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If this coconut eton mess cake with whipped ricotta cream doesn’t brighten your day, then I don’t know what will. You see, I told you!! SPRING!!

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I know, I know, spring doesn’t officially start until Sunday, but I just could not help myself. Gimme all the color please! Let’s recap: we started with this KILLER Shawarma Chicken Salad, then moved on to these pretty Blueberry Muffin Yogurt Bowls, killed Wednesday with this Green Goddess Zucchini Pasta and now we are ending on a major high note with this pretty, berry filled, Coconut Eton Mess Cake!!

So yeah, Bring-On-Spring, I am SOO ready!

WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO HERE:

Also, I’m pretty excited for Easter as well! I kind of love Easter. It’s just fun. Fun colors, fun food and then ok, I love the idea that with Easter comes lots and lots of chocolate. 🙂 Oddly, there is zero chocolate in this cake, but it’s still cool, cause there is coconut, whipped ricotta and all this delicious fresh fruit. Lovin it.

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I’m going to attempt to keep things short today. I’m getting my wisdom teeth pulled in the morning and well, I’m basically trying to get as much done before then as possible. And yes, I am totally having a feast for dinner tonight in fear of the “soft foods” diet.

UGH.

Honest truth? I’m not sure how long the whole “soft foods only” thing will last with me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I will totally be eating all the ice cream my stomach will allow, but I just can’t go very long without REAL food…aka crunchy tacos, granola, big ass salads and um basically, foods that need chewing. This should be interesting…

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

But anyway, this COCONUT ETON MESS CAKE!!

Isn’t it pretty? And fun?!? So perfect for Easter, it just kind of screams – SPRING! Ok and even summer too, I’m most definitely excited for that! Oh, and in case you were wondering…it’s still snowing here.

So if you’ve never heard of Eton Mess, it’s a traditional English dessert, usually made in a dish, with fresh fruit, smashed pieces of meringue, and cream. Super simple, but super delish. There are a ton of different fruit combos that can be used, but strawberries and bananas are most traditional… clearly I didn’t go completely traditional.

I took the idea of fresh fruit with smashed meringue and cream and basically put it all into a cake (not a new idea, but so much more fun!). BUT not just any cake, nope, a vanilla coconut cake. It’s EVERYTHING. I know at first glance you might think this cake looks difficult make, but it’s actually the complete opposite. An Eton Mess (Cake), is well, messy… so you really can’t go wrong. Just add fruit, cream and smashed meringue and inevitably your cake will be pretty and perfect!

As I said, the cake itself is a yummy and crazy moist vanilla coconut cake. The cake portion alone is awesome and perfectly sweet, so I didn’t want to go too crazy with the toppings. I went with a whipped ricotta cream and some fresh strawberries, raspberries and passion fruit. I also had a few blood oranges on hand so I added some slices of those in as well. You can really go with any of your favorite fruit combos, all berries would be delicious! Once you have your cream + fruit, just crumble on some homemade or store-bought meringue.

See, simple?!?

And then decorate with edible flowers or just add more fruit. Best part? Not only is this cake delicious, but it doubles as the perfect center piece for Easter Brunch or Easter Dinner.

COOL! 🙂

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Oh but guys?

Do you think this cake would make the “acceptable” list once I get my wisdom teeth pulled?? I still have two slices left (that I’ve secretly hidden from family). I’m thinking they will be the perfect treat once the Novocaine wears off…

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestCoconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream.

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 1298 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Coconut Cake

Whipped Ricotta Cream

To assemble the Cake

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries divided
  • 2 cups fresh raspberries divided
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1-2 blood oranges
  • 2 passion fruits
  • 6-8 homemade or store-bought meringues
  • edible flowers for decorating (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch (or 9 inch) round cake pans, or line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) beat together the canola oil, sugar, honey, eggs + egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the coconut milk and mix until combined. Batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the lemon zest.
  • Pour the batter among the 3 cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Grab 3 large flat plates, line them with wax or parchment paper and invert the cakes onto the paper lined plates. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.

Whipped Ricotta Cream

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand held mixer) fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the ricotta and heavy cream, continue to whip until the the ricotta is smooth and the cream has fluffed, about 6-8 minutes. Add the honey + vanilla and whip until combined. Keep the cream covered in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Assemble the Cake

  • In a bowl, mash together 1/2 cup chopped strawberry and 1/2 cup raspberries until you have a loose sauce.
  • Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand and drizzle lightly with honey. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cream over the cake and then swirl 1/3 over the mashed berries into the cream. Crumble 2-3 meringues over top. Add a handful of fresh chopped strawberries, raspberries, orange slices and passion fruit. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers. Be careful not to over fill your layers with fruit or the cake will be hard to slice.
  • If desired, decorate the cake with edible flowers.

Notes

*Coconut Cake adapted from [Martha Stewart | http://www.marthastewart.com/341935/coconut-layer-cake].
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Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

YUP. For sure, I mean, cake cures all!! ?

