For the love of cake

MasterChef winner Emelia Jackson loves to make people happy through butter and sugar. In her new cookbook, she shares her favourite baking recipes and common sense advice for every level of home baker.

- Emelia Jackson

Coconut dacquoise

MAKES A 23CM CAKE

A dacquoise is a beautifully light, crisp and flavoursome cross between a sponge and a meringue. Made with any nut meal that takes your fancy (think almond, hazelnut, walnut, pistachio), in France a dacquoise is traditionally served layered with buttercream. I've kept this one light and simple with lashings of vanilla Chantilly cream and fresh fruit. You can also make it with a gluten-free flour.

CHANTILLY CREAM

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.

2 Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and salt until foaming. Slowly add the caster sugar and whisk until a thick meringue has formed.

3 Combine the almond meal, icing sugar and flour in a separate bowl and whisk well. Add the coconut and mix well. Fold the mixture through the meringue, being careful not to knock the air out of the mixture.

4 Spread the batter in the cake tin and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the dacquoise is lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely in the tin.