Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Team Kana have been busy perfecting their cakes recently and even more delicious delights are coming out of Pupu’s hand crafted oven! Recently we have had Va’s famous banana cake, deep, dark chocolate cake and a few new additions to the sweet menu…pawpaw upside down cake and pawpaw spice cake. Ooooh deliciously scrumptious!

Sega ni lega! (no worries…) I will post all these tasty tantalizers with the tribe in the next few months but today, Chelli is sharing the keke goodness and bringing to you on a plate…the zesty and zangy, moist lemon drizzle cake!

This cake is easy peasy to make and is bursting with citrus flavours and a soft, silky sponge. Oooh it’s making my mouth water whilst I am writing this…

So let’s get cake making!

Lemon Cake (Keke moli)
To fill a baking tray 15×35cm

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour
1 cup demerara sugar
3 tablespoons real butter
1 tin coconut milk and 2 cups of water (...otherwise its too thick and creamy!)

...or if you want to do it the Fijian way, grate 3 coconuts into a bowl. Then add 5 cups of water and squeeze both together with your hands to let out all the creamy goodness from the coconut. Then strain, using only the milky liquid

2 Eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 lemons

METHOD:

Place the butter, sugar and eggs together in a bowl.
Whisk until all the sugar has dissolved and the texture is s m o o t h.
On the island, Team Kana have got the whisking down to half an hour by hand…strong keke muscles! As Chelli explains the reason why whisking is so important and for so long…‘it makes the cake soft with no crunchy bits!’ Even if you do have an electric whisk, have a go at it by hand and save some extra power :)

Add flour, baking soda and powder to the mixture and stir together.
Put the coconut milk in as jug with the 2 cups of water and stir together. Then pour the liquid into the mixture and stir again.
Finally s q u e e z e the 3 lemons through a strainer to avoid any pips escaping into the cake mixture.

Ooh it’s looking good!

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees so it can start to warm up!
Keep stirring together until there are no lumps and the cake mix is soft and fluffy. The secret to a moist cake is to fold in as much air in as possible into the mixture..

Grease baking tray with butter and pour in the cakey goodness.
Lick the bowl! (it’s a necessity and a very crucial part of the recipe!)

Now the cake is ready to be baked!

It takes on average about half an hour but check after 20 minutes to see if the cake is burning. If it is, turn your oven down a little bit and turn around the cake.
To test if its cooked, take one little leaf from a coconut tree and stick into the middle of the cake. (you can always use as knife too!)

If no dough sticks, you know its ready!

The cake goes a gorgeous, golden colour. If it still looks gloopy in the middle, keep baking for another 10 minutes.
Leave in the baking tray and let it cool for 20 minutes. (don’t be tempted to take as spoonful of warm cake, hehehe!)

So whilst your cake is cooling, you can make the super dooper sugary icing…

SUGAR ICING:

1 ½ cups sugar
4 lemons

Heat together and stir for 3 minutes until sugar dissolves.
Pour over cooled cake making sure all corners are covered.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes and then place in fridge for sugar icing to set before serving.

This cake looks great cut into small squares. To add to the lemony essence, you can always grate some lemon rind on top or for all those chocolate lovers out there, a small sprinkle of white chocolate…oooh my!

SERVING TIP FROM CHELLI:

‘Can also change icing by putting sweet oranges with icing sugar and butter. Like the butter icing. And what we did today, sprinkle some nuts on top too. Cake always tastes good with a cup of tea, lemon leaf…Hahahaha’

It’s tuesday which means the important Sevusevu ceremony and Chelli has just iced the lemon cake ready for afternoon tea. Wow, the plates are brimming with colour and decorated with Vorovoro flowers. Everyone loves this day. GROG AND CAKE!

Vinaka Chelli! Now time for the Sevu sevu ceremony…

Maleka! D e l i c i o u s