Coconut raspberry cake; soft and fluffy yoghurt cake with sweet shredded coconut flakes and tangy summer raspberries.

Cake is a subject of pure human joy at any time of year. All seasons, all weathers.

Cold snowy day? Warm sticky toffee cake with butterscotch sauce. Rainy spring day? Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Warm summer afternoon? Cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Chilly Autumn evening? Spiced apple cake with custard.

Whether you’re using up seasonal ingredients, or just trying to capture the required amount of delicious dessert heaviness required for the present mood, cake can assist.

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The coconut raspberry cake squares you see before you today are a perfect sunny weather example of highlighting the mood. Bright, light, fluffy, satisfying. Sweet with shredded coconut, sour with juicy raspberries.

This recipe was dreamed up during a craving for coconut, and realised in a similar fashion to my Berry Yoghurt Cake with Lemon Glaze from last summer. Much like making muffins, the cake batter is made simply by stirring some wet ingredients into some dry ingredients, then baking it for about half an hour. It’s actually that easy!

Lighter than other sponge cakes, this coconut raspberry cake gets its moisture from creamy yoghurt and extra virgin olive oil. Don’t let that limit you, however, because you can use any kind of yoghurt or decent quality oil you like. Use coconut or vanilla yoghurt for more flavour and sweetness, use rapeseed or melted coconut oil for gentler colour and fragrance.

Chewy toasted coconut adds flavour and texture, mellowing out each bursting bite of berry. It’s nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just a good old slice of cake.

For an extra pop of colour and flavour I scattered some chopped pistachios over the cake batter before baking, alongside a handful of coconut, but that is by no means necessary for a great result.

In fact, while the version before you is naked, you can dress this coconut raspberry cake up however you like. Slather it with some fluffy buttercream, brush it with a sweet syrup glaze, dust over some snowy icing sugar. Make it your own!

As long as you have a cake tin, a bowl, a jug, and a whisk, you’re well on your way to a fine little summery snack.

Want to save these coconut raspberry cake squares for later? You can pin the image below:

To make this coconut raspberry cake, simply follow the recipe below!