August 13, 2019
Although the coconut slices (slo: kokosove kocke or čupavci) are believed – not by New Zealanders though - to be an invention of Australia’s Lord Lamington, they were accepted by Slovenian housewives some time ago and have since become an integral part of any celebratory table. It is therefore important for every woman living in the Slovenian countryside to learn how to bake some of these and avoid the disgrace when a baking emergency strikes. They are also easy to make and kids prefer them to potica.
To explain as quickly as possible what these cakes are all about, we could just follow the Australian invention story, which goes that the Lord had unexpected guests once, so he took slices of old sponge cake, dipped them in chocolate, rolled them in ground coconut so that they wouldn’t stick to one’s fingers and served them to his guests. Basically that’s what coconut cubes are, only that they are made with fresh rather than stale sponge cake these days.
Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, milk and butter into a smooth mixture, then mix in sifted flour with baking powder.
Prepare a baking tray with baking paper and pour the mixture in, then place into a preheated oven (175 degrees Celsius) for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in milk and butter and cool down to body temperature. You might be sticking your fingers in it, so it shouldn’t be too hot. If it thickens too fast, add more milk.
Dice the cake. Note that final cubes will be much bigger than the pieces you cut when covered in chocolate and coconut. The goal is to get the right size of slices which will not break while soaking in the chocolate, but will also not be too big for someone to finish.
Soak the cubes in chocolate, then cover them in grated coconut. When the cubes are done, put them in the fridge for several hours so that they firm up.
Dober tek!
