Coconut cream recipes
Coconut cream is made from squeezing coconut flesh in hot water, leaving it to cool, then straining it, a process that yields both coconut milk and coconut cream. The two liquids will separate when left to stand: the thick white cream will rise to the surface of the liquid leaving the clear watery milk below. Coconut cream is also dried and sold in hard blocks. It can be diluted with hot water before using or added straight to the simmering liquid in the pan. Coconut milk and cream are used both separately and together in curries and spicy soups to 'cool' the heat of the dish. They're also delicious in sweets such as coconut rice pudding or coconut ice cream.
Using both desiccated coconut and coconut cream gives a brilliant depth of flavour to this cake – and the lime and coconut buttercream finishes it off lovely.
For this recipe you will need 2 x 20cm/8in sandwich cake tins.
More coconut cream recipes
Buyer's guide
Coconut cream is available canned from Asian and Caribbean stores and larger supermarkets.
Other considerations
If you're dairy-intolerant, coconut milk and cream are an excellent alternative to cows' milk in some cooked dishes (provided you like its quite strong coconut flavour).
