Chocolate Coconut Cake

I originally made this Chocolate Coconut Cake for my dad for his birthday a few years ago. Since then, my parents request it any chance they get!

The recipe is a chocolate cake that substitutes coconut milk for regular milk in the recipe. It is then topped with a coconut cream frosting and some coconut flakes for extra coconut-y goodness!

Cake:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (or margarine to make dairy free)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

Frosting:

• 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened (or margarine to make dairy free)
• 2 16 oz boxes (about 8 cups) powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 (5.4 oz can) coconut cream

Topping:

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Prepare three 8-inch round pans (paid link) by spraying them with cooking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment rounds. Follow by spraying the rounds with cooking spray as well.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the chocolate chips to a small metal bowl that fits over a small pot of lightly simmering water.

Stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.

Follow with the vanilla extract, mixing to combine.

Stir in the cocoa powder and the melted chocolate.

Slowly stir in one half of the flour mixture. Follow with the coconut milk, stirring until combined.

Then slowly stir in the remaining flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between your three prepared pans, using a spatula to smooth the top of each pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans and remove the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour. (Be sure your cake is fully cooled before frosting it. If not, the cake layers will slip all over the place and you’ll end up with a lopsided, but still delicious, cake. I suggest refrigerating the cake layers if possible.)

When the cake has cooled, add the butter to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating on low speed until well combined. Follow with the salt and vanilla extract, beating until combined.

Slowly add in the coconut cream one tablespoon at a time, beating until light and fluffy, until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

To frost the cake, add one of the cake layers to a plate and spread a few tablespoons of the frosting over the top of the layer.

Top with the next cake layer and spread a few more tablespoons frosting over that layer.

Add the final layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, using an offset spatula to evenly frost the cake.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with coconut flakes. If desired, you can also add the coconut flakes to the sides of the cake as well.

I made and photographed this cake on the hottest day of the year so far in Philly, so excuse how… gloopy the cake looks. Even gloopy, this cake is fantastic!

The coconut cream frosting is a great complement to the chocolate cake. The coconut flakes add a bit of texture to the cake as well. The frosting is pretty sweet, so I suggest using unsweetened coconut flakes.