To make the topping, melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small pot over medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar has lost its grittiness, about a minute. Add the coconut and combine off the heat. Reserve.

To make the cake batter, blend the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and mix. Stir in the flour, coconut milk, shredded coconut, vanilla and salt. Reserve.

In a clean metal mixing bowl, add the egg whites and start to whisk slowly, gradually increasing speed until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Place about one third of the whipped egg whites into the batter and mix together gently. Repeat this until all of the egg whites are incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Lightly oil the sides of a nine-inch baking pan (or springform pan) and line it with parchment paper (this will make the cake easier to remove once baked). Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly golden. The cake will feel light to the touch and should have a slight jiggle.

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely before attempting to remove the cake from the pan. Once the cake has lost its warmth, you can also put it into the refrigerator to firm it up.

Once firm, remove the cake from the pan onto a baking sheet. Trim off any excess paper. Spread the sugar topping over the top of the cake. Preheat the oven broiler and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Broil the top of the cake until the topping melts, bubbles and starts to brown. Keep a close eye on it — it can very quickly overcook.

Remove the cake from the oven and let the topping cool before serving. The cake can be kept covered on the counter for a couple of days or refrigerated (the topping will start to weep) for a week or more.