coconut, the fruit of the coconut palm Cocos nucifera, has multifarious food applications. The principal products used for sweet goods are the fresh grated or shaved mature flesh of the nut, coconut milk and cream extracted from this flesh, and desiccated coconut flesh, usually marketed in grated form. Coconut flesh has a high percentage of fat but does not contain trans fats or cholesterol and has a low sugar content. Because of the laborious process of extracting the fresh flesh, coconut is most often processed and combined with other ingredients for use in sweet foods, although it is also sold at street markets in cities as diverse as Honolulu and Venice. It is the desiccated form of coconut that is used primarily in American and European sweets, particularly in famous confectionery brands such as Bounty Bars and Tunnock’s Snowballs. It also finds use in baked goods such as coconut cream pie, coconut macaroons, and coconut cakes, although the freshly grated form makes these desserts even more delectable. In cakes the coconut is not only incorporated into the sponge mix but also used for external decoration.
