Coconut cake with chocolate ganache and toasted almonds.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Virgin Coconut oil*
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup Thai coconut cream or coconut milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut + extra for garnish
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry pan
*Make sure to get Virgin coconut oil, not just plain coconut oil. Otherwise it will not taste like coconut.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment. Grease paper and dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat Coconut oil with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla, then beat in eggs, 1 at a time.
Alternately beat in flour mixture and coconut milk in 3 batches on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat batter 1 1/2 minutes, or until smooth. Stir in coconut.
Spoon batter into cake pan and spread evenly.
Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto rack. Remove paper and re-invert onto another rack to cool completely.
Heat cream almost to boiling, then pour it over the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth.
Pour the ganache over the cake, covering the top completely and allowing it to drip down the sides.
Cover the top with toasted almonds and additional coconut.
The Johnson Family Cookbook