry & Coconut Cake

I love this summer cake – it's so easy to make, and you can add any berries you fancy. I adore using strawberries, though, especially when they're at their best, which is from the start of May until the end of September.

Other swaps you can try include using coconut sugar instead of caster, and an all-purpose gluten-free flour, if you like.

The recipe here makes two 20cm round cakes, or one large 30x20cm traybake, but if you'd like to make just one round, simply halve the recipe.

Equally, you could layer the rounds to make a traditional cake, with whipped coconut cream filling and strawberry jam. In fact, that sounds so delicious I might make that next...!

SERVES:
16

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

1½ cups refrigerated coconut milk

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup groundnut or coconut oil (melted)

Dry ingredients

2 cups plain flour

½ cup desiccated coconut

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate soda

¾ cup caster sugar

Pinch of salt

For the topping

400g strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered

2 tbsp caster sugar

To serve

¼ cup icing sugar

Coconut yogurt

Strawberries, chopped

Toasted coconut chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C/Gas 4.
Add all the wet ingredients to one bowl and stir to combine. Add all the dry ingredients to another bowl, and stir to combine.
Add half the strawberries to the bowl of dry ingredients and toss gently to coat in the flour mix.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together gently until just combined.
Pour into your desired cake tin or tins, top with the remaining strawberries, and sprinkle over the caster sugar.
Bake for 30 mins, then check the cakes with a skewer – if it comes out clean and the cakes are lightly golden and risen, they're ready. If not, return to the oven for a further 5 mins and check again.
When the cakes are ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for a good 15-30 mins.
When cool, remove from the tins and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with dollops of coconut yogurt, chopped strawberries and toasted coconut chips.