Apple Coconut Cake Squares

Apple coconut squares are an amazingly versatile treat that can be served hot as a pudding or cold as a cake. The original recipe is based on an old school dinner pudding and apples were the original fruit of choice.

I have since made this with so many different fruits.  I quite often make with strawberries and pineapple or pear.  When blackberries are in season, I make a lovely blackberry and apple version with it. It’s a perfect way to use up leftover fruit that may be starting to spoil, so it can be built into your zero waste meal planning too.

A square apple and saltana coconut cake that has been sliced into 9 squares with one piece missing and one angled sideways. The cake has a crispy outer and is filled with apple, jam, saltanas and coconut.

Apple Coconut Cake  Base

Ingredients for the base:

6 oz plain flour
4 oz marg
2 oz sugar
4 oz jam OR lemon curd

Method for the base:

1. Cream the marg and sugar together then add the flour to make a shortbread dough.
2. Roll out to fit baking dish approx 4cm deep.
3. Prick the pastry base and bake for 10 mins at 170.
4. Spoon the jam/lemon curd into a small bowl and soften with a fork before spreading over the base when cool.
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Tip: Buy desiccated coconut and semolina in the world food aisle of the supermarket as it’s so much cheaper.

Apple Coconut Cake Topping

Ingredients for the topping:

2.5 oz marg
2.5 oz sugar
1.75 oz semolina powder
3.75 fluid oz milk
3.25 oz desiccated coconut
8oz tinned or fresh apple/blackberry or fruit of choice

Method for the topping:

1. Cream marg and sugar then mix in coconut, semolina, and milk, then finally the fruit.
2. Spoon in the mix on top of the base
3.  Add some more jam to the top and cook for 30-45 mins at 170
(squeezy jams are great for this otherwise lightly spread with a knife )
4. Cut into squares and serve hot or cold

The texture is totally different if you eat it hot or after it’s been chilled. It’s a lovely crumbly comfort pudding when hot, but more like a cake bar when cold. Try both!

Variations:

Substitute different fruits – blackberry and apple, blackberry and pear, strawberry and pineapple, blueberry and apple all work well.

Use a dairy-free butter and milk substitute – I used Flora dairy free and Alpro Rice Milk and it still came out lovely.

slice of a blackberry and apple pudding with a pastry base, modified from an old school dinner recipe for apple coconut squares
apple and blackberry coconut cake

If you are using blackberries in this recipe, have a look at my post:

how to prepare blackberries for eating, freezing and cooking.

Do check out more from my recipe section which also includes several dairy-free and gluten-free recipes. You may like to try these ideas for breakfast, dinner, and dessert:

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17 thoughts on “Apple Coconut Cake Squares

  1. This not only sounds amazing, but ridiculously easy to make! I am not a baker by any standards but I think I will give this a try with the Flora dairy free and Alpro Rice Milk as suggested.

    Liked by 1 person

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