GLUTEN-FREE BANANA COFFEE CAKE WITH COCONUT MERINGUE

This soft, moist coffee cake gets a surprise topping: a thin Italian meringue, a cooked confection with a pillowy marshmallow texture (rather than the more standard meringue that’s baked on top of an all-American pie). In fact, you could pick up this Italian meringue technique and put the topping on almost all but the most delicate sheet cakes or coffee cakes in this book.

For the coffee cake

¾ cup almond oil, plus additional for the sheet pan

1½ cups buckwheat flour

1 cup oat flour

1 cup white rice flour

1 cup almond flour or very finely ground almonds

½ cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated white sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

5 ripe medium bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

2 cups finely ground unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Generously oil the inside of a 13 × 18-inch lipped sheet pan.

2. Whisk the buckwheat flour, oat flour, rice flour, almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the oil and both sugars in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.

4. Scrape down the inside of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the bananas, vanilla, and almond extracts until uniform. The batter may look broken at this stage.

5. Turn off the mixer and add the buckwheat flour mixture. Beat at medium-low speed until smooth, then beat in the shredded coconut. Using an offset spatula, spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared pan.

6. Bake until puffed and set, and until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 1½ hours.

For the meringue

1¼ cups granulated white sugar

¼ cup water

5 large egg whites, at room temperature

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups finely ground unsweetened shredded coconut

½ teaspoon almond extract

1. Clip a candy thermometer to the inside of a small saucepan. Add the sugar and water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often at first, then leaving undisturbed once the sugar has dissolved. Continue boiling until the temperature reaches 250°F, about 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt in a large bowl at low speed until foamy, then increase the speed to high and continue beating until you can make soft peaks.

3. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the hot sugar syrup in dribs and drabs at first, then in a thin, steady stream. Too much at once will deflate the egg whites.

4. Once all the syrup has been added, continue beating until the mixture is warm to the touch through the bowl (about 100°F), about 5 minutes. Beat in the coconut and almond extract. Spread the meringue over the top of the cake.

5. Position the rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler; heat the broiler. Broil until the meringue is lightly browned, less than 1 minute. Cool a few minutes before serving.

TESTER NOTES

Although it doesn’t look like there’s a gap between steps 2 and 3, there may well be. If the sugar syrup is not at the right temperature, stop beating the egg white mixture until the syrup is ready. You do not want to dry out the egg whites or even turn them into stiff peaks.