For someone who makes so many desserts so frequently, I don’t have the most pronounced sweet tooth. I always choose savory over sweet. But when that once in a while craving for something sweet hits, I always crave for cake.
Cakes are very versatile; you get them in many shapes and forms. But when you want to snack on a cake, a layer cake with frosting isn’t the best option to choose. You need something more laid back and informal; you need a cake that you can just dig into with a fork or even grab a piece with your hands (although you can do that with any cake, in my opinion). That’s where the sub-genre of snack cakes come into play. Snack cakes usually have little to no frosting and are made in a single pan with minimal effort.
I am a huge fan of snack cakes; I bake them at least once a week. So, for this post, I wanted to share with you the recipe for the most satisfying snack cake I’ve made in a while.
The recipe is for a spongy and soft chocolate cake topped with coconut whipped cream. It’s soft, incredibly light, and so delicious!
What goes into the chocolate snack cake with coconut whipped cream?
The cake itself is a very simple chocolate cake. It’s devoid of any eggs and calls for very basic ingredients.
You’ll need castor sugar, vegetable or sunflower oil, yogurt, baking soda, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt for the chocolate cake. Suppose you’re looking for a more punchy chocolate flavor. In that case, you can also add a teaspoon of espresso powder or instant coffee powder.
Now, the next component in this cake is the coconut whipped cream. I used unsweetened double cream for the whipped cream along with some confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, and some desiccated coconut. The ideal fat content in cream for it to be whipped is around 35%-36%. But the commonly available whipping cream or heavy cream in India has a fat content that is about 30%. So, you can use heavy cream or unsweetened whipping cream, as long as it has a fat content that’s higher than 30%. I initially meant to use coconut cream, but the one I had in my pantry hardly had 30% fat content.
If you’re able to find coconut cream with 30% or more fat in it, go for it. Do not shake the can and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight. Scoop out the required amount of coconut cream and make the whipped cream according to the recipe.
What equipment is needed to make the cake?
The cake is pretty much a one-bowl recipe. You’ll need a medium-sized mixing bowl, a wire whisk, and a rubber spatula.
For the whipped cream, you’ll need another mixing bowl and an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
To bake the cake, you’ll need an 8x8 inch square tin and some parchment paper.
Recipe for Chocolate Snack Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream
Yields: One 8x8 inch square cake
Time: 1 hour plus chilling
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
180 grams (1 ½ cup) all-purpose flour
25 grams (3 ¼ tablespoons) cocoa powder
3 grams (¾ teaspoon) salt
6 grams (1 ¼ teaspoon) baking powder
150 grams (¾ cup) oil
168 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar
80 grams (¼ cup) yogurt
2 grams (½ teaspoon) baking soda
106 grams (½ cup) milk
6 grams (1 ¼ teaspoon) vanilla extract
Frosting:
150 grams (¾ cup) unsweetened heavy/whipping cream, chilled
45 grams (¼ cup) confectioner’s sugar
4 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
70 grams (¾ cup) desiccated coconut
25 grams (¼ cup) toasted coconut
METHOD
Cake:
Grease an 8-inch square cake tin with butter and line it with parchment paper; make sure to leave overhangs on two sides of the baking tin.
Grease the top of the parchment and dust the tin with cocoa powder.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix together the yogurt with the baking soda, and set it aside.
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the oil and sugar together, followed by the yogurt set aside earlier.
Add in the milk as well.
Whisk everything really well, and then incorporate the vanilla into the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold the cake batter until there are no dry spots. Break up any lumps present with a whisk.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 30-35 minutes.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Let the baked cake sit in the tin for 5 minutes before carefully lifting it out of the tin onto a cooling rack.
Let the cake cool at room temperature for an hour.
Gently wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or freeze for a few hours.
Frosting:
Whip the heavy cream using an electric mixer for a minute or two until less stiff.
Add the powdered sugar and whip until you have stiff peaks. Add the vanilla extract while whipping.
Gently fold the desiccated coconut into the whipped cream.
Assembly:
Spread the coconut whipped cream onto the cooled cake and top it with some toasted coconut.
Notes
You can use this recipe to make a layer cake as well. You will need to adjust the recipe as per the size of the cake you want to make.
If you’re unable to find a cream with 30% or more fat in it, you can use a lower fat cream. But you will need to control the external factors like using a cold bowl, chilling the cream overnight and using only the thickened part of the cream, and discarding the liquid. You will also need to whip for longer.
If you liked this recipe or tried it, let me know in the comments below or post it to my Instagram and Facebook, I'd love to see your creations!