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Coconut Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Coconut Cake with Chocolate Ganache {gluten-free, dairy-free}

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Author Samantha

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 115 grams / 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 55 grams / 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 130 grams / 2/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 100 grams / 7 tablespoons vegan butter such as "Melt", cut into pieces, or sunflower or coconut oil
  • grated zest of one lemon

For the ganache:

  • 120 ml / 1/2 cup coconut cream or milk (at least 14% fat)
  • 85 grams / 3 oz bittersweet chocolate I use Callebaut 70%
  • pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • I prefer to weigh the dry ingredients for this cake, rather than using the cup measurements, as not all cups are created equally (some cups measure 250ml, while others measure 240ml...it's all very confusing). So, if you have a scale, weigh the coconut, sugar, and potato starch and place each of these in the bowl of a food processor.  If you don't have a scale, keep in mind that these measurements originated in an American cookbook, so a one-cup measurement will be about 240ml.  Add the remaining cake ingredients to the food processor, and process for at least one minute, scraping down the sides once.
  • Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.  The cake is done when the top is turning golden brown and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Be careful not to over-bake, as this will dry out the edges.
  • While the cake is baking, chop and weigh the chocolate and place the pieces in a heat-proof bowl.  Heat the coconut cream to just under boiling and pour over the chocolate.  Sprinkle the pinch of sea salt into the bowl.  Wait for five minutes, and then use a small whisk to thoroughly blend the coconut cream and chocolate together.
  • When the cake has finished baking, remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and let cool for ten minutes in the cake pan.  Then, after the ten minutes has passed, run a knife between the pan and the edge of the cake, remove from the cake pan, peel off the parchment, and return to the cooling rack and let cool completely.
  • Once both the cake and ganache have cooled to room temperature, pour or scrape the ganache onto the cake and spread evenly over the top.  If your ganache seems quite liquidy, you can place it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up a bit.  The cake will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to four days.