Chocolate Coconut Cake Recipe (2024)

Just moved and can only find my eight and nine inch cake pans...not the springform. Is it worth trying ?

Did you let the melted chocolate cool before mixing it in? I know with brownies, failing to let the chocolate cool can cause dryness; I'd think the same thing would potentially be a cause of dryness in this recipe.

Absolutely. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and butter or spray with non-stick baking oil. Have a small overflow pan ready also, so you can take the smaller cake for a test drive (taste drive?) without ruining the pretty presentation of the 9" cake.

Just made this cake for New Years eve. I use Lindt 70%. Wonderful. Only change I made was to toast the coconut that is spread on top, looks and tastes better (I just put the coconut in a non-stick pan and cook over low-medium heat).

I used mostly 72% chocolate; the rest 80 for the cake. Instead of frosting, I sifted on powdered sugar & then sprinkled on a bit of coconut, as seven ounces more chocolate seemed excessive.
The cake easily served 12 because it is incredibly rich. No one felt cheated. And given the calories, 12 servings instead of eight makes a lot more sense.

I made this tonight with regular all-purpose flour, and it was perfect - not at all dry/crumbly. I followed the recipe exactly. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Great recipe. In my oven the bake time was too long. Second time I tried this I baked for about 40 minutes and the cake was moist. I also toasted the coconut flakes for the topping of the cake -- yum!!

Great cake if you follow the recipe closely. Usually I like to make a taller cake in a smaller diameter pan, but this one is an exception. It does not bake evenly through the height- at the bottom the cake will tend to be underdone, and at the top, overdone. Stick with the 10" springform suggested, and start testing at 40 minutes as it will over bake quickly. The tester won't be completely clean due to the shredded coconut. I would pull it at 50 mins max.

I've always found cakes easier to frost if they are still slightly frozen.

No aficionado, but perhaps melted coconut oil would help the cake? I like to experiment with sugar free--thus replacing the cup of sugar with stevia...(and cocoa with cacao powder). I may try coconut oil now... thanks to your comment.

Just thought for the coconut flavor to be stronger you might want to use some coconut extract

I second the spoilsport! This cake is costly and incredibly indulgent in terms of saturated fat. I used 62 and 64 percent (Scharffen Berger and Guittard) chocolate, the best feature of the most arid confection I have ever made. Bob's Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut is dry, but one would think that all the eggs, butter and heavy cream would compensate. The icing was yummy but couldn't redeem the "tort." Refrigeration kept the dessert fresh but still parched.

This cake is delicious. It smelled so wonderful, I never made it to the icing. I sprinkled powder sugar on top of the first slice I cut and had it with a strong cup of black tea. Heaven. I followed the recipe exactly using Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate. The cake cut easily and looked like the picture. It is relatively easy to make. Now I have to decide if I am going to try the icing. You could definitely serve this at the close of a dinner party.

I followed the recipe and took the cake out of the oven even when the cake tester wasn't perfect. The cake was terribly dry, and since it was for a birthday dinner, it's a good thing I had a Plan B.

Cake came out OK except it was dry and crummy. I followed the receipt to the tee and it was done baking in 40 mins however the results were not as desired. How to make it more moist in the future?

I’m making this for the second time because it was that good. I would love to know if coconut oil could replace the butter. My new favorite.

Not only was it good the next day, it was even better the 3rd day. Fabulous cake! Very special.

This was delicious! Subbed sweetened shredded coconut for the cake and reduced the sugar to 3/4 and thought it turned out great. Baked for less than 50m - the middle was a little softer but didn’t want the outside to get too dry. Used unsweetened coconut flakes to decorate.

The icing is very hard when cooled, and it can be difficult to cut. This is not recommended for a potluck or group meal where individuals will be cutting their own piece. Would love a recommendation for a complimentary softer icing.

This is a delicious and verrry rich cake. Used coconut milk instead of heavy cream because that’s what I had. Pulled it out of the overnight after 40 mins and it was perfect. I think you could go with fresh whip cream or ice cream instead of the frosting.

I had high hopes for this cake, but even after following the recipe closely and taking it out of the oven sooner, it was very dry. There are many chocolate cake recipes that are far better, in my book.

I made a few modifications, in an attempt to make something like german chocolate cake (minus the complicated cooked frosting). Instead of the chocolate frosting I put a layer of [store-bought] dulce de leche on the warm cake, then covered that with toasted coconut and ~1/3 cup toasted pecans. Next time I might put the pecans directly on the dulce de leche because they did not stick, and/or use a different caramel layer. Took cake out at 45 minutes and it was a teeny bit dry.

The only disappointing recipe from Melissa Clark ever! I’ve made this twice now, and like the other’s have noted who have also baked a ton of cakes in their lifetime, this was, despite following all the directions precisely, the worst cake ever and the biggest waste of expensive, top of the line ingredients. The cake is far too dry and chewy. There are many other far better cake recipes here, including other’s from Melissa Clark, and on many other sites. I recommend avoiding this one.

I made this cake for a dinner party-it was very dry and not particularly tasty. I was so disappointed as I love chocolate and coconut as a combination. It was a good amount of work, too. I'm a very experienced baker and I was careful not to overbake. I will not make this again. Luckily I made a second cake for my party as well because it was a large group (Claudia Rodin's excellent Orange Cake.) The Orange Cake was gone, I had half of this cake left, and I threw it away. Unheard-of in my home!

Can I substitute the cream with coconut cream?

Great cake if you follow the recipe closely. Usually I like to make a taller cake in a smaller diameter pan, but this one is an exception. It does not bake evenly through the height- at the bottom the cake will tend to be underdone, and at the top, overdone. Stick with the 10" springform suggested, and start testing at 40 minutes as it will over bake quickly. The tester won't be completely clean due to the shredded coconut. I would pull it at 50 mins max.

Can this recipe be effectively reduced for a smaller cake? EG: to make a 6" or 8" cake and what calculations to use if so? Thanks in advance! (For a bday next week!)

This came out so dry! I used unsweetened bakers chocolate - would that do it? Ok with a big scoop of ice cream!

Just did this cake, but it's never too late, right?Delicious! Will do it again!