Coconut cake, and poached pears with chocolate sauce: Claire Ptak’s festive puddings – recipes - The Guardian

In the American south, coconut cakes are a Christmas tradition. There are myriad variations: some call for fresh coconut, some desiccated, some flaked, some toasted. I love the snowy appeal of a coconut cake in the winter, and it’s a welcome alternative to a rich fruit cake. Poire belle hélène, or poached pears with chocolate sauce, is both elegant and simple, not to mention refreshing after a large meal. These two desserts go surprisingly well together on the table – or even on the same plate.

Fluffy coconut cake

I love to use fresh coconut in this, but only if I have a helper who wants to grate the flesh for me. The seven-minute icing keeps things light and a little less sweet, while cocktail cherries always bring some fun.

Prep 30 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 12-18

For the cake
100g desiccated coconut
400g plain coconut milk
350g unsalted butter, softened
400g caster sugar
4 whole eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fine sea salt
500g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder

For the seven-minute icing
4 egg whites
200g sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
200g desiccated coconut, or the grated flesh of 1 fresh coconut, plus a few shavings of coconut to decorate
Cocktail cherries, to decorate

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/335F/gas 3½, and grease and line two 20cm x 30cm baking tins or three 20cm round cake tins.

Measure the coconut into a bowl, cover with the coconut milk, then stir and set aside so the coconut absorbs the milk and plumps up a little.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric whisk), cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly, then the vanilla and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder, then mix into the butter mixture until fully incorporated. Finally, fold in the coconut milk mixture and mix well.

Distribute the cake mix evenly between the prepared baking tins, then bake in the middle of the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Remove and leave to cool completely.

For the icing, measure the egg whites, sugar, golden syrup, salt and vanilla into a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of boiling water (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl or it will cook the egg whites). Whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very warm to the touch. If you have a thermometer, heat the mixture, whisking continuously, until it reads 75C. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture is warm, opaque, and the sugar feels dissolved when you rub a small amount between two fingers. This will take about seven minutes.

Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer stand and whisk on high speed to stiff peaks. Use straight away to ice your fully cooled cake, both between the layers and on the top and sides; for extra fun, you could scatter a few chopped cherries between the layers. Decorate with dessicated coconut and cocktail cherries.

Poire belle hélène

When desserts were named for operas! Poach a few pears – an unsung fruit, in my book – and use them for this beautiful dessert. You can make all the components ahead of time and reheat for serving, which is particularly useful during the holidays. You could easily double or triple the amounts to accommodate a larger party.

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

For the poached pears
750g sauternes, or other dessert wine
750g water
600g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod
4 large pears – I use comice

For the chocolate sauce
150g 70% dark chocolate
100g double cream
50ml soured cream, or creme fraiche
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp fine sea salt
Whipped cream, to serve

Put all the ingredients for the pears except the fruit into a heavy-based pot that’s just large enough to hold the pears, then heat slowly to dissolve the sugar. Peel the pears, keeping them whole and, if possible, with the stems intact. Gently lower the fruit into the poaching liquid and cook at a slow simmer – that is, with bubbles no larger than champagne – for 45 minutes to an hour, until soft when pierced with the tip of a knife. Keep the pears in the poaching liquid until you’re ready to serve; if making them ahead, chill them in the liquid – they will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Chop 100g of the chocolate into small pieces, then put in a small bowl. Heat the double cream in a small saucepan to just below a boil – it’s at the right point when it starts to foam and steam, so watch that it doesn’t boil over. . Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave to sit and melt for 10 minutes. While it’s still warm, stir until smooth.

Wash out the cream pan, add the remaining 50g chocolate, soured cream or creme fraiche, 100g water, the caster sugar, vanilla and salt. Heat on a medium-low flame, whisking periodically, until it’s all melted, then turn up to medium-high and cook for five minutes more to thicken the mix slightly. Whisk into the chocolate ganache mixture. Occasionally, the mixture can appear broken or split, but it is easily brought back together with a stick blender or with a quick blitz in a food processor.Leave in a warm place, away from draughts, until ready to use. If the glaze gets too cold and thick, set it over a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to melt it again. (The sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to five days.)

To serve, gently reheat the pears in their poaching liquid, being careful not to overcook them – they don’t need to be hot, just to have the chill taken out of them.

Trim the bases of the pears with a sharp knife, enabling them to stand upright, then position each pear on a plate. Heat 500g of the poaching liquid in a small saucepan until reduced by half, and pour over the pears just before serving with hot chocolate sauce and plenty of whipped cream.

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