Coconut chocolate cake - a treat for all occasions

The combination of chocolate and coconut leaves few cold. But the tried and tested interplay of these flavours has many nuances, giving us plenty of room to experiment and discover new confectionery that combines chocolate and coconut in a unique, one-of-a-kind way. This time, we''ve prepared a recipe for Coconut Chocolate Cake that we''re sure you''ll love. But before that, here are some interesting facts about coconut, which is not only delicious but, like chocolate, can also be very healthy ...

Did you know?

• There are many different uses for coconuts. In addition to coconut meat, which can also be dried and then ground into coconut flour, a particularly common ingredient in desserts, there is also coconut milk and coconut water, which have recently become extremely popular for their many beneficial effects.
• Coconut oil, which is a solid aggregate at room temperature, has historically been considered a food that is harmful to the heart, but modern research shows a very different picture.
• The liquid found in coconuts is not coconut milk but coconut water. Coconut milk is actually a mixture of coconut meat or flour and coconut water, which is why its texture is slightly thicker.
• Due to its high content of potassium, a mineral that decreases in the body when we sweat, coconut water is considered a natural sports drink.
• Two tablespoons of coconut flour, which is also recommended for people with diabetes as it has a low glycaemic index, contains 5 grams of fibre.
• There are more than 1 300 different types of coconut, and the species are basically divided into those native to the Indian Ocean and those native to the Pacific.
• Climbing coconut palms can be quite dangerous for humans. But in some tropical areas, such as the Indonesian island of Sumatra, this problem has been solved in an interesting way... by training monkeys to pick coconuts instead of humans.
• In the 1950s, it was discovered that coconut water could be an effective substitute for blood plasma because it has a very similar structure. There is even a documented case of a severely dehydrated patient who was helped precisely by an infusion of coconut water.
• In the Philippines, there is a traditional dance in which men place coconut halves on different parts of their bodies to act as a kind of substitute percussion instrument to create music as they dance.
• Coconut oil can even be used as an alternative, environmentally friendly source of fuel.
• The use of coconut is also widespread in the cosmetics industry, even more so than any other fruit (by the way, coconut is a fruit, so calling it "coconut" can be a bit problematic).

Coconut cake with chocolate (recipe)

Ingredients:

• 200 grams of butter + to coat the baking tray
• 150 grams chopped dark chocolate with at least 60 % cocoa
• 155 grams of white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 100 grams grated coconut
• 4 large eggs (whites and yolks separated)
• 200 grams of powdered sugar
• 200 millilitres sweet cream
  

For the glaze:

• 200 grams chopped dark chocolate with at least 60 % cocoa
• 15 grams of butter
• 50 grams grated coconut

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C and grease a round baking tray (about 25 cm in diameter) with butter.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter over the heat. Leave to cool a little. Sift the flour into a separate bowl and add the baking powder, cocoa and salt, and finally the grated coconut. Mix well.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar with a mixer until fluffy. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Then add all together to the pre-prepared flour mixture and the other dry ingredients.
4. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until fluffy. Then gently fold it into the dough mixture, which is then poured into the prepared baking tray and baked for about 50 minutes. You can also use a toothpick to check that the dough is baked. Then leave the sponge to cool.
5. For the glaze, melt the chocolate over steam. Remove and stir in the butter. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then spread the glaze over the sponge cake. Sprinkle the cake with shredded coconut and leave to rest before serving.