Think of this as a cake form of a popular Indian sweet called coconut burfi. Made with coconut, sugar and cardamom this cake will surely transport you to the bazaars of Asia.

The inspiration

I have been wanting to make this cake for a while now as I’ve been thinking lately of a sweet my Mom used to make when I was younger called coconut burfi – which is a cross between a cookie and a brownie  – kind of like a blondie bar but without the eggs.

Coconut burfi is typically made with coconut, ghee, milk, cardamom, and sugar, all condensed down into thick creamy dough.  It is poured into a mould and then cut into pieces after it is cooled.  It takes a long time to make and is a lot of work.  This coconut cardamom cake is my attempt to replicate a coconut burfi but in a cake form.

Pineapple guava blossom the decoration on the cake

If you are like me, you may not be familiar with the pineapple guava fruit.  To be honest, I only discovered this fruit five years ago after we moved to our new home.  In this beautiful landscape we saw these evergreen bushes with the most gorgeous blossoms.

These blossoms turn into a small fruit called pineapple guava. The fruit is the size of small plums but green in color.  I found out that the reason they are called pineapple guava is because they look like a guava inside and have a faint pineapple fragrance.

The blossoms of the pineapple guava are absolutely gorgeous. So much detail on these blossoms that they sometimes get lost in the landscape. Not only are the blossoms beautiful, an added bonus is that they are edible too.  The pale mauve petals taste very sweet.

Edible flowers in desserts

I love to show off edible flowers in my desserts. It’s a way for me to bring a piece of my flower garden into my foods.  So I thought I would make the coconut cardamom cake with a cream cheese frosting so I can embellish it with pineapple guava blossoms.  Here is the recipe.

Cook’s Notes

This is a super moist cake. If you would like it fluffier, you can leave out the apples in the cake batter. If you don’t have pineapple guava blossoms in your area, try decorating the cake with pomegranate seeds, which have the same beautiful deep dark burgundy and pale mauve colors.

Coconut Cardamom Cake with Pineapple Guava Blossoms

Ingredients for cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup room temperature butter, plus about 1 tsp softened butter for pan
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup fresh grated apples from 1 medium sized apple

Directions for cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round pan, line bottom with parchment paper and butter it. Flour the parchment paper, tapping excess out.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, shredded coconut, salt, and cardamom powder.

In another bowl whisk together granulated sugar, 1/4-cup butter, canola oil, vanilla, sour cream, and eggs.

Combine the liquid mixture with the flour mixture and whisk together. Add shredded apples and stir into batter.

Pour the cake batter in the buttered pan and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If the cake starts burning on top before cake is done, place aluminum foil over cake. Once cake is done, let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges then turn out the cake onto a plate. Let cool completely before icing with cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese Frosting and decoration:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut for decoration
• 30 pineapple guava blossoms for decoration

Directions for cream cheese frosting:

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer blend together cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cardamom powder, 1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar depending on how sweet you would like your icing.  Blend into a creamy texture.

Decorate the Cake:

On the cooled cake spread the cream cheese frosting all around the cake. Gently press 1/4 cup shredded coconut all over and around the cake. Get ready to decorate with pineapple guava blossoms.

Gently press blossoms on the cake to your liking.  Cardamom Coconut Cake with Pineapple Guava Blossoms is ready.

Serve coconut cardamom cake with coffee for a perfect dinner dessert or for a decadent afternoon treat.