Chocolate cake with Caramel and coconut filling and Chocolate Ganache frosting

Topped with hazelnuts.

 

 

 

This is a super moist, super delicious and super fudgy cake and literally melts in your mouth. Although the process of making this cake can be really long but its worth the effort. I made this cake on Valentine's day. I fell in love with this cake. Its a sure winner. Four layers of cake, chocolate ganache, toasted coconut, salted caramel topped with toasted hazelnuts and coconut. It's a decadent combination that will leave you drooling. Try making this cake for a very special occasion and impress that special someone :) There are three different stages for this cake, caramel sauce, chocolate ganache and chocolate cake . You can make the caramel sauce and the ganache well in advance whenever you have time and refrigerate it.

 

For the caramel sauce:-

1 cup- sugar

6 Tbsp- unsalted butter

1/2 cup- heavy whipping cream

A pinch of salt

 

 Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready. Sugar, cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process and if you don't pay attention, the sugar will burn in seconds.

1.  Heat sugar on a low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or a spoon scrapping the sides occasionally.
2. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, (The color of the sugar should be dark amber) add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted completely.
3. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk. Be careful while you add the cream as the mixture tends to foam up and could burn your hands if you don't take care. Keep your face away from the pan while you add the cream.
4. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let it cool in the pan for a couple minutes. Use the amount of sauce required for the cake and refrigerate the rest in a clean jar.

For the Chocolate Ganache filling and frosting:-

8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

 

Cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream and coffee granules together in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (not boiling water). Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted and are smooth. Let it cool.

 

For the chocolate cake:-

2 cups-sugar

1 3/4 cups-all purpose flour
3/4 cup-unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons-baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons-baking soda
1teaspoon- salt
1cup-whole milk
2- large eggs
1/2 cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1cup- hot water
11/2 tablespoon-instant coffee
1 1/4 cups- hazelnuts toasted, coarsely chopped
1 cup-chopped and roasted sweetened coconut flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and dust with flour two 9-inch-diameter round cake pans.
2. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl
3. Add milk, eggs, and melted butter. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until blended for about 2 minutes. 
4.  Stir 1 cup hot water and espresso powder in small bowl to dissolve, add to the batter,  beat until blended (batter will be thin). Divide the batter between the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely and take them off the pans onto a plate and let it cool for a while.
5. Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Be careful as the cakes are super soft and delicate. Place 1 layer on platter, spread with 1/2 cup room-temperature caramel sauce, sprinkle some coconut flakes. Top with second cake layer, spread the chocolate ganache and sprinkle some coconut flakes. Place the third layer and spread the caramel sauce and coconut flakes.
6. Top with fourth cake layer, spread a generous amount of chocolate ganache and frost the sides of the cake with the ganache. Cover the cake completely. Press remaining coconut flakes onto the sides. Sprinkle the top layer with toasted hazelnuts. Enjoy! 

The cake might be too soft or delicate for you to cut them into half, in that case just keep the two cakes as it is and spread the sauces in between. It will be a two layer cake instead of 4 but at least you wont have the problem of breaking or messing the cake.