Since Melissa was visiting California for her birthday, I HAD to figure out the perfect birthday cake to make for her. Right?

I considered the to-die-for coconut rainbow sprinkles cake that I made for my own birthday last year, but thought I should try something a little different. And since I know Melissa loves chocolate AND coconut… duh. Chocolate cake with coconut frosting!

 

 

I chose a chocolate cake recipe that produces an extremely moist, soft and extra-chocolatey cake… but it can be a bit hard to handle at room temperature. Since I was baking it before Melissa arrived and frosting it on her actual birthday, I wrapped all the layers in plastic wrap (make sure you use a lot so no frost gets in there!) and froze them.

Even if you’re frosting the cake the same day you bake it, though, you’ll probably want to freeze the cake layers for about 30 minutes or so, so they are a bit easier to handle.

 

I went with a coconut buttercream frosting, because I always think it’s dumb when something is supposed to be a “coconut cake” but just has plain vanilla frosting.

 

Of course, coconut frosting is not enough. I bumped up the coconuttiness (new word, vocabulated by me) with a generous amount of toasted coconut pressed all over the outside of the cake. As an added bonus, the toasted coconut makes the cake look pretty without having to mess with colored icings and my less-than-stellar cake decorating skills.

 

We still needed some super fabulous candles, though, and Toby found some fierce animal print ones at the exchange.

 

My cake-cutting skills need some work. But the cake itself turned out perfect — not just for that night, but for breakfast the next morning, too.

It’s chocolatey, it’s tropical, it’s delicious. Try it!

Chocolate coconut cake (Makes a 9-inch 3-layer cake. Cake adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Cake:
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (you can use chocolate chips)
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee (if you use a Keurig, like me, the large cup button doesn’t make quite enough, so just add a little hot water to get to 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken well before pouring
3/4 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 F and grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces (if not using chips) and stir into the hot coffee. Let the chocolate sit in the coffee, stirring every so often, until the chocolate is melted and the whole thing is smooth.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Beat the eggs in a different large bowl with an electric mixer for three to five minutes, until the eggs have thickened a bit. Slowly add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and chocolate-coffee mixture to the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the sugar mixture and bet on medium speed just until well combined.

Divide the batter equally among the three pans (this is easier if you have a kitchen scale, but you can eyeball it), then bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean (this only took about 30 minutes for me, but the original recipe says an hour — make sure you keep an eye on yours and check them after 30 minutes so you don’t overbake!).

Allow layers to cool in the pans (you can put the pans on wire racks to get more air flow underneath), then carefully remove them from the pans. Wrap well in 2-3 layers of plastic wrap and freeze while making the frosting, or for a day or two. (You don’t need to let the layers thaw before assembling the cake)

Frosting
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
7-9 cups powdered sugar (or to taste)
1/4 cup or more coconut milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tasted coconut, for decorating cake

To toast coconut: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread sweetened or unsweetened flake coconut out on a rimmed baking sheet, then bake for about two minutes, stir and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, until coconut is browned but not burned. Allow to cool before using on cake.

For frosting: Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric mixer) for several minutes, until the butter is very light and fluffy. Add about a cup of powdered sugar and beat on low speed to combine, then continue adding a cup at a time until 4 cups are incorporated. Add the coconut milk, coconut extract and vanilla and beat to combine, then add another cup of powdered sugar and combine well. Taste frosting and continue adding powdered sugar a cup at a time until frosting is desired sweetness. Add additional coconut milk if needed for consistency.

To assemble the cake: Spread a dab of frosting on a cake plate or cake board and place one cake layer, flat side up, on top. Cover the top of the cake with a layer of frosting, then carefully place another layer of cake on top, flat side up. Spread frosting on that layer of cake, then top carefully with the last layer of cake, flat side down. Spread a thick layer of frosting all over the top and sides of the cake (it doesn’t have to be neat), then press the cooled toasted coconut onto the top and sides of the cake, covering completely. (This process will likely be messy!)

Cover and refrigerate the cake until nearly ready to serve, but allow the chilled cake to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.