A Gift of Relish

On top of sweetness and saltiness, sourness is the true gift of relish. Imagine the universe of taste merely consists of sweetness and saltiness, how boring all foods and drinks will be - my apology for ignoring bitterness since not many people seem to enjoy it anyway.

Well, back to sourness, if you happen to be in Thailand you will encounter all sorts of food which have distinctive sour taste, or in some cases extremely sour taste. People seem to enjoy everything that is sour here, from the famous Papaya Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Thai Spicy Seafood Salad to raw mangoes. Some friends commented that most Thai girls are slim and slender due to their sour diet. Is it true? No idea. But they do seem to consume lots of raw mangoes :-)

That brings me to a sudden craving for lime cake. A buttery lime cake deliciously glazed with thick lime syrup. Every wrinkles creased at the sides of eyes as I bite into the sourness are truly expression of my passionate enjoyment. As I looked into the recipe, an adequate portion of coconut milk was added to make the cake creamier.



LIME AND COCONUT CAKE
Serves 10 persons
Prepare: Rectangular cake tin size: length 19cm, width 9 cm, height 6cm

1. Lime Glaze

Ingredients:
- Lime juice > 24 grams
- Granulated sugar > 30 grams

Method:
- Mix both ingredients in a bowl and stir until sugar completely dissolved.

2. Lime Cake

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 132 grams
- Baking powder > 3/4 teaspoon
- Salt > 1/8 teaspoon
- Butter > 83 grams
- Whole eggs > 1 1/2 or 76 grams
- Granulated sugar > 150 grams
- Fresh milk > 75 grams
- Coconut milk > 3/8 cup
- Lime juice > 15 grams
- Lime zest > grate lime > 10 grams



Method:
- Mix all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt together. Sieve.
- Cream butter and lime zest until pale and thick. Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 160 degree Celsius.
- Beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
- Fold in fresh milk, coconut milk, and lime juice. Mix well.
- Add flour into creamed butter and mix thoroughly.
- Finally add egg mixture into creamed butter as well.
- Bake at 160 degree Celsius for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from baking tin and leave on wire rack to cool.
- Brush top and sides of cake with lime glaze. Repeat until glaze is finished.
- Keep cake in an air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve in room temperature.