Saturday, January 29, 2011

Chocolate Cake w/ Coconut Cream



This week was my father-in-law, Don's, 80th birthday - and tonight we all got together to celebrate. I got the honor of making the cake for the big occasion!

Carolyn (my mother-in-law) tipped me off to a recipe she saw in her Woman's Day magazine, for a Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream, which turned out to be very simple, and delicious! The decadent chocolate cake stayed really moist, and the frosting was delicate instead of cloyingly sweet (thanks to almost no sugar in it) adding a delicate textural counterpoint to the shaved coconut pressed on the outside. I'll definitely be making this chocolate cake again, and am wondering if you could replace some of the heavy cream used in the frosting with coconut cream, to bump up the coconut flavor a little bit?



Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream

Cooking spray and flour, for the pan
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
1⁄2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3⁄4 cup boiling water

1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
1⁄2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups unsweetened coconut (we used flakes)

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat two 8 x 2-in. round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with wax paper; spray the paper. Dust with flour.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, granulated and brown sugars, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together milk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.

Add the boiling water to the batter and mix well to combine (the batter will be thin). Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sour cream and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Place one of the cakes on a platter and spread 1 cup frosting over the top. Top with the remaining cake and frost with the remaining icing. Gently pat the coconut all over the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate, up to 1 day.

(Recipe Courtesy WomansDay.com)

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Wow, that cake must have been a hit. I like that your frosting isn't too sweet and that coconut on the outside really makes this look great. I have a sweet treat linky party going on at my blog and I'd like to invite you to stop by and link this up.

Unknown said...

Always cooking some inspiring things! Thanks for sharing Dan!