A Brazilian Coconut Dessert (Quindao)

Seriously, how good have the Rio Olympic games been?  The beautiful location.  The haul of medals.  There really has been some awe inspiring performances achieved in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain which towers over the golden sands of Copacabana Beach.

Whilst watching Max Whitlock become double Olympic Champion following his amazing floor routine and prowess on the pommel horse the other evening, I knew that Mr E & I needed to mark the games with a traditional Brazilian meal.  Now, not knowing anything about Brazilian cuisine, let alone having never travelled to Brazil, I carried out a quick search on Google and found numerous dishes to whet our appetite.

Amongst the desserts and bakes, many of which were heavily ladened with sweetened condensed milk, I found this Quindao (or Quindim).  It's a vibrant yellow, coconut rich traditional Brazilian bake which contained just 4 store cupboard ingredients and sounded a doddle to make, perfect for the less than routine week which had greeted us.

Although the hands on time is incredibly minimal with this easy bake, a touch of patience is required whilst the mixture bakes slowly in the oven before being chilled for several hours.  However that patience rewards you with an amazing dessert packed with coconut flavour.  From the one mixture you are treated to a crisp base (which was the upper surface during the bake), a slightly chewy coconut mixture which is akin to macaroons despite being made with yolks, and a luscious coconut curd like topping!  It really is absolutely delicious.  If you enjoy coconut you're sure to love this fabulous Brazilian dessert.

We served our quindao with some fresh berries which cut through the richness of the dessert and added an extra pop of colour to the plate too.  It's such an easy, stress-free dessert which would be perfect to make ahead of time when entertaining guests.

OK, I must admit that our Quindao does look somewhat different to the image in the original recipe, with ours being topped with a coconut like curd, and I suspect this is largely down to the baking dish I used.  The original recipe would have happily serve 12 to 15 people which would have been somewhat frivolous just for Mr E & I, and so we
looked at scaling back the quantity.  As the author highlighted in her notes that an oven-proof glass dish produces a slightly creamier dessert and went onto comment that it was easier to
unmould from a glass container than a metal one,  I searched the Only Crumbs Remain kitchen
for oven-safe glass baking dishes and found a Pyrex mixing bowl and a
group of GU individual dessert containers.  The latter would have been a
perfect size for an individual portion but, alas, they would no
doubt have been affected by the lip on the inside of the dish.  And so, our Pyrex mixing bowl was used to make this coconut rich
Brazilian dessert.   The curved base of the bowl produced a slightly domed dessert which meant that our dessert was deeper in the centre than at the sides, causing, I suspect, the delicious curd.  If you'd prefer your quindao to be completely cooked through, like with the original recipe, I'd suggest using a flat based glass baking dish.

Now, when you come to read the recipe below (which I hope you will because it's an absolute breeze to make and oh so delicious to eat) you will notice that a large number of eggs are used!  Six yolks plus one whole egg!  In fact the original recipe used 12 yolks and two whole eggs!  Given that this Quindao serves around 6-8 people I wouldn't be too concerned with the calories and fat content (being around 1 egg yolk per serving) but you may wonder what to do with all of those remaining egg whites, other than freeze them (egg whites freeze well in an airtight container) or bake the obvious pavlova or meringue.  Well, cast your eyes over this delicious collection of ideas, all from fabulous UK food bloggers.

• Dark Chocolate Amaretti Biscuits from Charlottes Lively Kitchen
• Fortune Cookies also from Charlottes Lively Kitchen
• Langues du Chat Biscuits from me, Only Crumbs Remain
• Tuiles from Tales From the Kitchen Shed
• Ile Flottante (Floating Islands) from Pebble Soup

Clearly our quindao was a little larger than we
would have ideally liked, but it allowed us to share this traditional
Brazilian dessert with neighbours who thoroughly enjoyed it as much as we did with the mixed berries.  Although this bake was made to mark the amazing achievements of the athletes out in Rio, it certainly wouldn't be out of place when served at any special occasion.

Let's get to it and bake!

print recipe

Brazilian Coconut Dessert (Quindao)

by Only Crumbs Remain      August-17-2016

This traditional Brazilian bake, is made with four easily sourced ingredients.  After a quick hands on period and a little patience you are rewarded with a delicious coconut bake consisting of a crust, cake and curd! Delicious when served with a few fresh berries.  Perfect for entertaining.

Details:

Hands on time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins - 1 hour 20 mins     Yield: 6 - 8 slices

Specific Equipment:

• 1 x Baking Dish (ideally oven-safe glass).  I used an 8" diameter Pyrex mixing bowl.
• Food Processor / Blender or Stick Blender

Ingredients:

• 75g Butter, unsalted & softened, plus extra for greasing
• 100g Shredded Coconut Flakes, plus 1-2 tbsp extra for serving
• 200g Sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra
• 6 Egg Yolks
• 1 Whole Egg
• Fresh Mixed Berried (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c / 160 Fan / Gas 4.2. Prepare the baking dish. Liberally butter the inside of the dish. Sprinkle with the extra 2 tbsp sugar.  Ensure that all of the butter is well coated with sugar.3. Combine the ingredients. Place the 75g butter, 100g coconut flakes, 200g sugar, 6 egg yolks and whole egg into a food processor or blender. Combine for about a minute. Alternatively place the ingredients into a good sized bowl and use a stick blender to combine everything for 3 or 4 minutes. 4. Bake. Pour the blended mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sit the dish in a roasting tray and half fill with water (to make a bain marie.) Place the bain marie in the oven and cook for 70 - 80 minutes. Place a skewer or toothpick in the centre of the bake, and if it comes out clean the bake is ready. Remove from the oven. 5. Chill. Remove the baking dish from the bain marie and set onto a cooling tray until it is at room temperature. Cover and place into the fridge for at least 6 hours. 6. Transfer to a serving plate. Run a pallet knife around the sides of the inside of the baking dish. Place your chosen serving plate over the baking dish. Quickly flip the bowl and plate over. The dessert may take a moment or two before it drops onto the plate. 7. Serve. Scatter the Quindao with shredded coconut and berries (optional).  Enjoy 🙂Notes:
a)  The egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container until required.  Mark the container with the number of whites contained.  b)  If using a flat bottomed  baking dish rather than a mixing bowl, consider that the bake time may be reduced as the quindao won't be as deep in the centre.  c)  De-mould the quindao just before serving.