Chocolate Coconut Cake From New York Times Recipes

CHOCOLATE COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees, and bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Butter a 10-inch springform pan.
• Make the cake: In a metal bowl, combine the butter and chocolate; place the bowl over (not in) the pot of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat to cool slightly. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave on a low setting.)
• Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Add the shredded coconut and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, mix to combine. Alternating, fold the flour mixture and the cream into the batter.
• In the clean bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake emerges clean, about 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• Make the frosting: In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water (or you can do this in a microwave on a low setting). Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Cool slightly, until the chocolate thickens somewhat, then spread the frosting over the cake. Sprinkle coconut on top; let set, then serve.

BEST COCONUT CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, water and cocoa. Cook and stir until butter is melted; add to dry ingredients. Combine the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; add to chocolate mixture and mix well. , Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine 1 cup evaporated milk, 3/4 cup sugar and marshmallows; cook and stir until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat; stir in coconut. Immediately sprinkle 1 cup almonds over cake. Spread coconut mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining almonds (pan will be full). , In a small saucepan, combine butter with remaining milk and sugar. Cook and stir until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted. Drizzle over almonds. Cool on a wire rack.

CLASSIC COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Bake the cake: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Spray again and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, coconut, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine buttermilk and coconut oil; set aside.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat sugar, butter and vanilla on medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each egg until well incorporated before adding the next one. Continue beating until the mixture is very pale and nearly doubled in volume, another 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl, making sure no pockets of butter and sugar are hiding at the bottom, and beat another minute or so.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add a third of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 the buttermilk mixture, and mix just to blend. Add another third of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk mixture and mix just to blend, then finish up by adding the remaining flour mixture.
• Divide batter among cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake in the middle racks until cakes are puffed, pale golden brown on top and starting to pull away from the sides, about 32 to 37 minutes. Let cool slightly in pans before inverting on wire racks to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and salt together on high speed until nearly pure white and very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Place one cake round bottom-side-up on a large, flat plate (or cake stand). Using an offset spatula, frost with about 1 1/2 cups frosting and place second layer of cake on top, bottom-side-up (this will give your cake a flat, rather than a rounded top). Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and around the sides of the cake, making sure to fill in any crevices or gaps where the two layers meet. Chill cake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, if you'd like to lightly toast the coconut, place it on a rimmed baking sheet and toast at 325 degrees until pale golden in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. (It will give the coconut a great toasted flavor, but you'll lose the pure white snowball look of the finished cake.)
• Frost cake with remaining frosting on the top and up the sides. Pat coconut onto the sides and sprinkle on the top of the cake. Chill cake for at least 30 minutes more before slicing.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle half of the shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet.
• Combine the instant espresso and water in a measuring cup; stir until dissolved. Add to a medium bowl, along with the cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat for 2 minutes with a handheld mixer on medium speed. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a baking rack and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, butter, coconut milk, salt and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed until light, fluffy and smooth, about 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining (untoasted) coconut with a rubber spatula.
• If the cakes have domed in the center, trim to level the tops. Place one cake layer, up-side down, on a platter or plate. Spoon one-third of the frosting on top and spread evenly, almost completely to the edge. Place the other layer, up-side down, on top, pressing gently to anchor. Using an offset spatula, evenly frost the entire cake; if the frosting gets too soft, place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Gently press the toasted coconut around the outside of the cake and sprinkle it over the top.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

CHOCOLATE-COCONUT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8x4" loaf pan; line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat oil, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (do not overmix; it will cause cake to buckle and split). Scrape batter into prepared pan and run a spatula through the center, creating a canal. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake cake, tenting with foil if coconut browns too much before cake is done (it should be very dark and toasted), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70-80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan 20 minutes before turning out.
• DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 5 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Bake the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk to combine well. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. Turn the mixer down to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, again scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate until smooth. In a small bowl, combine coffee and yogurt.
• With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix to combine. Add the coffee mixture and mix to combine. Then add the remaining flour mixture, scraping the bowl one more time to make sure everything has been combined. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smooth the tops and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cakes in the pans to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cakes and invert them onto racks to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: On two separate trays lined with parchment paper, toast coconut and pecans at 325 degrees, stirring occasionally, until coconut is deep golden brown and nuts are fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully - coconut and nuts can quickly turn from golden to burned. Remove from oven, roughly chop the pecans, and transfer both coconut and pecans to a large bowl.
• In a medium saucepan, cook evaporated milk, egg yolks, brown sugar and salt over medium heat, whisking at first and then stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened enough to leave a line on the back of a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture curdle. Lower the heat as necessary.
• Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until it has melted. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Add the milk mixture to the coconut and pecans, stirring to combine. This mixture will thicken slightly as it cools.
• To assemble the cake, set one layer on a serving plate. Top with 1/3 of the coconut mixture. Repeat two more times, so the top of the cake is covered in coconut.
• If desired, finish with ganache: Heat heavy cream over medium heat until very hot. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes. Add salt and whisk until smooth. Let this mixture stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it is thick enough to spread around the sides of the cake.