Precious Art By Precious People

Coconut bars

Ingredients – Cake

Generous ½ cup butter (plus extra for greasing)

Generous 1 cup superfine sugar

2 eggs beaten

Finely grated rind of 1 orange

3 tbsp. Orange juice

2/3 cup sour cream

1 ¼ cups self-raising flour

1 cup dry unsweetened coconut

Toasted long shred coconut to decorate

 

Ingredients – Frosting

1 Egg white

1 ¾ cup confectioners sugar

1 cup dry unsweetened coconut

About 1 tbsp. orange juice

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.  Grease a 9-inch/23-cm square cake pan and line the bottom with non-stick parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and superfine sugar until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in the eggs.  Stir in the orange rind, orange juice, and sour cream.  Fold in the flour and dry unsweetened coconut evenly using a metal spoon.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and level the surface.  Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack.

For the frosting, lightly beat the egg white, just enough to break it up, and stir in the confectioners sugar and dry unsweetened coconut, adding enough orange juice to mix to a thick paste.  Spread over the top of the cake, sprinkle with long shred coconut, then let set before slicing into bars.

Makes 10

Tried and tested in the THASC kitchen