Tunnel of Love Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake

Tunnel of Love Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake - made July 22, 2011 from The Cake Club by Susie Quick (book #143)

Another picnic cake candidate here.  I love the chocolate and coconut combination, especially in a bundt cake.  It's so simple and no fuss.  You can leave off the glaze if you're afraid of it melting in hot weather but if you do add it, it's a nice complement to the chocolate.

I haven't used this cookbook very often and this particular recipe had a glaring omission in that it didn't tell you when to add the dry ingredients.  I didn't know if it was before you separate a cup of batter for the coconut middle or after.  I decided to add it before - my notes and modifications to the recipe are in blue below.  I also cut back on the flour as the batter seemed thick enough at 2 1/4 cups.  I'm glad I made the modifications I did as the cake turned out pretty well.  I baked mine for just under an hour - the toothpick test showed it was still a little wet in the thickest part of the cake but I didn't want it to get dry so I chanced it.  The texture came out moist so I was glad I didn't bake it any longer.

If you look closely at the glaze, you'll see air pockets - those are easy enough to get rid of by poking the holes with a toothpick before the glaze sets.  I didn't pay attention closely enough to really care about it (it still tastes the same) but for a nicer presentation, it's better not to have the air pockets.  I also liked how the inside of the cake looked with the center ring of coconut encased in chocolate cake - yum.

Cake

6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ cup milk

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I only used 2 ¼ cups)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup evaporated milk (I used whole milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.       Preheat oven to 350⁰F.  Lightly butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

2.       In a small saucepan over low heat, combine chocolate, cocoa, and milk, stirring constantly until everything is melted and dissolved.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  In another small bowl, toss coconut with ¼ cup of the sugar.

3.       With an electric mixer, cream the butter until fluffy.  Gradually add remaining sugar.  Beat on medium speed until light, about 3 minutes.  With mixer running on lowest speed add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.  Add vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.

4.       Remove one cup of batter and stir into the coconut mixture until just incorporated.  Add the melted chocolate to the remaining cake batter and mix until blended.

5.       Pour a little less than half of the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Drop small spoonfuls of the coconut batter around the middle of the cake, and gently spread to create a ring of filling (be careful not to touch the sides of the pan).  Now top the whole thing with the remaining chocolate batter.  It should completely cover the filling.

6.       Bake in center of preheated oven for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let rest in the pan on a wire rack until completely cool. (Note: it’s easier to get it out of the pan cleanly if you invert it while it’s still warm, not hot and not completely cool.)  Invert onto a cake plate.

7.       Combine glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Add a little more milk if it’s too thick.  Drizzle on top of the cake and let it set before slicing.