Ingredients
- 5 eggs separated
- 1 cup brown sugar, or 3/4 cup white sugar, or 3/4 cup xylotol pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup white flour
- 2 tsp green tea powder, such as Japanese 'maccha'
- 2 tbsp dry shredded coconut
- 1 tsp icing sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Prepare a 9 inch cake pan, either by greasing it well, or lining it with baking paper. Crack eggs into 2 separate mixing bowls, with the egg whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and set aside. Add the salt and sugar (or sugar substitute) to the yolks and beat (or stir well) until smooth. Add the coconut milk, oil, and vanilla to the yolks, and beat until mixed in (or stir it well). In a third bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and green tea powder and sift this into the yolk mixture. Stir well or beat to incorporate. (Note: the batter will turn green from the green tea.) Now fold in the egg whites, stirring and mixing by hand and only until egg whites have dissolved into the batter (do not overmix). Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on your oven). Check cake after 25 minutes by inserting a fork into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. (Note: the centre should form a peak - if it is concave, your cake isn't nearly finished). While cake is cooling in the pan, toast the coconut. Place coconut in a dry frying pan over medium heat and dry fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly - or until coconut turns light golden brown. Decorate cake with a sifting of the icing sugar, and add a sprinkling of toasted coconut on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes/Tips/References
Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener found in the fibres of many fruits and vegetables, including various berries, corn husks, oats, and mushrooms. It can be extracted from corn fibre, birch, raspberries, plums, and corn. Xylitol is roughly as sweet as sucrose but with only two-thirds the food energy.