Oceana's Blueberry Coconut Cradle Cake

 Listening to Morning Living on the radio Chef Chan described how he made this cake it sounded so interesting I had to come home and try it.  I love that he got the idea from a 1953 Pillsbury Bake Off Cookbook.  It was a cradle cake with chocolate and pecans which led him to come up with this recipe.  I had never heard of doing this and not being a big icing fan liked the idea of the meringue when the cake is inverted becomes your outer coating.






Oceana's Blueberry Coconut Cradle Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter (4oz)
1 c sugar
4 whole eggs
3/4 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 c blueberries

Coconut Meringue:

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c coconut, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.  Toast coconut until golden brown & allow to cool.

Prepare tube pan by coating sides with butter or oil.

Mix flour, soda, salt set aside.

Separate eggs reserving the whites for the meringue.

In mixing bowl cream together butter and 1 c sugar, then add yolks slowly and mix well. Add dry ingredients, mix then add buttermilk and vanilla.  Carefully fold in blueberries.

Meringue:
Toss coconut with powdered sugar set aside.

In mixer beat egg whites with a pinch of salt till foamy increase speed when peaks begin to form add sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks form.  Gently fold coconut powdered sugar mixture into egg whites.  Spread inside tube pan on all sides, bottom, and around tube.

Place the blueberry batter inside Meringue lined pan, spread evenly.

Bake for 75-85 minutes or till cake is springy to touch.  Let cool for 15 min before removing and inverting onto plate.

--when cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar

Click on this video of Chef Jansen Chan of Oceana Restaurant to see him making the recipe:

my tip for keeping the recipe handy