Dense tea cake, subtly sweet with soft and billowy frosting and coconut shavings.

Ingredients

Cake
• 250 ml (1 cup) coconut shavings
• 190 ml (¾ cup) butter, softened
• 375 ml (1½ cups) white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
• 315 ml (1 ¼) cups Rhodes Quality Apricot Jam, divided
• 750 ml (3 cups) cake flour
• 10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
• 2,5 ml (½ tsp) salt
• 250 ml (1 cup) milk
  Frosting

• 250 ml (1 cup) non-dairy cream
• 65 ml (¼ cup) sour cream
• 45 ml (3 Tbsp) icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Place the coconut on a clean dry baking sheet.
2. Toast in an oven preheated to 180°C for 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until golden.
3. Set aside.
4. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until light and creamy.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
6. Beat in the vanilla essence and 190 ml (¾ cup) of the Rhodes Quality Apricot Jam.
7. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
8. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk, mixing just until incorporated after each addition.
9. Divide the batter between two cake pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.
10. Bake the cakes in an oven preheated to 180°C for 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted near the centre comes out clean.
11. Remove the cakes from the pans and leave to cool completely.
12. To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the non-dairy cream until thick.
13. Add the sour cream and the icing sugar and continue beating to stiff peak.
14. Spread the remaining 125 ml (½ cup) of Rhodes Quality Apricot Jam on top of one of the cakes and sandwich the second cake on top.
15. Spread the frosting around the side and on top of the cake,
16. Press the coconut shavings lightly into the frosting on the sides.

Cooking Tip: Imitation cream or dessert topping can be used instead of non-dairy cream.