Categories: Cake
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 C unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 C warm milk
- 21/2 C sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 t baking soda
- 1/2 t salt
- 5 eggs, separated, at room temp.
- 2 C sugar
- 1 t vanilla
- 3/4 C buttermilk, well shaken
- Frosting:
- 1 C sugar
- 1 C evaporated milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 C unsalted butter
- 1 t vanilla
- 10 oz fresh or frozen grated unsweetened coconut, thawed if frozen
- 11/2 C finely ground pecans, walnuts or almonds
- to 3/4 cup; proceed with recipe.
- Note: if you can't find fresh or frozen unsweetened coconut, use the shredded sweetened variety and pulse in a food processor until finely grated. Reduce sugar in frosting to 3/4 cup; proceed with recipe.
Directions
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Make cake: melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (making sure water doesn’t touch bottom of bowl); stir until smooth.
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Add 1/4 C butter and stir until combined well. Stir in milk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
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Meanwhile, heat oven to 350F. Butter bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper and butter paper. Lightly flour and set aside.
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixer bowl, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed to stiff peaks; transfer to another bowl.
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In mixer bowl, beat together sugar and remaining 3/4 C butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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Beat in chocolate mixture and extract until combined well.
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Reduce speed to low and alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour flour mixture, scraping down sides of bowl, until combined.
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Fold in egg whites until incorporated with no streaks of whites remaining.
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Evenly divide batter among prepared pans.
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Bake until cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans and spring back when lightly touched, 30-40 minutes.
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Transfer cakes in pans to a wire rack and let cool 10 min. Lightly coat a large wire rack with cooking spray. Run a knife around sides of pans and turn cakes out onto rack; peel off paper and let cool completely.
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Make frosting: Meanwhile, in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar, evaporated milk and egg yolks until combined well; add butter.
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Place over a pan of simmering water (making sure water doesn’t touch bottom of bowl) and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 min.
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Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until very thick, 12 to 15 min. more. Remove from heat and stir in extract, then coconut and nuts. Let cool completely.
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To assemble: Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread top and sides with frosting. Repeat with remaining two layers.