Coconut Cake With Ganache Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch metal cake pans.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt for cake into a bowl and set aside. Whisk eggs, coconut milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl until well combined.
• Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, scraping down as needed. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk mixture and mix on low until evenly incorporated. Repeat, ending with remaining flour mixture, scraping down the bowl after each addition and mixing at medium speed until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Evenly split batter among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and cakes are starting to pull away from the sides of the pans, 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes; invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• While cakes cool, make lemon curd. Mix sugar and cornstarch well in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk whole eggs and egg yolks together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until hot. Add sugar and cornstarch mixture all at once. Bring back to a simmer, stirring constantly. Whisk some of the hot lemon mixture into the eggs to temper them. Pour back into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove curd from heat and add butter. Mix until smooth. Strain curd if necessary and place in a small bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface and chill, at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make pastry cream. Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Whisk egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl until well mixed.
• Heat coconut milk in a small saucepan until simmering. Add sugar-cornstarch mixture and whisk until smooth and sugar is melted. Whisk some of the hot milk into the eggs to temper them. Pour back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove pastry cream from heat and stir in butter and coconut rum; mix until smooth. Strain if necessary, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes.
• For the simple syrup, bring sugar, water, and rum to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the ganache, combine heavy cream, butter, corn syrup, and rum in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Mix until smooth. Allow to cool to lukewarm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Trim tops of cake layers to be flat, if needed. Place 1 cooled cake layer onto a serving plate. Brush with 1/2 of the simple syrup. Cover with 1/2 of the pastry cream. Drop spoonfuls of lemon curd on top and smooth out carefully. Repeat with a second layer and remaining syrup, pastry cream, and curd. Carefully place the third cake layer on top. Frost the entire cake with ganache and sprinkle toasted coconut over the sides and top.

Steps:

• 1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. GREASE AND FLOUR THREE 8 OR 9 INCH ROUND CAKE PANS.
• 2. MAKE CAKE:IN A LARGE BOWL MIX EGGS, OIL, SOUR CREAM AND 3/4 CUP OF CREAM OF COCONUT. ADD CAKE MIX AND BEAT ON LOW WITH A HAND MIXER 30 SECONDS UNTIL INGREDIENTS ARE MOISTENED. INCREASE SPEED TO MEDIUM AND BEAT FOR 2 MINUTES. DIVIDE EVENLY AND POUR INTO THE 3 CAKE PANS.
• 3. BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN FOR APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MINUTES, UNTIL EVENLY BROWNED AND THE CAKE HAS STARTED TO PULL AWAY FROM THE EDGE AND THE CAKE SPRINGS BACK WHEN LIGHTLY TOUCHED IN THE CENTER. REMOVE AND COOL ON WIRE RACKS FOR 10-15 MINUTES. THEN INVERT ONTO CAKE RACKS AND COOL COMPLETELY.
• 4. MAKE GANACHE:WHILE CAKE IS BAKING, HEAT 2 CUPS OF CREAM UNTIL STEAMING. POUR OVER 3 CUPS OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND STIR UNTIL SMOOTH. LET COOL UNTIL DESIRED THICKNESS.
• 5. PLACE 1/4 CUP COCONUT INTO A PREHEATED 250 DEGREE OVEN TO TOAST COCONUT. KEEP A CLOSE EYE...IT BROWNS QUICKLY ONCE IT STARTS! TOAST TO DESIRED COLOR.
• 6. MAKE FILLING: IF DESIRED, PLACE A BOWL AND BEATERS IN THE FREEZER TO CHILL WHILE CAKE IS BAKING. WHILE CAKE IS COOLING, BEAT 1 CUP OF CREAM UNTIL SOFT PEAKS FORM. ADD 2 TABLESPOONS OF CREAM OF COCONUT IN WHIPPED CREAM AND CONTINUE BEATING UNTIL STIFF PEAKS FORM.
• 7. PLACE ONE LAYER ON CAKE PLATE AND SPREAD HALF WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP OF CAKE. SPRINKLE WITH 1/4 CUP COCONUT. PLACE SECOND CAKE LAYER ON TOP OF FILLING. SPREAD WITH REMAINING WHIPPED CREAM AND ANOTHER 1/4 CUP COCONUT. PLACE THIRD CAKE ON TOP.
• 8. IF GANACHE IS STILL COOLING, PLACE CAKE IN REFRIGERATOR UNTIL READY TO GLAZE. POUR GANACHE OVER TOP, SPREADING TO THE EDGE AND LETTING POUR OVER EDGE. TRY TO COVER THE SIDES WITH GANACHE. YOU CAN EITHER COVER THE SIDES OR JUST HAVE THE GANACHE DRIZZLE DOWN.
• 9. I TRIED TO COVER THE SIDES BUT BECAUSE OF THE UNEVENESS, THE GANACHE DID NOT COVER BETWEEN THE LAYERS. I COULDN'T FILL IN PART OF THE GAPS, SO I PATTED THE TOASTED COCONUT ON THE SIDES. YOU COULD ALSO SPRINKLE THE TOASTED COCONUT ON TOP IF DESIRED.

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Have a standard 12-cup bundt pan and nonstick cooking spray with flour on hand to spray the pan right before adding the batter.
• Place the flour in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps. Combine the banana puree and buttermilk in a large measuring cup and stir well.
• Add the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. Raise the speed to medium and mix until a stiff dough forms and no chunks of butter remain, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the mixing speed to low and add the oil and vanilla. Stop and scrape the bowl and paddle. Raise the mixer to high speed and beat until lightened in color and fluffy like whipped cream, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Lower the mixer to medium-low speed, add one egg and mix until the egg is incorporated, 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Add the yolk and mix on medium speed until combined. Scrape the bowl and mix a few more seconds.
• In three alternating additions, add the flour and the banana-buttermilk mixture, mixing at low speed the entire time, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the bowl as needed. Use a spatula to fold in the toasted coconut and banana cubes.
• Spray the bundt pan with the nonstick spray with flour. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into a few spots towards the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Unmold the cake and let cool completely.
• Place the cooled cake on a serving platter and refrigerate 20 minutes. This will chill the surface, making glazing easier.
• For the espresso ganache: Place the cream, instant coffee and salt in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine. Microwave until steaming, about 15 seconds. Stir the cream to dissolve the instant coffee and add the chocolate chips. Microwave in 12-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. The ganache should be smooth. Transfer to a measuring cup with a spout.
• Pour the ganache over the cake allowing it to flow down the sides. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the warm ganache and allow it to set. Serve at room temperature. Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.