Coconut Torte Day

What the day is

Coconut Torte Day is observed on March 13. A torte is not simply a fancy cake; the distinction is structural.

Origin and background

A torte substitutes ground nuts, or in this case coconut, for most or all of the flour. That single change alters everything downstream. Flour supplies gluten, which forms an elastic network trapping gas and giving a cake its springy crumb. Ground nuts supply none, so a torte relies almost entirely on beaten eggs for lift and sets dense, moist and close-grained rather than airy. It is also why tortes keep better than sponges, since fat and moisture from the nuts slow staling, and why many are naturally suitable for people avoiding wheat.

Coconut brings its own complication. It is unusually high in saturated fat, which is solid at room temperature and melts over a narrow range, so a coconut torte firms up considerably as it cools and is best judged cold rather than warm from the oven.

The ingredient itself is worth distinguishing. Desiccated coconut is dried and finely shredded and contributes texture without much moisture. Coconut cream and coconut milk are pressed from the flesh, and the fat separates on standing, which is why a tin needs shaking or, in some recipes, deliberately not shaking. Coconut flour is a different material again, made from the defatted residue, and it absorbs water to a degree that makes it impossible to substitute directly for anything.

Botanically the coconut is a drupe rather than a nut, the same family of fruit as a peach or an almond, with the familiar hard shell being the stone.

How to take part

• Toast the coconut before using it, which transforms the flavor.
• Judge a coconut torte once cold, since it firms as the fat sets.
• Do not substitute coconut flour for desiccated coconut. They behave nothing alike.
• Beat the eggs properly, since they are doing the work flour usually does.
• Make it a day ahead. Tortes improve where sponges dry.