I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

August 8, 2011

Coconut and Lime Syrup Cake




Hands up who misses Real Cakes?









Anyone? I know I sure do. Buying one pre-made is always a bit hit and miss, the best answer is always to make your own if you have time, but it's always great if you find a gem of shop that sell the Real Deal.


Our fantastic farmers markets in Canberra have a great array of local produce and producers. I love to wander the stalls on a Saturday, picking a choosing from such bounty.

I always check out the cake stalls even though there's not usually anything for me there. I glean ideas, flavours and combinations and just inspiration from the people there making stuff they're proud of. Amore Cakes is one of these. They even have a few gluten free items for me to try and they taste great.
Amore Cakes has a bustling stand with a selection of cakes available by the slice. Now these are Real Cakes. The flavours are really there, the slices are really moist and they taste really good! Honest cakes, that contain butter and sugar and all the other 'bad' stuff.

I was really excited the other day to find out they had produced a small recipe book with some of the best loved cakes in it. I knew how good they were already, so just had to find a way to convert them to gluten and dairy InTolerant, and I was set. My friend Pony is a huge fan of the Coconut and Lime cake, and with a MasterChef Winner Dinner at her place, I volunteered to bring dessert.

I never, ever take along something I can't eat- what's the point? When I serve up a cake or other gluten-filled looking substance and people tell me how great it tastes, I smile and help myself to a serving too. When I explain there's no gluten or (usually) lactose involved the first instinct of most is to spit it out, but then they remember how yummy it is and just keep eating. Sometimes it even changes an attitude or too as well. See, changing the world, one gluten at a time.




Lime and Coconut Syrup Cake,
adapted from Sam Walkers Amore Secrets Cookbook




125 gr Butter
1 cup Castor Sugar
4 Eggs
2 cups Dessicated Coconut
1 cup GFree SR Flour
150 grms Sour Cream
1 large Kaffir Lime Leaf, chopped finely
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut

Lime Syrup

100 ml Lime Juice
100 gr castor sugar
1 finely shredded Kaffir Lime Leaf

Now this cake isn't lactose free today. I decided to make it with the same sour cream recommended so I could get a feel for the recipe before I switch it up a bit. I think I'd like to play up the coconut a bit more and use dense coconut cream next time.

Cream the butter and sugar together with the kaffir lime leaf, until light and fluffy.
















Add in the eggs and sour cream and beat well.

Stir through the flour and coconut.

Put the mixture into a lined 20 cm pan. I used this one, as that's the only 'normal size' one I've got, the others are all huge catering sized, but this one turned out juuuust right.
















Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top and press lightly onto the mixture.


Put in the oven at 150*C and think happy thoughts for 2 hours while the house fills with smells that will be the envy of all who pass by.


Pull out the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 mins. Pour the lime syrup over the cake and let it cool completely in the pan.
















The cake turned out beautifully- smooth, moist, rich and delicious with a nice dense crumb, especially good for a gluten free cake. Cooling it the tin helps keep it from drying out and if you wanted you could even cover it to cool it slower.
The next day the cake was even better with the flavour of the lime less 'raw'. Sam recomends not storing the cake in the fridge and it certainly tastes a lot nicer at room temperature too.


I really love this cake, like I said- it's Real. And Really Good too!



So Dear Readers, what type of cake do you like the most?









14 comments:

  1. I really like coconut cakes, and can only imagine how much better it would be with your lime syrup! Great recipe Becca, thanks!

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  2. I can't believe some people react like that when you tell them it's lactose/gluten free! Who cares, as long as it tastes amazing, like I'm sure this cake does?

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  3. Yum...lime and coconut..what's not to love?!
    Been meaning to ask you what brand of gf flour you use. I tried the white wings one recently and it was so salty that I initially thought I must have used salt instead of sugar in the recipe. The next thing I made was also salty so I ditched the rest of the flour. Tried the Aldi brand flour which was fantastic but I have never seen it again. I used to love the Healtheries one but it too has disappeared (I even looked for it in its hometown of NZ with no luck!).

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  4. It's all about the taste isn't it! And this looks fantastic! I love lime and coconut. It's getting me mentally prepared for Summer already :P

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  5. I've never made a gluten free cake but this one has me very interested. It looks fantastic. I paid a visit to the Canberra farmers markets last year and noticed lots of lovely cake stalls. They are really very good markets, aren't they?

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  6. I don't bake, any good cake will be real for me :)

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  7. I love that you have included Kaffir Lime in this! Sounds delicious...

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  8. What a great idea to use Kaffir Lime.
    I love the combination of lime and coconut. Cake is pretty rare around here these days, which makes me sad because baking was something I loved to do.
    I would also like to know what brand of flour you used please ...

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  9. YUM this looks delicious :) there are so many amazing gluten free sweet dishes now adays i am surprised people even flinch!

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  10. Coconut and lime - one of my favourite flavour combinations! YUM :)

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  11. Hello Dear Readers, Lime and Coconut seems to be a perfect match doesn't it? Very tropical, I can close my eyes and pretend to be on a beach under a palm tree, with a drink with an umbrella in it.... Well that might be possible if I wasn't sitting on the lounge in my PJ's and slippers, freezing, with a steaming cup of earlgray making my nose drip onto my keyboard! Sigh....

    Celia- I love coconut too, but much more when it's not dry and crumbly, that's why I like this cake so much

    JasmyneTea- I know, but they do! Even my fellow chefs at work! And it does too :)

    Spiceandmore- I mix it up a bit actually. I haven't had any problems with the White Wings one being salty- maybe it's a bad batch? I use Bakels for work, but I'm not very fond of this as it has an unusual taste-not nutty, but something like that. I haven't tried the Aldi one as I can never find it there either.

    If I have to use commercial ones, I do find the WhiteWings performs very well overall. It's not too claggy or dense and always rises well. I have all sorts of gfree flours and starches and sometimes mix and match for myself.
    Most of the supermarket ones perform OK for cakes and biscuits and home baking stuff. If you want to make your own bread you really need to get into the starch to protein ratios and get it just right.

    Lorraine- That's right, the taste is what matters, I usually let them eat it first before I say it's gluten/lactose/whatever else free, that way I get a true reaction, not a tentative one. Bring on Summer!

    Amanda- Gluten free is definitely NOT taste free! I hope you give it a try, just substitute 'normal' flour for the gfree stuff.
    Yes, our markets are awesome aren't they? I hope you visit Canberra again soon.

    Tigerfish- You're so funny! :)

    Sherilyn- I have my own tree in the backyard and love to put it in everything I can, yumm..

    Ninehundred...- Me too. Oh, that's sad :( Why not make one this weekend? I use whatever's on hand really, read my reply to Spice up top though.

    Muppy- I know, it's such a silly pre-conception isn't it?

    Ladybird- Thanks, me too! Nice and fresh tasting.

    Here's to a lovely weekend Readers, I hope you have a good one, and it includes at least one slice of cake!

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  12. Whee, my dad would love this! I need to send my mom the link to your site, now that both my parents have switched to gf.

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  13. Love that you put Kaffir lime leaves in this! And super jealous that you have a tree in your backyard! Yum.
    P.S I love it when non gluten-free's enjoy our baking as much as we do :-)

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