We are on a run of family birthdays at the moment - Sister in Law's (40th) on Friday 13th April, so chocolate cake and cupcakes, my hubby's on Saturday 21st April so Lime and Coconut Cake with White Chocolate and this coming weekend our son's 17th birthday......so another cake...... yet to come!!

I have also made the apple and caramel cake which I posted a few weeks back, two weekends in a row for the birthday's dessert!   I used half of the mixture to make a lower cake which we served with cream the first week and with a home-made whisky sauce the second week (as the kids had already eaten).  I would definitely recommend the apple cake, served warm with the whisky sauce!!

Coconut and Lime cake with White Chocolate

7 inch round cake tin, greased and lined (I have three so can cook my 3 layers at one go)

Oven temperature 180 degrees C

Cake

8 oz self raising flour

8 oz soften butter or margarine

8 oz caster sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 large lime 

1 oz dessicated coconut

Topping

1 oz  dessicated coconut

Chocolate band

300g white chocolate melted

Frosting - I used lime flavoured cooked flour buttercream (recipe found lower down on my blog)

Whisk together the eggs, butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy.  Stir in the flour and baking powder (so it doesn't splash up in your face) then whisk until the flour is fully incorporated.  Stir in the coconut and the rind and juice of the lime.

Divide the mixture between the pans or if just using one pan, divide the mixture so there is enough to make three layers.  

Bake for approximate 20 minutes until golden and when a cake tester is inserted in the middle of the cake it comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes in the tin, before removing them from the tin to cool completely. 

While the cakes are in the oven, toast the remaining coconut by placing in a small saucepan over a heat source, and stirring until just coloured.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Layer the cake with the frosting.  Also frost the sides and the top of the cake.  Sprinkle over the cooled toasted coconut.

For the White Chocolate band.  Measure the circumference of  the cake and the height of the sides (I use a strip of baking paper).  Cut a piece of baking paper just over the length and height of the cake measurements.  Spread the melted chocolate over the baking paper, covering all of the paper.  When the chocolate is just set (too hard it will crack, too soft it will pour of the paper when you lift it up), lift up the paper and wrap the chocolate band around the cake.  You may need to used a bit of melted chocolate to hold the edges together.  

Allow the chocolate to fully harden before removing the band of baking paper.