Raspberry and coconut..best combination ever?

When I was younger and attending my babysitters I have few very clear memories. One, is when I cut my own fringe and ended up with less hair on my head than a Buddist monk. Another, is  the vivid smell of freshly cut grass on a summers evening and the beginning notes of the Live with Pat Kenny show on a morning, usually accompanied with the click of the boiled kettle. One of the clearest memories though is food related.

My babysitter had three children and one of these was a girl who had taken Home Ec. She was still in school while I was there and was always completed baking projects for class. One of the most vivid early memories of baking I have comes from this time. I must have been of school going age, because we came into the house in the early afternoon to the smell of freshly baked goods. It was the meltingly beautiful smell of butter and sugar. Now..I never remember being given any of her other baked good but this I do. They were little fairy cakes (buns). BUT they were jam and dessicated coconut versions. I'm convinced that's where my love affair with coconut began. It took me years to identify what coconut was. Living in rural Ireland in the early to late 90's, coconut was not a common ingredient. Anyway, I will never forget the moment I tasted that fairy cake. IT WAS DELICIOUS. And so freaking simple. I remember thinking when I started secondary school that I'd get to make those very same buns. As it turned out we didn't and it took me years to find a similar recipe..but they weren't the same..until I found something that replicated the flavours..just in a different format.

Its a recipe that makes you feel better just looking at it. Cause it's simple. And it's satisfying. And it takes no more than an hour. Then, you have something to chew on over a cup of tea and ponder the important things in life. Like who was the first person to eat an octopus. Or decided running a marathon was fun. Or that people can be trusted. Life.

You will need:

For the base:
100g butter
200g self raising flour
50g caster sugar
2 egg yolks

for the topping:
7tbsp raspberry jam
3 egg whites
100g caster sugar
150g dessicated coconut
Toasted coconut flakes (optional)

1.Preheat the oven 180C/Gas 4. Grease a deep, non-stick baking tin (17 by 27 by 4)
2.In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the sugar.

 Mix in the egg yolks with 2tbsp cold water to form a moist dough. Press evenly into the base of the tin, and spread the jam on top.

3.In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.Use a large metal spoon, fold in the sugar and coconut. Spread over the jam, and sprinkle with the toasted flakes if using. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the tin and cut into squares.

Enjoy with tea and ponder the strange unfairness and joys of the world.