A raspberry and coconut cake children will love making (and eating)

Anyone who has had children home from school over the past few weeks will probably be handy at crafting by now. The combination of having children to home-school and the need to shop only when absolutely necessary has led to some ingenious repurposing. Who needs to buy seed trays when you can reuse the plastic trays so many fruits and vegetables come packaged in?

For many it has been a great opportunity to show the kids how to grow from seed. I’ve also been using marrowfat peas to grow those cheffy pea shoots that you can’t buy in the shops (using upcycled plastic containers).

And the uses that yoghurt pots can be put to if you have children to occupy is endless. Pencil cups, paint pots, bathtime toys, bird feeders, musical shakers – the humble yoghurt pot is surprisingly versatile.

For this yoghurt cake I’ve listed the ingredients both in yoghurt cartons and metric measurements. It is also a handy recipe to have up your sleeve if you are stuck at home and your digital scales have run out of batteries.

Raspberry and coconut yoghurt cake

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Try an Irish craft beer and help keep the breweries afloat

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Taking out the bins and hanging up the laundry have suddenly become thrilling activities

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When you use cartons, you’ll be surprised how easy it is for young children to bake. It adds an element of fun when a small container is used for measuring. They don’t have to worry about weighing out exact amounts, they can just fill the little 120ml yoghurt pot with each of the ingredients and mix with a simple hand whisk. The result is a beautifully risen, wonderfully moist cake.

It is a versatile recipe, too. You could bake the same basic cake for weeks without anyone noticing if you changed the flavourings each time. It lends itself to using what you have in the cupboard. You might want to try coffee, chocolate, dried fruit, banana or orange.

I love the combination of raspberry and coconut, but you could omit the coconut if it is not to your taste. You could decide to finish this cake with a dusting of icing sugar or a sweet lemon glaze, but sometimes it is worth paring everything back to the bare essentials. This way we may rediscover that it is often the love that is poured into the cake that makes it so tasty.

I use low-fat natural yoghurt in my recipe, but the results will be just as good with any other type of yoghurt. You could also substitute buttermilk (it is the acidic nature of the yoghurt that causes the cake to rise when combined with baking powder and plain flour).

The cake makes a lovely dessert, served with whipped cream. Or slice it in half and fill with raspberry jam and whipped cream.

RASPBERRY AND COCONUT YOGHURT CAKE

Makes one

Ingredients
3 cartons plain flour (260g)
1tbs baking powder
1 carton caster sugar (110g)
3 eggs, lightly whisked
1 carton natural yoghurt (120ml)
1 carton unscented sunflower oil (120ml)
½ carton dessicated coconut (50g)
2 cartons fresh raspberries (125g)

TO SERVE
Whipped cream
Raspberry compote
Coulis or jam

Method
1 Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, fan or equivalent. Line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper.

2 If you are using a yoghurt carton, measure out all the dry ingredients in the carton first.

3 Sieve together the flour and baking powder. In a large bowl combine all ingredients (except coconut and raspberries). Whisk to a smooth batter.

4 Fold in the raspberries and coconut (a great tip to stop the raspberries sinking to the bottom of the cake is to lightly toss them in flour).

5 Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin and level the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes (the length of time will depend on your oven). To check whether it is baked through, insert a skewer into the centre to ensure it comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool fully in the tin.

Variation
Substitute one carton of cocoa for one carton of plain flour.