Just when I thought nothing could beat a homemade dark chocolate coconut cream truffle, I paused – “…but what if it were in cake form?!?.” And Chocolate Covered Coconut Truffle Cake was born. There was no looking back!
Chocolate Covered Coconut Truffle Cake is a deep, rich chocolate cake filled with coconut cream truffle filling and enrobed in melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate ganache. The flavors complement the combination of textures – silky smooth ganache, tender chocolate cake, and creamy, coconutty filling. Also, it’s an eye-candy showstopper for any occasion.
Coconut Cream Truffle Filling:
The generous layer of coconut cream truffle filling creates a truly unique cake experience. A thinner layer, equivalent to simply frosting between layers, would never provide the true truffle experience.
That being said, the truffle filling is surprisingly simple. The truffle base is a half-recipe of Vanilla Ermine Frosting mixed with 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract (optional, but encouraged) and a 14 ounce bag of sweetened coconut flakes. I reserve about 1/3 cup of the coconut flakes to press into the sides of the cake for flair. I also like to further chop the flakes to create a more pleasing (less fuzzy) look.
The coconut thickens the frosting to a truffle consistency. Prepare to press the filling gently onto the cake layers with your hands rather than slathering it on with a spatula due to the thick consistency.
Helpful Hints:
- Choose your dark chocolate thoughtfully. A high-quality chocolate gives ganache the smoothest finish. Chocolate chips, on the other hand, are delicious and cost effective. Chocolate chips contain an additive that actually prevents melting, which can cause the ganache to be slightly grainy. In my experience, this can be remedied by reheating in the microwave for about 30 seconds and giving it good stir. Then wait for the ganache to return to a spreadable consistency.
- Packaged chocolate is labeled by weight in ounces. A food scale is helpful to ensure the right amount if partial packages are needed to equal 16 ounces. However, eye-balling it with the help of a little basic math (I know – deep breath!) should do the trick.
- The temperature of your home affects how quickly and how much the ganache sets up. During the summer, when my thermostat is set on an energy efficient 78 degrees, I pop the bowl in the fridge until the ganache becomes spreadable. Stir the ganache every 10 minutes or so to keep an even consistency because the outer edges will cool and firm up first.
- Allow yourself time. This cake has several steps. This is not a single-day cake. Read through the directions fully and plan what to do on day 1 and on day 2. For example – make the truffle filling base, stir up the ganache, and bake the cake on day 1. On day 2, whip the butter and whip in the truffle base. Stir the coconut with the truffle base and assemble the cake.
- In my experience, this cake stays fresh at room temperature for a couple of days. And this cake is most yummy at room temperature. The ganache melts in your mouth and the coconut filling slices nicely. However, it will stay fresh longer if stored in the fridge and brought back to room temp for serving. (Pro tip- tuck Chocolate Covered Coconut Truffle Cake in the fridge behind celery or brussels sprouts where no one looks during a snack attack. It’ll last longer!).
And if you’re a dark chocolate cake lover – check out Chocolate Tuxedo Cake! Chocolate Tuxedo Cake uses the same cake recipe, paired with Vanilla Ermine Frosting and Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip! Yummmmm!
Chocolate Covered Coconut Truffle Cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa
- ¼ cup black cocoa (or sub additional regular cocoa)
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup coffee (hot or warm)
Coconut Cream Truffle Filling
- ¼ cup +1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup butter (slightly softened)
- 14 ounce bag of flaked, sweetened coconut
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 16 ounces dark chocolate (chopped or chips)
- 2 cups whipping cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer), combine flour, sugar, cocoa, black cocoa (or just additional cocoa), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until fully blended.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
- With mixer on, pour liquid into dry ingredients and mix gently until smooth.
- Slowly pour in hot/warm coffee while mixer continues.
- Pour an even amount of batter into three prepared cake pans (wax/parchment and shortening or other method as preferred). Bake at 300°F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool cakes for about 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Run a plastic knife quickly around the edges of each cake pan to help release the cake.
- Turn the first cake layer onto a parchment paper covered plate. (Trim any dome off of the cake so layers will stack without cracking.) Do this with the second cake layer and stack parchment/cake on top of first layer. Do the same with the third layer and cover cake with cake carrier lid until cool. Then refrigerate until ready to frost.
- Fill with Coconut Cream Truffle Filling. The filling will be thick, so it will require gently pressing the filling onto the cake layers by hand.
- Frost with Dark Chocolate Ganache. Garnish with coconut flakes, piped ganache, etc as desire.
Coconut Cream Truffle Filling
- Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan until smooth and without lumps. (The process is essentially a half recipe of Vanilla Ermine Frosting, but with the additions of coconut extract and coconut flakes, so check out the link for a more in-depth description of the process.)
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly stir in milk and extracts as the mixture heats.
- Continue to stir almost continuously until the milk custard reaches a thick pudding consistency.
- Remove the mixture from heat and either press plastic wrap onto the surface of the milk custard or continue to stir every few minutes while cooling to prevent a film from forming.
- This mixture must be slightly cooler than room temperature to move to the next step. Allow to cool on the counter and then refrigerate until ready to use (up to three days). If leaving in the refrigerator for a lengthy amount of time, allow to warm up on the countertop until cool (not cold) for about an hour before moving to the next step.
- Place slightly softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until very light in color and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to whip, adding the milk custard mixture to the butter by tablespoons until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times during this process and finish with a final quick whip.
- Stir in flaked coconut, reserving about ⅓ cup for pressing into the sides of the cake as garnish, if desired.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Heat cream in a medium sized microwave safe bowl for 90 seconds or until very hot, but not boiling.
- Pour chocolate into cream so that it is as submerged as possible. Wait 2 minutes.
- Gently whisk or stir the mixture until smooth. Cover and let the mixture rest for several hours or overnight until spreadable consistency.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning
this write-up and the rest of the website is
really good.
Thanks so much for the kind encouragement, Harold! Glad you’re enjoying the site!