Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake

Did you know that there is an official Dessert Week?

And did you know that International Chocolate Day falls in that week?

Well, I didn’t – and when I found out, I needed to honor these highly important days.  I had no ulterior motives at all (like enjoying another coconut-chocolate creation).

Now Geni, at Sweet and Crumby, is a bit of a chocolate connoisseur (like me) – and she knows how to do it right.  (This Dark Chocolate Souffle recipe was also from Geni.)  I think I may have to start referring to her as my official Chocolate Guru – I don’t think she’d mind.  So, you have to understand that when I saw this recipe, I just couldn’t help myself.

The Recipe:

Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake, adapted slightly from Sweet and Crumby who adapted it from Cooking Light

1 1/4 c sugar

6 T vegetable oil

3 large eggs

3 c all-purpose flour

1 1/4 t baking soda

1/4 salt

1 1/2  c buttermilk

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 c shredded sweetened coconut

1 1/2 t coconut extract

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa, good quality makes a big difference

Cooking spray

3/4 c powdered sugar

1 T milk

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a bundt pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine sugar and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer, beating well at medium speed.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour through salt in a separate bowl and whisk together to avoid sifting.  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Mix after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.

Reserve 1 c of the batter in a medium bowl and set aside.  Add cocoa powder to remaining batter in large bowl; stir well.  Reserve 1 c of the chocolate batter and set aside.  Pour remaining chocolate batter in the prepared pan.  Combine reserved white batter with 1 t coconut extract and flaked coconut.  Spoon coconut batter in a tunnel in the center of the chocolate batter.  Top with remaining 1 c chocolate batter.  Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan.  Cool on a wire rack completely.

For the web-like icing: Combine remaining 1/2 t coconut flavoring, powdered sugar and skim milk; beat until smooth.  Drizzle over cake.

{Printable Recipe}

The Results:

First off, I’d never made a cake-within-a-cake before.  I was a little worried about making that happen – but it was really easy.  The batter is thick enough that I used a spoon to kinda make a trough in the chocolate batter for the coconut.  Then I just spooned in the coconut.  No problems at all for that part.

But then I realized that I may not have saved enough of the chocolate batter to cover the coconut.  Not a big problem at all, but it did look a little funny when I took the cake out.

A little puffier than I was expecting.

All was well, though, when I flipped it over.

The other part of the recipe that was getting me nervous was the spider-web-like frosting.  I really had no idea what I was doing.  But, again, it was so simple.  Just a drizzle here and there… and voila!

Now here’s when I have to admit a shameful fact – and Geni will be disappointed in me, I’m sure – but as I went to add the cocoa…I realized that we had run out of the good stuff, and all we had was (gasp!) generic cocoa (which we use to make homemade hot chocolate).  I was already deep into the recipe, so I just went with it.

And honestly, the cake was still really good – but it didn’t have that chocolate punch I was going for.  It kind of reminded me of a chocolate coffee cake.  Light tasting, but still a great compliment to the coconut cake and frosting.

Let’s just say no one in the family had a problem with it, and it disappeared rather quickly.  So I’d say that’s the sign of a good cake.

But I think I’d like to try making it again, with the rich dark chocolate cocoa I’m used to.

I think that would make it exceptional.