Recipe: Chocolate & Coconut Cake

I guess you can tell I have a sweet tooth. This is one of my favourite chocolate cakes. The coconut filling is a very popular Brazilian recipe used mainly on children's birthday parties and it's called "beijinho". You can either use it on cakes, like I did, or make small coconut balls and roll over on shredded coconut.

I've added two decoration options which is absolutely up to you. You can certainly use your own recipe if you prefer. I suggest anything with chocolate or coconut for a rich flavour. The types of flour and sugar are also of your choice. The flaxseeds are an egg substitute for the vegan community. It works like a gem. 

Also, you can either bake 2 cakes or only 1 (cut in half to add the filling). Both ways would work and taste great.

Hope you enjoy! 😋

INGREDIENTS

Batter

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

6 tablespoons water

180g flour

160g brown sugar

45g cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup hot water

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon baking powder

Filling (Beijinho)

120ml veggie milk

1 tablespoon flour

200ml coconut milk (cooking kind)

140 g brown or white sugar

60g sugarless shredded coconut

Pinch of salt

Decoration

Option 1

140g cocoa powder

1 soya cream tin (200g)

Option 2

150g dark chocolate bar

2 tablespoons coconut milk

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 210ºC.

Batter

In a cup, add the flaxseeds and the 6 tablespoons of water. Mix well and let it rest for around 15 minutes or until it has a jelly consistence.

Grease a cake pan and add either cocoa powder or baking paper to avoid the batter to stick whilst baking.

In a bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, oil, flaxseeds mix, hot water and vinegar. Mix well, add the baking power and stir to combine.

Add the mix to the greased pan and bake it for around 40 minutes or until ready. Let it cool down before you unmold the cake.

Filling

In a bowl, add the veggie milk, flour and mix it well. Put the mix in a pan on low heat and add the coconut milk, the shredded coconut, sugar and a pinch of salt.

Keep cooking on low heat and stirring it for approximately 15 minutes, not letting it become firm or you won't be able to spread it evenly. I suggest to add it to the cake right away, just because it tends to firm up with time.

Decoration

Option 1: on low heat, stir the cocoa powder and soya cream to a creamy consistency. Pour it on the cake.

Option 2: break the chocolate bar and place into a heatproof bowl. Sit over a pan of simmering water (a bain marie) and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, let it cool down a bit and add the coconut milk. Mix well and pour it on the cake.

Assembling

If you baked 1 cake, cut in half with a knife. I like to spread around 4 spoons of veggie milk on the base to make it a bit moist.

Add all the filling to the base and cover it with the other cake half.

Cover the cake with your choice of decoration. Add some shredded coconut or chocolate shavings for a final look (and taste). 😋

This cake is better served cold. Leave it in the fridge for 3 hours before serving.

Don't forget to share your pictures and give feedback on the final result! If you have any difficulties with the beijinho filling, let me know and I'll walk you through it.

Photo and recipe inspired by Presunto Vegetariano