a food journal
I’m baaaaaack.
After an almost week long hiatus from the blog, I’m here again to tell you allll about this gorgeous summer dessert and exactly why you should be making it happen in your life as soon as freaking possible. But first! Let me fill you in on our trip!…
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
See all the whipped cream going on there? Yeah. So NOT me. It’s no secret that I do NOT like whipped cream. The only way I enjoy it is in beverages (as evidenced by my newest obsession I shared with you guys last week) and even then, I really have to be in the mood for it. I do not like it on my ice cream, or my brownies, or on my pies/tarts/desserts in general….
OMG.
I never start posts out that way, but this one is soooooo worthy of an opening “OMG.”…
Pound cake. Everyone loves pound cake. People just forget about it…with all the other incredible dessert options out there. Poor pound cake. It’s one of the best yet most underrated desserts out there.
Well, I’m here today to make sure that pound cake gets the credit it deserves. This particular pound cake is definitely not one to be overlooked. It’s chocolately. It’s coconuty. It’s moist (I hate that “moist” is the only word that captures what “moist” means. Hah. Hate that word). It’s dense yet light. It’s sweet. It’s the perfect accompaniment to coffee in the morning or as a snack or after-dinner treat.
The thing that’s awesome about this pound cake is that it has the flavor of coconut, but it’s not too overwhelming. Like, someone who doesn’t LOVE coconut (my hubs) will still like this pound cake because it’s all sorts of subtle. But not too subtle! Remember, it’s not to be overlooked.
I made this cake a few weeks ago and kept it on the counter under a glass cake dome. While I was well aware of how much I was eating (a few passing-by nibbles here and there…sometimes a full slice), the cake was disappearing way faster than I was eating it. Curious. Turns out, my anti-coconut hubs was totally into it. I caught him munching on it several times, all while proclaiming “but I don’t like coconut.” Hah.
If you are really NOT a coconut fan or are planning to serve this to an anti-coconut person, then simply omit the coconut butter from the cake and serve it without the toasted coconut and with regular whipped cream. The coconut milk in the cake batter really just gives it tons of moisture, but does not overwhelm on the coconut flavor. Promise. OR, just serve it to them the way it is. My husband is proof that the anti-coconut mantra really doesn’t matter here. Plus, isn’t toasted coconut like the prettiest thing ever?! I want to sprinkle it on everything. Pretty food for the win.
(Jeez. How many times can I type “coconut” in one paragraph?)
In my world, you can never have enough coconut. This pound cake, with all the coconut fixin’s, tastes like a Mounds bar, and I love that. L-O-V-E. It might be my favorite pound cake recipe to date.
And that’s something that definitely should not be overlooked.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2¾ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso
5 eggs
1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk, well shaken
1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Toasted flaked coconut, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°F and liberally grease a bundt pan with butter or cooking spray. Dust the coated pan with sugar, turning the pan to coat evenly. Discard any excess sugar.
Sift together the dry ingredients.
Cream the butter, coconut oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well blended.
Add a third of the dry mixture, beat to just combine, and then add a third of the coconut milk. Continue with the remaining dry mixture and coconut milk two more times. Beat the batter until completely smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely, dust with powdered sugar and top with some of the flaked coconut. Slice and serve with the coconut whipped cream and additional flaked coconut.
Open the canned coconut milk and discard the liquid (save it for another use). Scoop the solidified cream into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until peaks form. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and whip again to incorporate. Serve with the pound cake.
Cake recipe adapted from here.
Coconut whipped cream adapted from here.