Coconut Eton Mess Cake with Whipped Ricotta Cream | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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Comments

  1. hi i made it with buttermilk instead of milk it was gooey and sticky from in side only and turned out delicious it was so good

  2. have you any ideas on how to preserve edible flowers so they don’t wilt too quick? I have a few left which I wont use for a few days but don’t want them to spoil..

    1. Yes! Place them in ice cube trays, cover with water and then freeze. It makes for the pretties ice cubes ever and super fun drinks. Hope that helps! 🙂

  3. So many great comments, but I may have missed my question. The meringues? Is this with a vanilla cookie bottom? I’m not real familiar with it.

    1. Hi Diana! Yes, the vanilla bottomed meringues. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake! 🙂

  4. This cake is gorgeous! I’m going to make it for Easter brunch 🙂 Question: i’m not a big fan of ricotta. Can i substitute is with more whipping cream and cream cheese?

    1. Hey Barbra! I think another cup of whipped cream will be great! Cream cheese will work too. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake and happy Easter! 🙂

    1. Hi Danielle! Really any other milk will work great. Whole milk, goat milk, almond, whatever you love to drink. let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the cake!

  5. The whipped ricotta cream was a total fail. The ricotta failed to blend into the cream smoothly, and the more I beat it, the more liquid it became. Am making this for a friend’s birthday and could cry at this point.

    1. HI Niki,

      I am really sorry you are having so much trouble. Are you using whole milk ricotta? I make this whipped ricotta all the time with no problems so I am not sure what the issue could be. Did you do anything differently? Again, SO sorry. Let me know what I can do to help. If all else fails, you can just make regular whipped cream. Sorry!

  6. I made this cake last weekend! It was amazing, with a caveat that I hope will help those wondering about making ahead. We baked the cakes a day before and kept them covered at room temperature. The cream was made the morning of and kept in the fridge, and the cake assembled about 4 hours prior and put in the fridge. I didn’t have meringues or edible flowers on hand so I used a mix of whole and chopped berries with a bit of lemon zest. It might have been because some of those berries were smashed, but by the time we took it out of the fridge they had bled -and the inner layers of cake, cream and berries had somewhat mushed together, making a slightly soggy cake. That said, no one cared one bit and everyone proceeded to gobble it like cake monsters. The batter is to die-for. Coconut milk? Who knew?? The cream is only faintly sweet, which I thought worked beautifully with the pound cake and the interlaced honey. I am not an experienced baker, so next time I will probably make the cakes and serve the cream and mashed berries on the side. Not the visual feast that is a triple layer cake, but more practical to make and eat. All in all, a huge success even if it didn’t look as pretty as the original. Thank you for an amazing recipe. A keeper.

    1. Hi Anabel!! So happy the cake was such a hit, that is awesome! Sorry it bleed on you though. That happens because of the mashed berries. The cake, presentation wise is best assembled just before serving. Thank again and I hope you are having a great week!

  7. Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly. I can’t wait to make this next weekend. Have a great day, Jennifer

  8. Hi Tieghan, this cake looks amazing! I was thinking of making it for Mothers Day, do I need to assemble right before serving or can I assemble this the night before or the morning of? Thanks so much for the great recipes. I just made your chocolate bourbon caramel macaron cake for my sons birthday and it was a big hit! Thanks, Jennifer

    1. Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much! You can assemble this either the night before or the morning of. Either will be great, but make sure to keep it in the fridge until about 30 minutes before serving.  I would probably assemble this in the morning just to make sure none of the fruit bleeds into the cream, but taste wise assembling the night before should work great too! Let me know if you have questions. Hope the cake is a hit! ?

  9. i have previously made the martha stewart coconut cake & it is delectably moist!!! cant wait to make this version!!! what type of edible flowers did you use besides pansies?

    1. Hi!! Thank you so much! I used micro orchids and herb blossom flowers. Let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks again!!

  10. Seriously, Cake goals! I hope your mouth is on it’s way to healing / already healed. Getting your wisdom teeth pulled is no fun. And make sure to clean it out properly. I have a friend who didn’t and her mouth got infected which made the whole transition back into proper food all that much harder.

    1. Awe!! Thank you so much! Have a great weekend!

      Oh and I have been cleaning it..but maybe not enough. Going above and beyond ofter reading about your friend!

      1. Hi Tieghan, I love your blog, you do such fun stuff! Small world moment, a couple of months ago I sat next to a guy on a flight from Denver to Cleveland who is a friend of your father’s and he gave rave reviews about all of your cooking and what a great girl you are!
        Anyway, I wanted to comment above on Cristy’s question about gf but I couldn’t get that to happen….I don’t know if you can send this info to her or not, but… I did this cake gf and it came out great! I used Pamela’s Artisan Blend, I added 1 tsp of xantham gum and reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup (cause I think gf flours tend to be sweeter). It is wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe.

  11. Oh wow, this would be a great contribution to Food on Friday: Birthday Food over at Carole’s Chatter. Please do bring it over to join in the Birthday fun. Cheers