Luscious Lime Syrup Cake

If you love limes, then this is a beautifully light way to turn limes into a fresh, juicy and delicious cake.  Syrup over cake creates such a juicy texture, particularly when combined with the coconut, it’s a little bit of a lady-like holiday on your fork.

I’ve used a recipe from one of Australia’s iconic chefs, Neil Perry.   I’ve had what can only be called a tome of his recipe’s (its 440 pages long!), from a Christmas present past, and this would probably have to be the first recipe that I’ve made out of it.  I’m really not sure why I’ve waited so long, as it’s a beautifully presented book, and the recipes are well written. Most importantly, its named…”the food I love’.  Should be enough for me to have cooked every recipe in the book!

Whether its winter or summer on your side of the world, this is a cake I would recommend adding to your repertoire.

Neil Perry’s Lime Syrup Cake

• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• zest of 1 lime
• 2 eggs
• 250g unsalted butter
• 1 cup milk

for the syrup

• 1 cup castor sugar
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 5 limes
• 3/4 cup water

preheat your oven to 180c.  Grease a 22cm round tin and line with baking paper.

Sift your flour and then mix with the castor sugar, coconut and lime zest in a bowl.   Melt you butter and then add to the dried goods.

Once combined, add in your eggs and milk and mix until smooth.  Spoon the mixture into your baking tin and bake on a tray for approx 1 hour or until you can test with a skewer and it comes out of the cake clean. 

To make the syrup by putting the sugar and 3/4 cup water into a heavy based saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the lime juice and zest and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 8 mins.

When you remove the cake from the oven, leave on the tray and poke with the skewer to create holes evenly over the cake.  Spoon over the still warm syrup. 

Allow to sit for approx 20 mins for the syrup to be absorbed by the cake and then remove from the tin and cool.  Serve on its own, or with a double cream.

This cake will keep well for a few days when stored in an airtight container…if you can resist eating it!

Happy Cooking, and Happy Eating.

Leah