Rich Chocolate Cake with Coconut Filling and Ganache

 

By Nannydeb,  Food52

 

Author Notes: My friends often request the Hyde Park Fudge Cake for their birthdays, which I've made a hundred times. This variation has a yummy coconut filling and a decadent ganache that I could eat with a spoon until I'm sick! - nannydeb

Food52 Review: This is the bear hug of chocolate cakes -- it's big, it's rich and it's lovable. Inside the dense, sweet cake is tangy layer of cream cheese and coconut. And on top of the bundt cake is a thin ganache glaze. You're supposed to bake the cake in a Bundt pan, but if you don't have one, a tube pan works well (and makes it easier to cut out the cake if it gets stuck). - A&M

Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 1 hrs 5 min
Cook time: 1 hrs 25 min

Ingredient:

• 18 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, divided, chopped
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• 1 1/2 cups strong black coffee
• 3 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instruction:

• Set out the cream cheese to soften. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder.
• In a small saucepan, melt 8 ounces of the chocolate with the shortening. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup sugar and the coconut. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled chocolate mixture, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and coffee.
• In another mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cake flour, soda and salt.
• Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just incorporated.
• Pour half of the chocolate cake mixture in to the bundt pan. Top that with the coconut/cream cheese mixture and then top that with the remaining cake mixture.
• Bake on the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 45-65 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
• Cool the cake in the bundt pan on a wire rack for 10 mintues. Invert the cake on a serving plate to cool further.
• While cake is cooling, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool.
• Once the cake has cooled, drizzle or pour (depending on how much icing you want) the ganache on to the cake.

See more at: Food52