A light plain sponge filled with desiccated coconut. This is the perfect soft and fluffy sponge, with a little twist. Simple and quick, these are the perfect nostalgic bake.
These little coconut buns are such a simple bake. They always remind me of my nan. These were here go to, quick and easy bakes whenever there were guests coming over, and there was always a warm batch ready for us if we visited after school. To make these start with a basic, plain batter. I use the all-in-one method, which involves adding all of the ingredients together, minus the coconut, and whizzing together with an electric mixer. Once everything is blended, stir through the desiccated coconut and the batter is all ready! It really is that easy!
Coconut
I only make a small batch of 4 cupcakes at a time. For this, I use 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut and make sure that I stir it through really well. Please feel free to add more or less depending on your preference and personal tastes.
You can just put these into a cupcake case and bake them that way, but I like to make these ones a little different. For these, I butter/grease the cupcake tin, and place the batter directly into the pre-greased tray. When the bake is ready, slice a sharp knife around the outside and the cake pops straight out. Giving you the perfect 3 bite bake. But again, if you prefer then you can just add this directly into a cupcake lined baking tray and bake that way.
Leave them in the tray for a few minutes, before placing on a wire tray to cool. Dust these off with a little bit of icing sugar for a finishing touch, and enjoy!
I always chose to make a smaller batch as I love these being enjoyed fresh, while still slightly warm. This may purely be the nostalgia talking, but that’s when I always believe that they taste best. However, if you do have any leftovers then these can be stored in an airtight containers for a 2-3 days in a cool, dry place.
Ingredients
- 2 oz / 60 g Self Raising Flour
- 2 oz / 60 g Butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1 Egg
- 1 oz / 30 g Caster Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Milk
- 2 tablespoons Desiccated Coconut
- Icing Sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180*c/350*f/Gas Mark 4/160*c Fan Oven.
- Grease a cupcake tin with unsalted butter and set aside.
- Place the margarine and sugar into a bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, self-raising flour and milk to the mixture, blending until fully combined.
- Stir through the desiccated coconut.
- Start to transfer to your pre prepared tins. I prefer to make these as little handheld buns, so chose to grease a cupcake tin and place the batter straight in there.
- Cook for 16 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and light and fluffy. You can tell the cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. You could also insert a skewer into the middle of one of the cakes and if it comes out clean, then the cakes are ready.
- Once ready, remove from the oven.
- Leave in the tin to cool for 3-5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- For a finishing touch, I love to sprinkle these with a little dusting of icing sugar.
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