Coconut and Chocolate Ganache Cake

If you go weak in the knees for warm, chocolatey, buttery flavours – this recipe is definitely one for you.
It’s a cake that seduces - rather than shouts from the hilltops. It has a soft squidgy coconut base infused with vanilla and caramel. And if that weren’t already enough, It’s topped with a generous layer of fudgey chocolate ganache that sends the whole wonderful thing heavenwards. It’s also mega easy to make. Mix a few wet ingredients in one bowl. Mix some dry ingredients in another bowl and then put the two together.

The standout ingredient that probably makes this cake sponge so delectable is the vanilla. For this reason, make sure you use vanilla paste rather than vanilla essence. The flavour of vanilla paste is stronger and a much better quality.

One final note about the ingredients – like most cakes on this site, they are for a 23cm square tin. That’s quite a large cake to eat all in one go. I tend to freeze one half for a later date. As the ganache topping for this cake sets firm as it cools, I’ve just listed the quantity of topping ingredients to cover half the cake. Double up if you’re feeding a crowd and you need the whole cake at once.

Ingredients for 23cm square cake tin
270g almond flour
5 tbsp sweetener*
100g desiccated coconut
200g melted butter
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla paste
6 drops of caramel essence
Pinch salt

*Natural sweetener options could include xylitol, erythritol, allulose. I used xylitol for the cake and milled erythritol brown sugar replacement for the ganache. See Alternative Sweeteners page for more info. Each will have slightly different levels of sweetness. Adjust to taste.

Ganache ingredients - for half the cake. (Double the ingredients if you are icing the whole cake at once)
50g unsweetened plain chocolate. (I used Montezuma 100% cocoa solids)
20g butter
2 tsp milled sweetener
2 heaped tbsp coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla paste

Pre heat the oven to Gas mark 4/180C
Line the tin with baking paper.
Whisk the eggs, sweetener, vanilla and caramel essence together until the mixture becomes light and frothy.
Add the melted butter and blend well.
In a separate bowl, mix the coconut, almond flour, and salt and mix together.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and pour out into the baking tray. Smoothing out the surface of the cake mix evenly.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes until a knife put into the centre comes out clean.
Cool on a baking tray.

To make the ganache topping:
Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl.
Heat the bowl in a pan of simmering water.
As the chocolate and butter start to melt, add the sweetener and vanilla paste and stir in.
Once the chocolate and butter mix has completely melted stir in the coconut cream until its fully blended.
Spread straight away onto the cooled cake. Adding the ganache to the sides of the cake with a small spatula.
Put the cake in the fridge to set.
Store in the fridge.

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