These intriguing pyramids won the vote on my Facebook Poll this week. I must confess that I'd never heard of such a thing before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. From the title, I could at least guess that the coconuty treats should be pyramid shaped. Thankfully, Mary mentions that dariole moulds (used to make madeleines) make for a good substitute. As I do not own any pyramid moulds I was relieved to hear this. My pyramids would just have to make do with a flat top!
I had friends due to visit late morning and, after a mad dash round with the vacuum cleaner, I decided I had just enough time to make the coconut pyramids. As the recipe is in the children's section of the Baking Bible, I thought it only appropriate to make them with my 19 month old little boy. I made the mistake of asking Isaac if he would like to help Mummy make some cake. Isaac was soon frantically searching the kitchen and shouting “CAKE” - whoops!
Once calm was restored we cracked on with making the coconut pyramids. First of all I weighed a huge amount of coconut into the mixing bowl and Isaac managed to pass me the sugar from the shelf – without any spillages! Considering the large quantity of coconut, I was surprised that I didn’t need to add anywhere near as much sugar. Isaac watched attentively as I stirred the coconut and sugar together. Little hands couldn't resist reaching into the bowl, so the kitchen floor was soon covered in a fine layer of coconut! The next thing was the messy part of adding the eggs. First I had to crack them into a glass; I thought it best if I did this without the assistance of my little helper! Once I had lightly beaten the eggs, I sat on the floor and added them slowly to the mixing bowl. Mary says to add enough to bind the mixture together. I found that I required every last drop. Isaac helped stir the thick mixture; he nearly upended the bowl once or twice but soon settled down to a much gentler action! A big smile stretched across his little face. It was plain to see how much he was enjoying himself. It was amazing that no other ingredient was required. I had expected to use some flour or perhaps some butter! There was the option of adding a drop or two of pink food colouring. I couldn't resist adding a few drops. Isaac looked confused at this point; he saw the white mixture turn pink before his very eyes!
I only needed to use one dariole mold as the coconut pyramids are not cooked in the moulds. This was good as it would save on the washing up! I rinsed the mold with some cold water and then I did as I was told to make sure it was well drained. I just gave mine a quick shake and that seemed to do the trick! I filled the mold with the garish pink mixture and pressed it down gently with the back of a spoon. The next thing was to tip it out onto my lined baking tray. I assumed that this would end in disaster. With bated breath I lifted the mold from the paper and, hey presto, there was a perfectly shaped, albeit flat topped pyramid!! Amazingly, every single one held its shape, what are the chances? I have to admit that they looked rather odd and not exactly pretty. Before I put them into the oven I asked Neil what he thought. Apparently they looked like towers of minced beef - well I hadn't quite expected that reply!!!!
The flat topped pyramids went into the oven for around twenty minutes. This gave me enough time for a half hearted spot of dusting. My friends arrived just before the coconut pyramids were cooked and, of course, I got chatting. By the time I ran to the oven, the tops were a little brown. I carefully lifted each pyramid from the tray and onto a wire rack. I quickly learnt to use a palette knife for assistance. Using fingers equalled broken pyramids! After ten or so minutes they felt cool to the touch. As I was so annoyed that they were brown on top I dusted over a little icing sugar, which helped just a little. I think these are one of the few things that, although pink, do not look pretty! They looked a little odd and unfinished.
They went down very well with my visitors although Isaac wasn't so sure. They are quite tricky to eat when you have tiny hands. They tend to fall apart. Despite exclaiming that they looked like minced beef, Neil thought that they tasted lovely; he was really rather taken with them. I thought they were very coconuty - well obviously! I love coconut but there was a lot of it and it had an annoying habit of getting stuck around my teeth!! They were also quite sweet and the texture was perhaps a bit too soft for my liking. However, they were great fun to make and Isaac really enjoyed himself. I would happily make them again to keep him entertained. This is definitely one to make with the kiddies!
Flat Pyramids!
