Coconut Chocolate Bundt Cake
This is a lovely one-bowl cake recipe. Both chocolate and coconut flavors come through without them overpowering each other. It has a fluffy crumb and a glaze made with coconut cream that is phenomenal on its own.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 tablespoons shortening softened, to grease the pan
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate melted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar packed, light or dark
- ¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- ½ cup coconut milk at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream regular, full-fat
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
For the ganache:
- 1 cup coconut cream regular, full fat
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup or runny honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180°C).
For the cake:
- Grease with 2 tablespoons shortening a large 10 or 12-cup bundt cake pan. I use my fingers, but you can use a brush. Make sure every nook, cranny and angle is covered. Flour it, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 ½ cups brown sugar in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add ¾ cup buttermilk, ½ cup coconut milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 3 eggs. Beat for about 30 seconds, until well mixed.
- Add 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until creamy and light.
- Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle part comes out clean. Depending on your oven it might take more or less, so start checking at 40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then carefully remove it to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before glazing it.
- Pour the chocolate glaze (below) over the cooled cake and let it drip down the sides. Decorate with more toasted coconut and chocolate shavings.
For the ganache:
- Finely chop 8 ounces semisweet chocolate and put it in a bowl, preferably glass.
- Heat 1 cup coconut cream with ¼ cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove just when it's about to boil. It should have some bubbles, but do not let it boil.
- Immediately cover the chopped chocolate with the hot cream. Let stand for a minute so the chocolate starts to soften.
- Start mixing with a wire whisk from the middle out. The chocolate will integrate with the cream and create a smooth and shiny chocolate mixture.
- Add 1 tablespoon corn syrup or honey, mix well and it's ready to use.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Coconut: when using shredded coconut, make sure it's moist and soft for best results. I tried lightly toasting it before adding it to the batter because it enhances the flavor, but the cake lost some of its moisture.
Melting chocolate:
Microwave: melt the ingredients on high for 10 seconds, take out and mix well. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful you don't scorch it. That's why it's important to mix it well between each heating.
Stovetop: put the bowl with chocolate and butter over a smaller pan with a few inches of water. Over medium heat, let the chocolate and butter melt, stirring occasionally. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate. Chocolate ganache: you can use regular whipping or heavy cream instead of the coconut cream for the ganache, but it will have less coconut flavor. Homemade buttermilk: mix 1 cup of milk (preferably whole milk) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes at room temperature until it thickens and slightly curdles. Stir it once more, and measure it again before using. Coconut extract: you can add about ½ teaspoon to the batter for an enhanced coconut flavor. This is a good idea if you use all buttermilk and no coconut milk. Ingredient substitutions: you can use all buttermilk instead of coconut milk for the batter and regular heavy cream for the ganache, but the coconut flavor will be less pronounced. Sweeter cake: use milk chocolate for the ganache instead of semisweet chocolate or in addition to it. Pan variations: bake it as cupcakes (about 18) or in two 8-inch layers and fill with chocolate frosting or dulce de leche. This recipe also makes two medium loaves.
Microwave: melt the ingredients on high for 10 seconds, take out and mix well. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful you don't scorch it. That's why it's important to mix it well between each heating.
Stovetop: put the bowl with chocolate and butter over a smaller pan with a few inches of water. Over medium heat, let the chocolate and butter melt, stirring occasionally. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate. Chocolate ganache: you can use regular whipping or heavy cream instead of the coconut cream for the ganache, but it will have less coconut flavor. Homemade buttermilk: mix 1 cup of milk (preferably whole milk) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes at room temperature until it thickens and slightly curdles. Stir it once more, and measure it again before using. Coconut extract: you can add about ½ teaspoon to the batter for an enhanced coconut flavor. This is a good idea if you use all buttermilk and no coconut milk. Ingredient substitutions: you can use all buttermilk instead of coconut milk for the batter and regular heavy cream for the ganache, but the coconut flavor will be less pronounced. Sweeter cake: use milk chocolate for the ganache instead of semisweet chocolate or in addition to it. Pan variations: bake it as cupcakes (about 18) or in two 8-inch layers and fill with chocolate frosting or dulce de leche. This recipe also makes two medium loaves.
