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Make Ahead

Rich Chocolate Cake with Coconut Filling and Ganache

by:
January 26, 2010
4.3
15 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Serves 10 to 12
Author Notes

My friends often request the Hyde Park Fudge Cake for their birthdays, which I've made a hundred times. This variation has a yummy coconut filling and a decadent ganache that I could eat with a spoon until I'm sick! - nannydeb —nannydeb

Test Kitchen Notes

This is the bear hug of chocolate cakes -- it's big, it's rich and it's lovable. Inside the dense, sweet cake is tangy layer of cream cheese and coconut. And on top of the bundt cake is a thin ganache glaze. You're supposed to bake the cake in a Bundt pan, but if you don't have one, a tube pan works well (and makes it easier to cut out the cake if it gets stuck). - A&M —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 18 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, divided, chopped
  • 2/3 cup shortening
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups strong black coffee
  • 3 1/3 cups sugar, divided
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
  1. Set out the cream cheese to soften. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 10-12 cup bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder.
  3. In a small saucepan, melt 8 ounces of the chocolate with the shortening. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup sugar and the coconut. Set aside.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled chocolate mixture, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and coffee.
  6. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cake flour, soda and salt.
  7. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just incorporated.
  8. Pour half of the chocolate cake mixture in to the bundt pan. Top that with the coconut/cream cheese mixture and then top that with the remaining cake mixture.
  9. Bake on the center rack of a 350 degree oven for 45-65 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
  10. Cool the cake in the bundt pan on a wire rack for 10 mintues. Invert the cake on a serving plate to cool further.
  11. While cake is cooling, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool.
  12. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle or pour (depending on how much icing you want) the ganache on to the cake.
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Recipe by: nannydeb

Former restaurant manager (and waitress, bartender, etc). I love food: eating, trying new recipes, shopping for it, talking/emailing about it, etc. My foodie friend and pen pal got me interested in recipe contests and also turned me on to food52 and now I'm obsessed!

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108 Reviews

Write a Review
Mjhague August 9, 2023
What about using coconut sugar here? Has anyone tried vegan cream cheese in this cake?
Substituting some spelt flour? Lastly, 1 cup full fat coconut cream for heavy cream?
THANKS
Mikki July 21, 2023
I just finished baking this cake and mine overflowed all over my oven. It is out of the cake mold and looks beautiful but I won't cut into it until tomorrow. I tasted some of the crispy edges that I had to trim off to get it out of the pan and the chocolate parts tastes wonderful. Can't wait to see what it looks like on the inside.
eddiecakes February 9, 2023
Cooking time at the top of the page says 125 minutes, but step 9 of the directions says 45-65 minutes. I can attest to the 125 minute time frame- my cake came out beautifully and is totally delicious!
Deborah A. October 6, 2020
Your cake turned out great, however, I think I burned my 80% chocolate, adding it to simmering cream raised it to 155° even after taking it off the heat. The recipe said to add 8 ounces of heavy cream to 10 ounces of chocolate, which I did, but it was too hot and broke. I then researched ganache and realized my mistake. So I let it cool to 92° and added some warm cream, which helped, but there was a layer of oil on the top when I put it in the fridge. It had curdled but with the addition of at least 5 Tbsp of cream it smoothed out, now looks like pudding. I scrapped the hardened fat off the top but now am stressing because this lovely chocolate was to be the gilding for a birthday cake today. I'm sooo bummed out, it tastes delicious but won't set up right. Can it be fixed by maybe adding more chocolate? Help!
Lorna B. October 6, 2020
I'm not sure you can save this. I've found melting the chocolate with the dream on a low heat, stirring as the chocolate melts works well. Once the chocolate has melted take it if the heat and whisk briskly for a couple of minutes then set aside to cool in the fridge. Once cooked it should be great to go.
In the first instance you over heated the cream the heat took the oil out of the chocolate and adding cream to cool ganache is not going to bring it back.
As a lst resort put it on a low heat whisking all the time as it warms up, this may rescue it. If not afraid you'll have to start again!
Lorna B. October 6, 2020
Deborah, sorry for the typos. Hopefully you get what am trying to say. Don't overheat the cream - that will also bring out the fat content. Make sure you break up the chocolate into small pieces.
Lindsay S. August 10, 2019
it is in the oven now and I seem to be one of the unlucky few - mine is also flowing over. It has been in 55 minutes and is still far from done inside...All I can think of is that maybe my pan is slightly smaller, like a 9 cup?! I hope I can still use it for the party tomorrow....I will update
Lindsay S. August 14, 2019
well it took about an hour extra to get done inside, so the top was quite hard and a little burnt tasting so I trimmed it off and was able to use it and everyone loved it! so glad it could still work out but how can I prevent the overflow and extremely long baking time next time?! wonder what I did? I followed everything exact but used coconut oil like others did.
Lorna B. January 15, 2019
I have been sent this receipe by my sister as she knows I love chocolate. I am looking forward to making this cake but my first look at the recipe caused me some dismay. Not so much for me but for other, say first time cooks. The rule of thumb with recipes should be to stick to one weight of measure for the ingredients. Either all cup measure or all pounds and ounces measure. It may seem simple, but it actually does make a difference - especially if you are a first time cook - to the end result.
Linda I. January 5, 2019
I just finished baking this cake...followed everything to a T because I was afraid of the overflowing and sticking. Well, the cake stuck...and horribly so!! I baked it for a dinner party tonight - so now I will try to use the salvaged pieces as part of a trifle. VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Meghan D. December 23, 2018
Hello Food52

