No beautifully staged photo for this cake…read below for why
It was my sister’s 23rd birthday and I made the rather last minute decision to take the train home to spend it with her. She had decided that she wanted to have some family over for a dinner party, and she and my mother picked me up at the train station and we drove to Whole Foods for a few last minute ingredients and to buy a cake. That’s when disaster struck. None of the cakes were what she wanted. They were boring and unappetizing, but guests were arriving in about 3 hours and there were no other options. My sister was close to tears and, not knowing what else to do I just asked,
“What kind of cake do you want?”
“I don’t knooooooow,” she whimpered.
“Just name flavors, what kind of flavors.”
This is went back and forth for a little while. Then she calmed down and quietly sniffled,
“Well, what I think I want is like an almond joy, but like a cake. Coconut and almond and chocolate.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
And somehow, and I still don’t know how, in less than 2 hours, scraping together ingredients I had in the house, I made one of the best cakes to date. I think it was because I had so little to work with that it turned out so well. I was following (more or less) the amazing King Arthur Flour chocolate cake recipe, when I ran out of cocoa powder. My mom handed me the Equal Exchange Chili Hot Chocolate mix to use, and that little bit of chili in the chocolate cake was a revelation. It doesn’t make it spicy, but it adds so much depth to the chocolate flavor. I still always add cayenne pepper to my chocolate cake. (Note: if using a chili hot chocolate mix, be sure to cut the sugar down since it is already in the mix).
Recipe
For Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup chili coca powder (if you do not have this, either use all cocoa powder or add some cayenne pepper to your cocoa powder)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup coffee
4 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and line two 9 inch baking pans with parchment paper
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the oil and continue mixing until the mixture looks sandy, about 30 seconds more.
In a large measuring cup, combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee, and add all at once to the dry ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed, stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix for 30 seconds more.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well at medium-high speed between additions.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, and mix for 30 seconds more. The batter will be thin. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly dispersed.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s) of your choice. Smooth out the tops of the layers with an offset spatula.
Bake 28 to 30 minutes
The cake is done when the top springs back when very lightly touched in the center, and the edges just begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. A cake tester inserted in the center will come out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool completely in the pan(s) on a rack before turning out of the pans to frost.
For Frosting and Decoration
Ingredients:
8 oz softened cream cheese
2 sticks of softened butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup Unsweetened grated coconut
(Optional) Unsweetened coconut flakes and dark chocolate for decoration
Method:
Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until smooth.
Add butter a couple of tablespoons at a time until the cream cheese and butter are combined and completely smooth.
Add the powdered sugar in small amounts until at your desired level of smoothness. (This may take more or less powdered sugar.)
When you reach you desired consistency, add the grated coconut until evenly dispersed
Frost the cake
(Optional) Toast the unsweetened coconut flakes and sprinkle on top. Chop up the dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top.
Never Enough Counter Space 