Cake of the Day: Coconut Cream, Berry and Almond Meringue Cake

They taste good, they look good, and they’re made by good people — talented bakers from around the world. Today, Skye McAlpine of the blog From My Dining Table shares her recipe for a Coconut Cream, Berry and Almond Meringue Cake.

(Photos courtesy of Skye McAlpine)

Skye McAlpine wasn’t much of a cook until college, when she began “obsessively reading cookbooks” to experiment with recipes as an alternative to consuming cafeteria food. After earning both a master’s degree and a Ph.D., McAlpine really found her voice in food, which lead to the launch of her blog in 2014.

From My Dining Table continues to evolve and explode under McAlpine’s direction. She draws recipe inspiration from her time split between England and Italy, while always focusing on life’s overall special moments. Read more about McAlpine’s peaceful wanderings in our Blogger of the Week series.

Coconut Cream, Berry and Almond Meringue Cake
(Meringata di Cocco, Frutti di Bosco e Mandorle)
Serves: 8-10
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs 10 mins

The first time I made this cake, it was for my cousin’s birthday and she asked me to make a ‘healthy cake’, so I made the filling with coconut cream and honey. It was delicious – though sugar fiend that I am, I find that I prefer it with icing sugar. If you like, you can substitute the icing sugar for 3-4 tablespoons of good quality honey.

6 egg whites
1 ½ cups caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 ½ cups coconut cream
1/3 cup icing sugar
¾ cup blackberries
1 ½ cups raspberries
1 ½ cups blueberries
1/3 cup flaked almonds
Fresh thyme for decoration

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and trace three large circles on the paper. This is the outline for your meringue discs – you can use a cake tin to help you draw even circles. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they begin to peak, then add the sugar one spoonful at a time, beating all the while. When all the sugar has been added and the mixture is glossy, gently fold in the cornflour and the vinegar. Spoon the meringue onto the baking trays and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly into the circle shapes. Set in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, then, leaving the door closed, switch off the oven and let the meringues rest in there for another hour.

To make the filling, whip the coconut cream with the icing sugar (or honey, if that takes your fancy) until smooth. Take the first meringue disc and spoon roughly a third of the cream on top, sprinkle with a third of the berries and half of the flaked almonds. Top with the second layer of meringue and repeat the process again. Finally top with the third layer of meringue, spoon the last bit of the coconut cream, and decorate with berries and sprigs of thyme.