helen goh's anzac cake

helen goh's anzac cake

• 22 Apr 2024

Last year, ANZAC Day came and went so quickly I didn't have time to bake anything to commemorate the day so I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. 

The cake of ANZAC Day 2023 was Helen Goh's ANZAC Cake. When I looked through the cupboard I had everything I needed. I just needed to snaffle a sprig of rosemary from the local Bellevue Hill flower box with which to finish the cake.

The cake has all the constituent ingredients of ANZAC biscuits, just in cake form. The oats are in the base and the coconut in 2 forms, coconut milk in the cake and shredded coconut in the topping. Please don't think about forgoing the topping, reminiscent of the topping found on a lumbarjack cake, because it's the topping that makes the cake.

Here's the recipe for you adapted from here, which makes a small loaf cake.  For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. If you'd like to make a larger cake, refer to Helen's original recipe.

Helen Goh's Anzac Cake 

Cake 
65g rolled oats 
135ml canned coconut milk
112g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder 
scant ¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt 
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing tin 
65g soft brown sugar (light or dark) 
65g golden syrup 
2 large eggs, at room temperature
icing sugar, to serve 

whipped cream, to serve

a sprig of rosemary

Topping
40g unsalted butter 
50g soft, light brown sugar
50g dried shredded coconut 
30ml cream or coconut milk
pinch sea salt

Method 
Preheat the oven to 190°C, conventional. Grease and line a small loaf tin with baking paper, allowing an overhang on the sides to ease lifting the cake out when baked. 

Place the oats in a food processor and pulse a few times to achieve an uneven texture – some fine and some more coarsely cut. Transfer to a bowl with the coconut milk, stir to combine, then allow to soak while you prepare the rest of the cake. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside for the time being. 

Combine the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the paddle attachment and blend on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will have the appearance of scrambled eggs at this stage, which is normal. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then add the oats soaked in coconut milk. Beat on low speed until just combined, then add the sifted dry ingredients and mix a few seconds longer – it won't be completely incorporated yet. 

Remove the bowl from the food processor and finish folding the batter with a rubber spatula, then scrape into the prepared loaf pan. Place on the middle shelf of the preheated 190°C conventional oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 

While the cake is baking, place all the ingredients for the topping in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter has melted, and the ingredients are combined. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven (keep the oven on) and gently spoon the topping mixture evenly over the surface of the cake. Return to the oven and bake for another 12-15 minutes until the topping is golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 15 minutes before lifting the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sift over some icing sugar, top with a sprig of rosemary (for remembrance) and serve with cool, whipped cream if desired. 

I shared this cake with my neighbours, who found the cake as delicious as I did. This recipe is a definite keeper.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian