Cherry Coconut Cakes

Clearly, I have a thing for mini cakes and it was only a matter of time before I added cherries to this situation. My favourite buttery cake batter, with fresh cherries and shredded coconut for an amaaaazing flavour combination. Topped with whipped cream and crunchy, toasty bits of coconut, these are ridiculously good. And also very cute to look at 🙂

As they bake, the cherries break down into soft, jammy deliciousness, perfectly contrasting with the chewy coconut in the batter and on top of each cake. The cakes themselves are tender, moist and super flavourful. The coconut isn’t dominating, in case you’re not a fan of it, but adds a nice background score of sorts 🙂

Though this batter usually makes 8 mini cakes, I made 12 this time. The addition of coconut and cherries seems to really increase the amount of batter! You could get away with making 10, but don’t fill the liners right up to the top, they’ll certainly overflow. Trust me, speaking from experience 😛

The whipped cream is lightly sweetened and because it’s not a typical ‘frosting’, I decided not to call these cupcakes. You can of course go with a buttercream or cream cheese frosting if you prefer, but there’s something really yum about freshly whipped cream, fruit and toasted coconut.

These little cakes make a really great summer dessert. Fresh, fruity and really good when chilled because the whipped cream thickens and tastes like ice cream. What more do we need! I hope you’ll make these 🙂

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Cherry Coconut Cakes with Whipped Cream & Toasted Coconut

Mini coconut and fresh cherry cakes with whipped cream and toasted coconut topping

Makes: 12 mini cakes

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Ingredients

  

For the cakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
• 115 gms butter at room temp (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
• 2 eggs, at room temp (see notes)
• 3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (75 gms, see notes)
• 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temp (125 ml)
• 250 gms cherries, pitted and halved

For the topping

• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (25 gms)
• 1/3 cup chilled whipping cream (80 ml)
• 2 tbsps caster sugar, or icing sugar
• 12 fresh cherries for decoration

Instructions

• First, make the cake. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line 12 muffin moulds with liners (see notes).
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, untill pale and fluffy, using a hand mixer for best results. Add the egg and beat to combine till smooth. Stir in the coconut.
• Pour in the milk and beat again till the batter is smooth.
• Finally, fold in the halved and pitted cherries. Be gentle so that the juices don't bleed into the batter too much.
• Divide the batter equally among the muffin moulds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. They don't dome very much, nor will the tops brown a lot, so the toothpick test is important to tell when the cakes are done.
• Let the cakes cool completely at room temperature.
• Now make the topping. Spread the shredded coconut out onto an un-greased baking tray. Bake in a preheated 170 C oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the coconut is dry, and a nice toasty brown. Remember to stir it around every 2 minutes to prevent burning. Set aside to cool completely.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a mixing bowl and hand mixer, whip the cream and sugar until it thickens and forms fairly stiff peaks, with lightly rounded tops.
• Dollop the cream onto the top of each cake (2 to 3 tablespoons per cake) and sprinkle the toasted coconut over it. In hot weather, it's best to now chill the cakes for 30 minutes to let the cream firm up, otherwise when you place a (literal) cherry on the top, the cream might fall over the sides.
• Once chilled, place a cherry on each cake to decorate and dig in! Store in the fridge in an airtight tin for 3 to 4 days. Happy baking!

Notes

*I use frozen coconut, so if you do too, thaw it before using in the recipe. I haven't tried desiccated coconut here.

*You could also make 10 cakes out of this batter, but I feel it overflows quite quickly, so 12 is safer. Alternately, bake this as a round cake in a 6" pan.

*Before whipping the cream, chill your bowl for 20 minutes and make sure your cream has been in the fridge at least 24 hours in hot climates.

*The eggs keep the batter soft, moist and prevent the cakes from becoming dense. You could try this recipe, halving it if needed and adding coconut to it. I haven't tried that variation myself but it should work.

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