A Victoria Sandwich is a terrific classic cake, but sometimes we need something a little different, so here’s my current offering. Here’s a great cake, especially for afternoon tea. It’s light and fluffy with the coconut & lime combining to create a flavour that’s memorable without being overpowering.

Serves: 10 – 12 slices

Time: Preparation: 30 min. Baking: 25min.+ cooling Decorating: 30 min.

Level: Easy

Need: Two 20cm/8in round cake tins, ideally with loose bottoms.

Cake ingredients

4 medium eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished cake
225g/8oz self-raising flour
Small pinch of salt
100g/3½oz desiccated coconut
1 Lime – zest and juice from half (you can double the lime content if you want a stronger flavour)
2 tsp baking powder
225g/8oz softened butter

Filling/Topping ingredients

100g/3½oz white chocolate (This can be omitted, but why would you?)
75g/2½oz softened butter*
75g/2½oz full fat cream cheese*
Around 250g/9oz icing sugar*
Juice from second half of the lime
Green food colouring (I used Pistachio from the excellent “Colour Splash” range.)
2 – 3 Tbsp desiccated coconut to sprinkle over the top

* These amounts are flexible and will give you more than enough. You could increase or decrease the icing sugar a little to suit your taste.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas 4. Grease and base line the tins. Lightly dust inside with flour.

2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl then add the sugar, flour, salt, desiccated coconut, lime zest, lime juice, baking powder and butter. Mix together until well combined, using an electric mixer. Take care not to over mix. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.

4. Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Check them after 20 minutes. The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch. Let them cool in their tins for 5 minutes. If necessary, run a rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tins and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

5. To make the filling/topping melt the white chocolate (if using) on a bain marie using a low heat. Meanwhile beat together the butter and cream cheese. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate and beat further.

6. Carefully sift in the icing sugar, stir to mix, add in the lime juice then beat more vigorously. Squeeze in a few drops of food colouring and mix, adding more until you achieve the depth of colour that you want.

7. Spoon or pipe just over half the mixture onto one cake and place the other cake on top. Use the rest of the mixture on top then sprinkle with desiccated coconut to finish.

Gallery

I hope you enjoy this lovely cake. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury. Here are three that I’d love you to try:

Chocolate & Orange Checkerboard Cake