Meringue Cake with Bananas and Coconut
Ingredients:
- unsalted butter, softened - 1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 T
- sugar, divided - 1 2/3 cup
- flour - 1 1/3 cups
- baking powder - 1 tsp
- ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
- ground cardamom - 1/2 tsp
- salt - pinch
- eggs, separated - 5
- whole milk - 1/3 cup
- unsweetened coconut flakes - 1/3 - 1/2 cup
- Whipped cream --
- heavy cream - 1 cup
- vanilla bean - 1
- bananas, sliced - 1 -2
Instructions:
Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some to drape over the sides of the pan; set aside.
In a bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn mixer to low speed, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom and salt; mix well. Mix in egg yolks and milk until combined, pour batter into prepared pan.
In a bowl, beat egg whites and 1 cup sugar to soft peaks. Spread carefully over top of cake batter.
Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until meringue is golden brown and puffed. Halfway through baking, sprinkle coconut over meringue (the coconut will adhere to the still-damp meringue but will not burn in the oven.)
Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.
Prepare whipped cream -- in a bowl add cream and scrape in the vanilla seeds, discard pod. With a electric mixer beat to soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
Carefully remove cooled cake from the pan, place cake on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut cake in half crosswise. Place one half of the cake on serving platter, cover with whipped cream and banana slices. Place second cake half on top, meringue side up.
Place cake in refrigerator for 1 hour to chill and soften before serving.
