Coconut Potica

One of the best Slovenian “potica’s” is made with coconut filling. It’s a great and delicious roll cake, you can make for Christmas and other occasions.

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 4 + 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

• 1 + 1/4 cup milk

• 3 egg yolks (you’ll need the whites for the filling)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 tbs rum

• pinch of salt

• 1 envelope fresh yeast

For the filling

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 4 tbs butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 cups coconut flakes

• 2 whole eggs

• 3 egg whites

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Mix the yeast with 3 tbs milk, 1 tsp flour, 1 tbs sugar (take these parts of  ingredients from those you already prepared and scaled) and mash together until smooth. Set aside in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Combine flour with sugar, salt and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients (egg yolks, milk, rum, melted butter – cool it down a little bit before you mix it with egg yolks). Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, add the other wet ingredients and mix throughly until you get a soft dough.

Turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Place in a bowl, cover with a napkin and set aside in a warm place to rise, for about an hour.

Meanwhile prepare the filling: Bring the whipping cream to a boil, then add sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Stir well and when the butter melts completely, remove from heat and add coconut flakes. Mix well and set aside to cool. When it’s no longer hot, stir in the 2 egg yolks, Whip the 5 egg whites until soft peaks, and carefully mix it into the filling.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Transfer the dough onto a slightly floured cloth, that you previously spread on a flat surface. Roll it out into a square 0,2 inch thick, using the rolling pin.

Spread the filling over the square, leaving a 3/4 inch border at the outside edge. Roll up the dough into a log by lifting the cloth gently on one side.

Place the roll into a floured baking tin and bake for 1 hour or until dark brownish.