Raspberry macaroon cake

This is a fantastic recipe: it’s a vanilla sponge cake/Hertzoggie/macaroon/pavlova – all in one! The vanilla sponge base is covered with sticky raspberry jam, topped with an almond flavoured coconut macaroon-layer and served with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. I’ll be making it live on Expresso on Tuesday morning around 06h45, so tune in to watch how easy it is to make. I used Sasko’s Quick Treats Vanilla Flavoured Muffin Mix as a basis for the cake.

I baked it in a Le Creuset heart-shaped stoneware casserole, because the dish is such a great Mother’s Day gift. You can give your Mom a beautiful cake, baked inside her new present! Yuppiechef will be giving away this fantastic casserole to one lucky viewer tomorrow morning.

Ingredients: (makes 2 medium-sized cakes, or about 12-18 muffin-sized cakes)

• 1 x 500g Sasko Quick Treats Vanilla Flavoured Muffin Mix
• 140ml vegetable oil
• 120ml milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 170g (1/2 cup) raspberry jam (I used Melissa’s Raspberry Jam)
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1/2 tsp almond essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Beat the oil, milk and egg together with electric beaters in a mixing bowl, then add the muffin mixture and beat on low-speed for 1 minute.
3. Divide batter between 2 greased 20cm round baking dishes/cake tins, or spoon into 12-18 muffin molds, and spread the batter with raspberry jam (or make one medium cake and 6-8 small muffin-sized cakes).
4. Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until thick and glossy.
5. Fold in the coconut and almond essence with a metal spoon. Spoon it over the jam.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes (small cakes) or 35-40 minutes (medium cakes) until the meringue on top is turning slightly brown and the cake is cooked through. Tip: place medium and larger cakes on the oven rack below the middle to prevent the top from turning too dark before the cake is done.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before carefully turning out smaller cakes onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Medium and larger cakes to be served straight from the baking dish.

Important tip: For this specific recipe, do not bake the whole cake mixture in one deep dish, the cake will still be raw when the meringue mixture is done. Rather use several smaller baking dishes, and use only a thin layer of cake batter per dish.

Recipe by Katelyn Williams, Creative Director at Expresso Breakfast Show, SABC3.