Rich and moist chocolate cake that is drizzled with a creamy coconut custard instead of frosting. A refreshing twist! It’s the perfect end-of-summer dessert.
I just saw an ad today for a new product: “The wearable tracker for mindfulness, [our product] gives you awareness of when you’re feeling tense.”
Are you kidding me? I understand the Fitbit phenomenon. Who doesn’t want a constant reminder of how healthy they’re being (or not being).
But a freak-out tracker??  “ALERT: Karen, you’re feeling VERY TENSE right now. HIGH STRESS SITUATION GOING ON.” How exactly is this supposed to help me? (It’s like when someone tells you you’re in a bad mood. Nothing makes me grumpier than someone calling me out, even when it’s deserved.) Hold up, don’t stress Karen, but YOU ARE STRESSED.
Speaking of high stress situations. We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese this weekend. Like, whoa. I’ve never been as an adult. Eric went once as a kid and his only memory is that he threw up in the ball pit. Kinda hard to forget that one. (Those poor, poor Chuck E Cheese employees. I bet the stress-tracker would have gone haywire on them.)
We arrived and found security guards at the entrance. Um, excuse me, what exactly is going on in here that we need a bouncer outside? The kids loved it though, of course. (The games and pizza. Not the guards.) They thrive in greasy situations. (The kids. Not the guards.) (This is the best I can offer as a description for Chuck E Cheese.)
Now let’s talk decadent cake. This beauty is dreamy, creamy, and rich (anything but greasy :) The cake is moist and flavorful, thanks to the buttermilk. I like it because it doesn’t feature your typical sugary frosting. Instead it is topped with a thick and creamy coconut custard, which is not as sweet as frosting, but still offers amazing flavor and texture. I love this combination! Chocolate and coconut is the perfect match for late summer. I like it served cold or warm, but warm would be especially appropriate for the coming fall months.
P.S. Can I make a formal complaint about the Whack-a-Mole game? They’ve ruined it. It’s digitized so that you are whacking a computer screen instead of an actual mole. No wonder we need stress-trackers these days. We can’t even whack a real mole to let it all out. Am I beating a dead horse? A dead mole?
Chocolate Cake with Coconut Custard
Chocolate Cake with Coconut Custard
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups cake flour, spooned, leveled, and sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
For the Coconut Custard:
- 1 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Vanilla Unsweetened
- 1 cup cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water, cold
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan well, then sprinkle with a little cocoa powder. (You can use flour, but it might show up on your cake.)
- In a medium bowl, sift 2 cups of cake flour. Stir in the baking soda and salt.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together cocoa, water, buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon coconut extract.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, scraping sides. Add the white and brown sugar and beat for another minute. Add 2 eggs and beat very well, scraping sides.
- Add half the cocoa mixture and half the flour mixture, and beat. Add the remaining cocoa mixture and flour mixture. Beat until combined, making sure to scrape the sides.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, then place in the oven at 350.
- Bake for about 32-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes (set a timer!) Loosen the edges of the cake as carefully as you can with a knife, then invert onto a cake plate.
- While the cake is finishing up in the oven, start the custard sauce. Add the Almondmilk Coconutmilk to a medium saucepan, along with the cream. Turn the heat to medium and add the sugar.
- Stir occasionally for about 4-5 minutes or until the liquid is just about to boil. Meanwhile in a small bowl whisk together 4 egg yolks.
- Temper the eggs by gradually adding the hot milk to the egg yolks. Whisk constantly. Once you have added a half cup or so of the liquid, add it all back to the pot, whisking as you go. You don't want the eggs to curdle.
- Continue to cook over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes, or until it just barely starts to boil. At this point it should be getting thicker. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon COLD water. Add this to the custard and stir. Turn the heat to low if it is starting to pop and boil.
- Stir together until thick. You should see marks on the top of the custard when you drag the whisk over the surface, and it should coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and add salt, almond extract, and coconut extract.
- Serve warm with the warm cake. Store in the fridge. It's also really good served cold on a room temperature cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Other cakes you will love!
Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce << seriously one of the best cakes I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Coconut Almond Sheet Cake: (this one’s vegan!)
Cinnamon Cake with Maple Pecan Frosting (a fall favorite of mine :)
Or if you REALLY love the coconut custard… may I suggest a whole Coconut Cream Pie!
