A new take on the traditional Jam and Coconut Cake, this cake oozes sweet strawberry jam not just on top, but throughout as well. The cake is made with coconut milk for softness and dried, toasted coconut is sprinkled on top. And...it takes no time at all to make!
This time we are moving into the realms of traditional good old English school puds. Drum roll please for that evergreen please-all dessert.... Jam and Coconut Cake!
Click HERE to watch ellasbetterbakes.com Jam and Coconut web story.
The star ingredient in this Jam and Coconut Cake is definitely coconut milk, it not only adds flavour, but its silky, smooth texture really softens the cake and makes it super light and fluffy.
For another popular jam and coconut recipe see my Coconut tarts with strawberry jam
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Why make this traybake?
Lots of reasons to make coconut and jam cake!
Perfect, quick no-fail cake ✔️
Strawberry jam inside and out ✔️
Canned coconut milk for softness ✔️
Nuttiness from toasted coconut ✔️
Serve on its own or with Proper English Vanilla Custard ✔️
Great for a fete or similar event ✔️
Ingredients and Substitutions
Desiccated coconut: used in the sponge and also toasted to really bring out a nutty coconut flavour and then sprinkled on top.
Strawberry jam: I prefer to use jam without lumps for this cake, but any will do.
Canned coconut milk: the silkiness of tinned coconut milk makes for a really soft cake. You can substitute with normal coconut milk or you can use 2 tablespoons of coconut cream and make up to 100 millilitres with water.
Unsalted butter: should be softened. You can use salted butter and just omit the fine salt.
Plain (all-purpose) flour: can be replaced with self-raising flour, if so only add 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Eggs: should be at room temperature.
Fine salt: to help bring out the flavour in this Jam and Coconut traybake cake.
Baking powder: to ensure our cake rises.
Vanilla extract: adds a little more flavour and sweetness.
Caster (superfine) sugar: you can use golden caster sugar instead or granulated sugar. Caster/superfine is the best though because the smaller grains mix and dissolve more easily.
Instructions
See end of post RECIPE CARD for precise quantities and instructions.
Picture 1: beat together your butter and sugar until light and airy. This can take a few minutes.
Picture 2: Add sieved flour, baking powder and salt plus one egg and beat on a low setting until fully mixed in. Repeat with each egg.
Picture 3: beat in the rest of your flour and coconut on a low setting until incorporated. Add your vanilla extract and coconut milk and mix on a low setting. Turn up the speed to give the batter a good beat for about 10 seconds.
Picture 4: transfer to a greased and lined square baking tin and level out using the back of a large spoon.
Picture 5: blob warmed jam over the top of the batter and then use a skewer to spread the jam out and into the cake.
Picture 6: bake for 35 minutes until golden all over and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes.
Lightly toast desiccated coconut by popping it into a dry frying pan over a high heat for a few seconds. Spread your jam over your cake and then sprinkle over your toasted coconut.
Leave to cool fully in the tin, then remove by holding the sides of the greaseproof paper and lifting out of the tin.
Top Tips
- You need to lift your cake out of the tin, rather than inverting it, so it is very important to have an overhang of greaseproof paper which you can use to lift the Jam and Coconut Cake out.
- Your butter should not be overly soft before beating it together with your sugar. If too soft the air will dissipate and your cake will be heavy. See further guidance regards creaming butter and sugar in the FAQs below.
- Ensure you constantly wipe down the sides and base of your bowl to make sure all of the batter is mixed equally.
Variations
To make a jam and coconut sponge or jam and coconut victoria sponge, pour your cake batter into 2 x 20-centimetre sandwich tins instead. You will need to blob each half with half of the strawberry jam before baking.
For a larger jam and coconut traybake, use a tin measuring 30cm x 23cm x 4cm and increase the amounts in the recipe card by another quarter (you can use the toggle button in the Recipe Card to do this).
You can substitute with any jam you choose in this recipe, raspberry jam works very well.
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the Recipe Card below.
Storage
Coconut jam cake stores really well in an airtight tin for up to a week.
If you want to freeze it, I recommend doing so before you add the jam and coconut topping and wrapping the cake in clingfilm (plastic wrap) or foil first.
FAQ
When beating butter and sugar your butter should be soft but still have a little give to it when squeezed. Butter and sugar are beaten together to introduce lots of air and this is critical to achieving a light and airy cake. After about 1-2 minutes of beating on a medium-high setting, your butter and sugar mixture will become pale yellow in colour and light and soft in texture, if you are using a stand mixer, you will start to notice it sticking to the sides of the bowl, this is the point at which you can stop beating. Add too much air and the texture of your baked cake will suffer.
In a pan is the easiest and quickest way. Have a dish on hand to tip your toasted coconut into when ready, so that it doesn't keep cooking. Place a non-stick frying pan onto a medium heat for a few seconds to get hot, then add your coconut and immediately start stirring it around, to ensure it toasts evenly. Once you notice that about half of the coconut is turning pale brown tip your coconut immediately out into your bowl to cool, it will easily burn if you leave it any longer.
