Bake the Cake

Let’s start with the most important step, the foundation of the whole cake – the cake itself. 

Now whenever you are going to present the cake, start working on it at least a day before. I started 3 days before, Day 1 - I baked the layers, Day 2 - I assembled the cake together and applied the crumb coat, Day 3 - I applied the final coat of frosting and poured the glaze on top of the cake and decorated with the shredded coconut. This worked great for me and this is what I will suggest to you.

Ingredients for the Cake:

• All-Purpose Flour - 2 and ½ cups 
• Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon 
• Salt – ½ teaspoon 
• Semisweet Chocolate - 8 tablespoons
• Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks
• White Granulated Sugar - 2 cups 
• Eggs - 4 Large
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 2/3 cup plus more for dusting the pan
• Canned Coconut Milk - 1 and ½ cups 

Others:

Round pans – 3 of 8 inches each

Let’s do a little prep:

• Half an hour prior baking the cake, take out the Butter and Eggs from the fridge and keep them on your kitchen counter. We are doing this to bring them to the room temperature. This will help them to mix evenly with the other ingredients. 
• Let’s cut the Parchment Paper. Place the Pan on the Parchment paper and draw a circle on the outer edge of the pan.
• Chop the chocolate - Use a sharp big knife to chop the chocolate. Try not to use your hands but an offset spatula to scrape and pick up the chocolate. Work in a cool kitchen because the chocolate will start melting. Keep it in a cool dry place until ready to use. 

Tip: Measure the Chocolate after chopping it.

• Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper cut into a circle to fit the pan. 

• Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray and dust the pan lightly with Cocoa powder. (use a sifter) Tap out any excess and set aside. 

Directions for baking the cake:

• In a medium bowl, combine the All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda and Salt. Sift and set aside.
• Add the Chocolate to a small heatproof bowl and set it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir continuously until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

• Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the Butter and Sugar together on medium-low speed until light and fluffy. 

• Beat in the Eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the Vanilla.

• Heat the oven to 325°F.
• Add the Cocoa Powder and melted Chocolate and mix until well incorporated. With the mixer set to low speed, gradually add half of the flour mixture, followed by the Coconut milk, and then the remaining flour mixture. Beat just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Tip: It is important to shake the can of coconut milk vigorously before opening it. The fats and liquids separate in the can after sitting. You want a combination of both for the cake, so mix it very well.

• Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans. 

• Use an offset spatula to spread the batter all the way to the edges of the pan and smooth out the surface. 

• Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few dry crumbs. Cool the cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

To transfer the cake onto the cooling rack:

• Run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the cake's edges. 
• If you're worried the top of the cake will be damaged, you can flip it a second time so it's not upside down on the rack. This is done easily by lining a plate with a piece of parchment paper and placing the plate on top of the cake. 
• Invert the cake onto the lined plate.
• Remove the baking pan. Do not peel the parchment paper. 
• Place the cooling rack on the bottom of the cake and hold it firmly so that the cake is sandwiched between the cooling rack and the plate. Gently flip it so it is right side up on the cooling rack. 
• Remove the plate. Let it cool for another 15 minutes. 

Note: We will remove the parchment paper right before assembling the cakes. The frozen cake with the parchment will allow us easy movement.

To transfer to freezer:

• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your kitchen counter. 
• Lift a cake layer slightly using the offset spatula. Carefully lift and transfer the cake on the wrap. 
• Cover from all sides.
• Take another piece of wrap and wrap the top of the cake, covering from all the sides so that the cake is now completely wrapped. 
• Place on a cake stand or plate and transfer to the freezer. Keep it frozen till you are ready to work on it. I kept it frozen overnight.

Why we are freezing the cake?

A frozen cake won’t crumble easily and it will hold its shape. Remember we still need to work on it and a cold cake will be easier to deal with when adding the filling and frosting. 

Let’s trim the layers:

• We want all the layers to be leveled otherwise the domes will make the cake uneven. So let’s start by taking the cake layers out of the freezer and let them thaw a little while still wrapped. 
• Thin cake layers like these will usually thaw in 2-3 hours; if you are baking a large cake, it may take quite a bit longer (if you used a different size of baking pan). Do not keep them in a hot kitchen, a normal room temperature is ideal. Don't level when the cake is completely frozen or it might cause it to crack or pieces may break off.

• Take your turntable and place it on a kitchen towel. 

• Use the offset spatula to help pick up a cake layer. Place the cake layer on the turn table and remove the top cover of plastic wrap. 

• Using the serrated knife, go along the edge just as it starts to crown and trim off the dome portion. Rotate the turntable as you cut. this will help you to get nice flat even layers. 

• Don’t discard the domed part, you can still use it for something else (We enjoyed it with a cup of hot coffee). 
• Once trimmed, cover the cake with the wrap and place in the fridge till you are ready to work on it again.

Tips:

• Bake the layers in advance and freeze them overnight
• A cold cake helps to slice the layers evenly.
• Use a cardboard round to easily transfer the baked cake.

Serrated Knife:

• Another essential tool for trimming and halving cake layers is a long serrated knife. (It’s almost impossible to cut layers evenly with a short knife.) Begin by trimming off the raised dome of each cake layer. 

Now let’s start working on the yummy Coconut Pastry Cream Filling:

Recommended Reading:

• Chocolate Coconut Cake (with Coconut Pastry Cream filling and Buttercream Frosting, topped with Chocolate Glaze and Toasted Shredded Coconut)
• Chocolate Sponge Cake