Sunday, February 1, 2009

A Sunday Recipe I can call my own


This weekend started with debauchery and has ended with a productive yet calm Sunday that I decided to make my own. It's one of those days where you unwind, answer emails from friends, browse the net, clean a bit ... Oh! and make flourless macadamia nut coconut cake... a recipe I can also call my own.

Derived from John Ash's cook book From the Earth to the Table, this recipe outlines the basic components of a delicious flourless cake: the division of the egg yolks and whites, a base of finely ground nuts, and the addition of subtle flavors that add depth to a relatively simple recipe. Once you have mastered this recipe it is very easy to improvise and alter the ingredients. A flavor combination that I can't get enough of is macadamia nut and coconut. Both are very rich on their own so I figured it'd be a great combo for a relatively dense flourless cake. Served with fresh berries or chocolate sauce, this cake is sure to be a hit!

Flourless Macadamia Nut & Coconut Cake
4 large eggs separated
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
12 ounces roasted & unsalted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit

Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan. If you eat your cake gluten free, use olive oil and pam with a little bit of gluten free flour.

In a food processor combine macadamia nuts and coconut until finely ground. In an electric mixer combine the egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest. In another bowl (or transfer yolks to another bowl and use electric mixer for egg whites as well), whisk egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold in a quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk and sugar mixture, then fold in the chopped nuts and coconut. Once combined fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour batter into the greased pan and cook for about 50 minutes on the middle rack. Keep an eye on this cake as it can brown fast. Baker be warned, it may quickly brown but the center takes a while to bake.

I'm enjoying mine right now with some chocolate sauce and leftover coconut flakes. This would be a great dessert for Valentine's Day if topped with some raspberries and powdered sugar.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow what a great combo!!! John Ash would be proud.

Lisa Engel said...

I hope so! :-)

Anonymous said...

That sounds so good. But it looks easy, too. I think I'm picking up macadamia nuts at the farmer's market tomorrow!

Lisa Engel said...

It's very easy! Yours will probably taste better since I used Trader Joe Macadamia Nuts, not always the freshest!