Chef notes
These chocolaty cakes are perfect for eating in just one bite. And, since they're small, you can keep dessert conservative and enjoy just one or indulge and eat as many as you like.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 6 large eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cups desiccated unsweetened shredded coconut
- 6 ounces dark chocolate (about 64% cacao)
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
- 7 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
Preparation
For the cake:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9- by 13-inch baking sheet with nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray.
2.Using electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thick.
3.Sift flour over egg mixture and fold in flour just to blend.
4.Stir butter in small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Fold browned butter into cake batter. Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet, smoothing to form an even layer.
5.Bake cake for about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Refrigerate until cold. I find you'll get cleaner cuts if chilled in fridge for an hour or so, as a fresh cake can be quite crumbly.
6.Cut cake into about 1- to 2-inch cubes. Cover and keep refrigerated.
For the glaze:
1.In food processor, pulse coconut a few times to cut them into finer shreds. Arrange half of coconut over a clean baking sheet and set aside.
2.In bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stir chocolate, milk, and butter until melted and blended.
3.Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder over melted chocolate mixture. Add 2 tablespoons boiling water and whisk to blend.
4.Place cooling rack on clean baking sheet. Working with a few cake cubes at a time, place cake cubes into chocolate glaze to coat, then transfer cakes to prepared rack. Gently tap rack to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Set aside for about 15 minutes, to ensure as much chocolate has dripped off as possible (or else the chocolate glaze will leak into the coconut and form clumps).
5.Working with one chocolate-coated cake cube at a time, roll cake cubes in shredded coconut to coat. Press coconut somewhat firmly onto cake to ensure adhesion. Refresh coconut as needed, using remaining coconut.
