Tottenham Cake is a traditional English recipe (from London) for a classic light sponge cake with a pink icing (frosting) and desiccated coconut topping that can be served as a tea cake or a dessert. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Tottenham Cake.
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This is a classic London cake that originates with the Tottenham Quaker community. It is a 19th century invention for a try-baked sponge topped with pink icing or strawberry jam and desiccated coconut (the cake was given free to children on the streets of Tottenham to celebrate the FA Cup victory of 1901). It was originally baked in long trays and diced for sale/ distribution.
A lemony taste to the base is common (from the area's Huguenot population) and food colouring is commonly used to achieve the pink icing. However, contemporary Tottenham Quakers (who still bake and distribute the cake at modern day meetings) use mulberries from their burial ground to achieve the colour.
For this version of the cake you will need a traybake tin or roasting tin about 30 x 22cm in size. This should be greased and lined with greaseproof (waxed) paper and baking parchment.
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
250g butter or margarine
250g sugar
300g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
For the Icing:
250g icing sugar, sifted
3 tbsp water (or lemon juice), about
pink food colouring (or mulberry juice)
desiccated coconut for sprinkling
Method:
Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large bowl then stir in the lemon zest. Cream together the butter and sugar in another bowl then add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Add the flour mix to the creamed mixture, stirring well to combine after each addition.
Finally work in the milk (do not over-work the mixture or it will not rise). Turn the batter into the prepared traybake tin then smooth over the top before transferring to an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Bake for between 35 and 40 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through (a skewer inserted into the centre should emerge cleanly) Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, prepare the batter. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl then work in the water and a few drops of pink food colouring. Work the icing sugar into a runny consistency (it should easily spread), add more water or lemon juice as needed.
Spread the icing quite thickly over the top of the cake then scatter over the coconut. Allow the icing to harden and cut the cake into squares. This can be served as a tea cake, it can also be served as a dessert with custard (coloured pink of course!).