More cakes and custards you will love!
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake from How Does She
Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce from my girl Kayley at The Kitchen McCabe
Vanilla Custard Bundt Cake from Las Recetitas de Mirasen << This blog is in Spanish but it looks so good! I want to try it.
This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk. All opinions are my own of course! Thanks for backing up my sponsors!
This cake sound delicious Ohh Gosh. I loved
This is one gorgeous cake, my friend! Also – there were guards at the Chuck E Cheese back when I was in high school (they wouldn’t let us in without a kid, which made me want to kidnap a kid…)
Yup, definitely don’t need anything to tell me when I’m stressed. Believe me, I know!!! haha
This cake sounds wonderful – love love that coconut custard for topping!
Thank you Ashley! And I’m with you, my tension level is not something I need a tracker for! :)
Chuck E. Cheese was the bomb back in the day. I used to beg Mom to take me there any chance I got. I don’t know if they still have that spider stomping game…I can still remember the voice in the machine saying “You Win! You’re good….very good…but perhaps next time muahaha!” Just shows how much I was obsessed with that place. But this cake! I’m pretty sure this will be my adult obsession. I love chocolate and coconut together! I love that it’s also not as sweet as a traditional glaze. Awesome job, Karen!
Right?? Who didn’t love Chuck E Cheese?? It’s so weird going as an adult. It’s like watching Bambi for the first time as an adult…tooootally different experience, haha. Thank you so much Beeta!
Okay, this looks so so good! I don’t have a fit bit, but my mom does and she loves it! I think I may need to get one though. I’ve heard nothing but good things.
Me too Kait! My mom loves her fitbit! Since when does the older generation have all the cool gadgets before we do?? :)
no chuck e cheese for me please, and my stress tracker would most likely be beeping in my ear all day long, however cake would most definitely calm it down, I’m pretty sure of that – it’s hard to be tense while eating cake
Yes, it IS hard to be stressed when eating cake. We need more cake, less trackers :)
Girl, you crack me up! that freak-out tracker is hilarious. . what else will they come up with next?! oh gawd. . Chuck E Cheese . . no words. I greatly dislike that place. If I ever have go to again, I’ll need this cake and lots of alcohol. :)
Haha! Hopefully you never have to make the trip Alice!! At least it would be an excuse for this cake :)
Oh My Gosh a freak out tracker would only make me freak out even more!! The things people come up with, I tell ya!! Now this cake looks freakin awesome!!
Thank you Malinda!! And it’s so true, these are some really weird business ideas out there…
If I had a stress tracker it would probably start beeping just going past the Chuck E Cheese. :)
This cake looks fabulous! The world is always a little bit better of a place when people start bringing up custard. :)
Haha!! Seriously. Chuck E Cheese is not for the faint of heart :) And I’m totally with you! Custard makes the world go round!
LOVE the coconut custard on this-such a unique idea and must totally envelop the cake in coconutty goodness. I just got a fitbit and I love it, but I don’t think anyone needs a machine to tell them when they’re stressed- we all pretty much know.
Thanks Medha, it totally does! Are you loving your new fitbit?
I LOVE the idea of using coconut custard instead of icing!!! I can only imagine how moist it makes the cake!! (Are you weird about the word moist ;) )
Thanks Nicole!! Yes it is moistmoistmoist :) no I don’t have a problem with that word because in my experience it’s almost always used to describe cake and I like cake :) haha!
Dude, I KNOW when I’m tense and stressed. NO one needs to tell me, let alone a gadget I paid $200 for, haha! Love this cake, gorgeous!
Haha! For real though! Thanks Dorothy!
Oh my goodness, I love my fitbit, but I think a “freak out” tracker is a bit much. lol
This cake and custard combination looks amazing!
I agree Marye! I totally need to get a Fitbit!
Hahaha I just laughed so hard…guards and digital whack-a-mole?? Come to Texas, where you can really whack a mole (not our state slogan) at Mr. Gatti’s. Downside: no ball pit to throw up in. Also, coconut custard? Woah. Does this need to be refrigerated? You know, if it lasted that long.
Mr. Gatti’s?? What the heck is that?? haha. And yes the custard needs to be refrigerated, but the cake does not.
What a delicious chocolate cake. It looks so rich. I love that you used almond milk in the icing.
Thanks Melissa! The almond-coconut milk totally makes the custard :)