Chocolate Macaroon Cake

My friend Eleana’s birthday was coming up and I offered to make the cake for the rooftop party she was having. I knew it had to be some sort of chocolate cake, but I wanted to do something different than my usual chocolate cake, which I made for her last year. So after some searching I found a recipe for a chocolate macaroon cake and went with that. It’s always a bit of a risk following a recipe that you’ve never tried before, especially when you have no choice but to serve it if it’s a disaster (or go out and buy a replacement one!). Lucky for me, with a couple of modifications as I didn’t have a couple of ingredients on hand, the cake turned out perfectly. The egg whites made it so light and airy, and it wasn’t overly sweet. The birthday girl herself said to me that this was my best cake yet. I will definitely be making this one again! If you love chocolate and coconut make sure you try it out too. 🙂

Recipe adapted from tasteofhome.com

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 egg white
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flaked coconut, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Cake:

4 eggs, separated
1 & 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
5 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. To make the filling, beat the egg white in a small bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, on high speed until sugar is completely dissolved and stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold in the coconut and flour and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until sugar is dissolved and stiff, glossy peaks form. Set aside.

4. In another large bowl, cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla. In a cup, combine the water and buttermilk. In a medium bowl combine the sifted flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternatively with the buttermilk mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in beaten egg whites.

5. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 10 inch springform pan. Spoon over the coconut filling, then top with remaining batter.

6. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Immediately invert cake onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting it, about an hour.

7. In a small bowl, beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy. Frost cake and enjoy!