There are a lot of chocolate cake recipes I use. I alternate
depending on what I want and what ingredients I have on hand. One great
chocolate cake recipe that I like is the Super
Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcake recipe from Simply Recipes. I think it
is also known as depression cake due to the lack of egg and dairy in the
recipe. While it is not the richest chocolate cake out there, it is certainly
one of the easiest. No mixer. No butter to cream. No alternating additions of
flour and milk. As long as the cake is still tasty, ease is a major plus. The
change I usually use when making the chocolate cupcakes is to substitute the
one cup of brewed coffee with one cup of skim milk with 1 tbsp of espresso
powder. The milk adds a bit of richness, while the espresso powder maintains
the extra oomph that coffee gives to chocolate (you don’t really taste any
coffee in the cake).
However, today I had a cup of coconut milk sitting around
that needed to used (leftover from coconut ice cream). I usually make coconut
rice pudding or coconut cupcakes. But, I wanted to try something new and
chocolatey. And instead of scouring the web for some tasty new coconut
chocolate treat, I decided to see how my easy go-to chocolate cake recipe would fare
with a coconut milk substitution. This time I substituted one cup brewed coffee
with one cup coconut milk. I did not add any espresso powder, as I was afraid
that boosting the chocolate flavor would overpower the more subtle coconut
flavor from the milk. I also baked it in a 9” x 9” pan since I felt more like
sheet cake than cupcakes today.
This is the best version of this chocolate cake I have made
yet. It is really moist, even after several days, without being too dense. However,
the coconut flavor is very, very weak. I can only taste it because I know it’s
there. I’m pretty sure no one would notice if they were not told. But, I will
definitely continue using coconut milk in this recipe, when I have it on hand.
And if I want more coconut flavor next time, I’ll probably add a little bit of
coconut extract (probably one-eighth to one-quarter teaspoon). Also, if I want to dress it up a bit, I might
top it with a simple chocolate frosting (such as that in the original Simply
Recipes recipe above) and some sweetened flaked coconut.
I just enjoyed this tasty three day old slice with a cold glass of
milk.
Chocolate Coconut Cake Recipe
Cake ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all
purpose flour
1/4 cup
unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not Dutched)
1 cup granulated
sugar
1 tsp baking
soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp white
vinegar
2 tsp
vanilla extract
6 tbsp (3/8 cup) canola oil (any vegetable oil will do)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 9” x9” cake pan (I use AltonBrown’s Kustom Kitchen Lube, alternatively, you can butter and dust with flour
or cocoa powder).
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add coconut
extract here if you decide to use.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined (mix will
be lumpy, but should have no visible dry ingredients).
5. Pour into cake pan and spread evenly.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until springy in the middle. A
toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
7. Let cool in pan. If you are going to frost, make sure to let the cake cool
completely before frosting.
