Coconut Lime Cake with Mango and Kaffir Lime Syrup

sticky lime & coconut cake with mango

Let’s rewind to about a month ago, where my obsession with kaffir lime leaves began. I made a green curry from scratch for the very first time and I have been finding interesting ways to use them in both sweet and savoury dishes ever since. From a citrussy prawn and chilli spaghetti to a chicken, chilli and coconut soup to this delicious cake with a kaffir lime infused syrup, this new-to-me ingredient is surprisingly versatile and seems to lift it’s accompanying flavours to fantastic new levels.

If you haven’t tried them before, it’s a little difficult to describe the flavour. They are herbaceous but floral, bright and aromatic, and are used extensively throughout Thai cuisine. I love it so much, I’m planning on raiding Steph’s new garden as often as possible.

sticky lime & coconut cake with mango

I saw this recipe in Real Living magazine, where the beautiful photo caught my eye. It was served in individual loaf tins and with minted raspberries, so I put my own spin on it with summery mangoes. It’s a great recipe for a simple and versatile cake. The sour cream kept it nice and moist and I liked the hint of lime that shone through. Although there was a pretty major typo in print – 3/4 cup of baking powder seemed excessive – but don’t worry, I’ve fixed it up in my version of the recipe below!

The kaffir lime is a really great match for the coconut and mango, and would be great with many other kinds of fruit as well, so use your favourite! And it isn’t shown in my photos, but I served this cake with a large scoop of creme fraîche, which was a lovely counterbalance to the very sweet syrup.

Have you cooked with any new ingredients lately?

sticky lime & coconut cake with mango

Coconut Lime Cake with Mango and Kaffir Lime Syrup
Adapted from Real Living
Serves 10

  • 125g butter, softened
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup plain flour
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tsp finely grated lime rind
  • 2 mangoes, cheeks cut into cubes
  • Crème fraîche, to serve
Kaffir Lime syrup
  • ½ cup caster sugar, extra
  • ½ cup lime juice
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line base and sides of a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.

To make cake, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add flour, coconut and baking powder and stir to combine. Add sour cream and lime rind and stir to combine. Pour into cake tin and smooth surface. Bake in preheated oven for 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean when tested in centre. Set aside for 5 mins, then turn onto wire rack to cool.

To make lime syrup, combine sugar, lime juice, water and kaffir lime leaves in saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring for 2 mins or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 mins or until syrup thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.

Place cake on serving plates and drizzle with syrup. Serve in slices with mango, mint leaves and crème fraîche.

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