Can anyone suggest what might have gone wrong here. I have made many beautiful recipes on Food52 so I was brave enough to try this for Christmas Eve dinner and it failed sadly. I used a 10 cup bunt pan and did not make any substitutions. The cake ran over the top and spilled all over the oven, then it collapsed. Even the wreckage was inedible. I reviewed all the steps again and I'm not sure what could have gone so wrong? Perhaps it was how I laid the cream cheese mixture into the batter ? I did not beat it, and I used Bob's unsweetened flaked coconut which is dry and wider than average coconut - perhaps it was not mixed well enough?

Thank you for the suggestions.
Eva December 24, 2018
To me, this sounds like too much leavener (baking soda). It would make the cake “blow up” and also affect the flavor. But without watching you bake it, I’m only guessing. So sorry it didn’t work out!
Stephanie H. February 19, 2018
Hi there! Has anyone tried making this as a layer cake? If yes, I'd love tips/suggestions.
Natalie September 29, 2017
I made it with only 1 cup of sugar for the cake and it's already sweet enough. While it was still warm, I poked holes on the top and drizzled the icing slowly around, waited til the icing (no change in recipe) dripped inside the cake and then continued until all icing was used. Let cool overnight popped it out of the bundt pan and used a regular knife to smooth the icing on top and sides. Looks and tastes great!
Billie J. January 9, 2017
Could I put a half teaspoon of coconut extract in the cheesecake part? I ❤️ Coconut!
Marale G. October 19, 2016
HI,
Can I make this with Truvia sugar? Would it still dissolve and rise?
Marale
manon July 22, 2016
Can I bake this cake one day in advanced??? Do I have to put it in the fridge? Should I wait until I serve it to pour the gamache on it??? TY for helping me :-)
Eva July 22, 2016
Yes! It gets better after a day, as do many cakes (esp chocolate). No need to store in the fridge—there's plenty of sugar to preserve it. If it's going to sit around for three or four or five days, stick it in the fridge. But no matter what, it should be served at room temp.
Eva July 22, 2016
No need to wait to do the ganache, I think. That will also keep for a day or two or more at room temp. However, it will set over time, so it depends on how "wet" you want the ganache.

If you make the ganache ahead and store it separately in the fridge, make sure to bring it up to room temp and make sure it's smooth before you try to drizzle of spread it. Ganache is very temperature sensitive in that sense (it behaves very differently at different temperatures).
manon July 22, 2016
ok TY!!!!! Do I put the gamache on it right away or just when I serve it ??
manon July 22, 2016
Thanks I just read your comment!!!! Your very nice :-)
Renée R. March 20, 2016
I made this today. Wow!!! Spectacular. Switched coconut oil for the shortening only because I had it on hand. I also only had sweetened coconut, so I used it. This cake is really special. I made it in a tube pan. It came out of the pan perfectly. I did have to cook it for and hour and five minutes. I can't rave about this cake enough. It's moist, crusty and perfect. The ganache is the perfect "icing on the cake". Thanks so much for this recipe.
Angella April 11, 2015
Just want to add that I only used 1 1/2 cups sugar in the cake and none in the filling as the coconut was already sweetened also only half the ganache. Perfect sweetness for me.
Angella April 11, 2015
Oh my word...my taste buds are having a party! When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. Love chocolate and coconut . Luckily a birthday came up so I got the opportunity. No issue getting it out of the pan. Only change I will make is to add more coconut to the filling and sprinkle some on top the ganache the next time. Words can't describe how good this is. Thank you for posting
Elina January 31, 2015
We don't realy like coconut, so can I substitude it with something else...almond powder perhaps??
nancy E. January 9, 2022
most people would just move to another recipe
Linda April 2, 2014

18 ounces of chocolate divided seems like an awful lot. Does that mean 18 squares of bakers chocolate?
Linda B. March 13, 2014
I'm going to make this cake for a dinner party on Sunday. I'm going to put some whole toasted almonds on top of the cake before the ganache so that it is like an Almond Joy candy bar.
The M. February 1, 2014
Made this cake yesterday and serve it after dinner tonight. It's definitely a keeper! So rich and fudgy. I used coconut oil, per all the suggestions. Also had no problem getting it out of the pan (baking spray + cocoa powder) or with overflow. The coconut filling is perfect. Incredibly delicious - so glad I have some left for tomorrow!