Coconut Sponge Cake

This recipe is similar to that of making Vietnamese sponge cake that I posted in my blog before. This time, I use more eggs and use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or butter. Coconut milk is a significant part of the flavor for this cake. However, other flavors, such as orange and lemon, can be substituted for this cake with the same amount of liquid. This is a basic cake is made and decorated for birthday parties or other events. I am sure that this cake will be the center of the party.

Ingredients:
6 eggs, separate egg whites from yolks
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1/4 coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut milk

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350º.
Line the bottom and inside walls of a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Use coconut oil to grease all parchment paper surfaces lining the inside of the cake pan.

Melt the coconut oil and let cool.
In a bowl, combine the cake flour, salt, and baking powder (sift a couple of times) .
Beat the egg whites in a KitchenAid® or other standing mixer bowl. Gradually add half of the sugar until they hold soft peaks (it means the top of the whites should droop a little bit when removing the beater).

Combine the egg yolks with the rest of the ingredients (except the egg whites) in another KitchenAid® bowl and beat for a few minutes until thick and pale in color.
Use a rubber spatula to gently but thoroughly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture and combine both gently to preserve the air-filled quality of the egg whites (I had to try this method many times to get it done right). Repeat procedure until the other 2/3 of the egg whites is combined with the yolk mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50 minutes.

 Remove and let cool before putting any icing of your choice with top with fresh fruits.