Linked Recipes
Like coconut or jam-based desserts?
These are some of my most popular recipes which you might like to try ...
Coconut tarts with strawberry jam
Pretty little coconut tarts 🥥 made from a crisp pastry case, cradling a sweet strawberry jam base 🍓 hiding under a coconut cake topping and topped off with a cherry 🍒
Jammy Dodger Blondies with White Chocolate
Jammy Dodger blondies filled and drizzled with white chocolate and oozing sweet strawberry jam 🍓 make such an adorable, fun, SUPER EASY and irresistible combination. Total enjoyment!
Cherry Flapjacks 🍒
Chewy, soft, oaty cherry flapjacks bursting with glistening cherries and speckled with flecks of white coconut. And incredibly easy!
📖 Recipe
Jam and Coconut Cake (traybake)
Here's what you'll need...
- 9 inch x 9 inch cake tin
- Small frying pan
- Small palette knife or butter knife
Ingredients you'll need...
Jam and Coconut Cake
- 250 g Unsalted butter (1 Cup and 2 tbsp) at room temperature
- 210 g Caster sugar (superfine) (1 Cup)
- 4 Large eggs - US extra large at room temperature
- 250 g Plain (all-purpose) flour (1 Cup and 12 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder must be level
- ¼ teaspoon Fine salt must be level
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 100 ml Canned coconut milk (7 tablespoons)
- 100 g Strawberry jam (⅓ Cup)
- 80 g Desiccated coconut (13 tablespoons)
Jam and Coconut Cake Topping
- 200 g Strawberry jam (½ Cup and 2 tablespoons)
- 40 g Dessiccated coconut (7 tablespoons)
Here's what we do...
- Heat your oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/355°F/Gas Mark 4.
- Grease your baking tin, then cut out two strips of greaseproof (parchment) paper which are the width of the tin and long enough to cover the base and both sides whilst allowing for an overhang of about 2 inches on each side. You will hold the overhang later, to lift the cake from the tin.
- Sift your flour, baking powder and salt together.
- Beat together your softened butter and sugar until pale yellow, light, fluffy and airy.
- Add an egg and a dessertspoonful of your flour mixture and beat on a low setting until fully mixed in. Using your spatula, wipe down the sides and base of your bowl to be sure all of the mixture is incorporated, then repeat with the next egg and so on until all 4 have been mixed in. Be sure that each egg is fully mixed in before another is added.
- Add the rest of your flour and your desiccated coconut and beat on a low setting until fully mixed, wipe down with your spatula again.
- Add your coconut milk and your vanilla extract and beat on low until just mixed in.
- Turn up your mixer to medium-high and give it a good short but fast beat for about 10 seconds.
- Pour into your prepared baking in.
- Heat your jam in a microwavable bowl for out 10 seconds, to loosen it up a bit.
- Place blobs of jam over the top of the cake batter, then take your skewer and spread and swirl it into the cake batter,
- Bake in the centre of your oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from your oven and, leaving the cake in the tin, place it on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Whilst your cake is baking, toast your desiccated coconut. Place your frying pan onto a high heat and add your coconut. Immediately toss it around with your wooden spoon until half of the coconut beings to brown very lightly, then tip it straight out into a dish to cool.
- Again, heat your jam for 10 seconds and then spread it over your cake.
- Sprinkle over your toasted coconut.
- Leave your cake to continue to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes then, holding opposite sides of the greaseproof paper, lift it from the tin and leave it to continue to cool on your cooling rack. Only remove the greaseproof paper once the cake has fully cooled.
- Cut into 16 squares.
Supporting Notes
- You need to lift your cake out of the tin, rather than inverting it, so it is very important to have an overhang of greaseproof paper which you can use to lift the Jam and Coconut Cake out with.
- Your butter should not be overly soft before beating together with your sugar. If too soft the air will dissipate and your cake will be heavy. See further guidance regards creaming butter and sugar in the FAQs below.
- Ensure you constantly wipe down the sides and base of your bowl to make sure all of the batter is mixed equally.
Pat C says
Such an easy recipe to follow and make. Turned out just like the pics and loved by everyone.
Ella's Better Bakes says
Hi Pat, I am so pleased to hear that the cake turned out well, thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂
Mick says
Great cake - don't forget to warm your jam! 🙂
Ella's Better Bakes says
Glad you liked it! Yes, I agree jam warming really helps!
Nadene says
Hi! Do I turn the cake upside down before spreading jam and sprinkling coconut? Your photo looks like there is jam on the bottom of your cake, mine has sat on the top after baking. Thanks
Ella's Better Bakes says
Hi, the jam will generally sink through the cake as it bakes. If the batter is a little thick however the jam may stay on top. To loosen up the batter beat in a little milk, it should be quite silky, not stiff. You can also try warming the jam, so that it flows through the batter more easily. Hope that helps.