Try this Queen Elizabeth Cake I recipe.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup dates pitted and chopped
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cream
- Carbohydrate 38.5945616907782 g
- Cholesterol 69.6623264129572 mg
- Fat 30.4733467446678 g
- Fiber 1.28004860813199 g
- Protein 3.52124993251541 g
- Saturated Fat 18.019205838632 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (102g)
- Sodium 403.632667874926 mg
- Sugar 37.3145130826462 g
- Trans Fat 2.11873155615591 g
- Calories 433 calories
Step-by-step
- Pour boiling water over dates in a small bowl, and let stand until cool.
- Measure flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nuts into a small bowl. Stir to mix.
- Cream 1/4 cup butter or margarine and white sugar together in a mixing bowl; beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three parts alternately with date mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Spread batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
- To Make Topping: Mix coconut, brown sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil for three minutes. Spread over warm cake, and brown under broiler.
Standard ingredient lists rarely convey moisture management, yet boiling water poured over pitted dates changes the fruit structure by softening the cell walls before the mixture enters the batter. Small ovens require careful rack placement, typically dead center, to prevent the 9x13-inch pan from browning unevenly during the 30 to 40 minute bake time. Alternating dry additions with the cooled date liquid prevents gluten overdevelopment in the 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.
Adapting Textures and Managing Make-Ahead Storage
Dairy components in the topping require careful temperature control when melted over medium heat to prevent scorching. Freezing works well for this baked good if wrapped tightly in plastic film before applying the coconut topping, allowing bakers to broil the sugar layer fresh after thawing.
- Watch the broiler closely during the final two minutes because high heat burns coconut flakes rapidly.
- Measure flour by weight or fluffing methods to avoid dense crumb structures.
- Cool boiled date mixtures completely before mixing to prevent premature egg coagulation.
