Milk Chocolate Ganache For Coconut Pecan Cake Recipes

COCONUT PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment. Butter the parchment, and dust with flour; tap out excess, and set aside.
• In a food processor, finely grind the coconut; transfer to a bowl. Finely grind the pecans with 2 tablespoons sugar, and set aside. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in the ground coconut and pecans. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, creamed coconut, and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs and coconut extract. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the coconut milk and starting and ending with flour.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans; smooth the tops. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If the tops begin to get too dark, cover loosely with foil. Let cool in the pans 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cakes; invert onto a wire rack. Reinvert; let cool completely.
• Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with plastic wrap; fit 1 with a cooling rack. Use a serrated knife to trim the tops of the cake layers, if desired. Transfer 1 layer to baking sheet with rack; spread with filling. Place the remaining cake layer on top.
• Using an offset spatula, spread 1 cup chilled ganache on the sides of the cake; smooth with a bench scraper. Pour the remaining ganache over the cake, coating completely. Transfer the cake and rack to the other baking sheet; chill until set, about 5 minutes. Scrape the excess ganache back into bowl, passing it through a sieve.
• Coat the cake again with ganache. Chill until set, about 5 minutes. Press toasted coconut on the sides of the cake, if desired. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.
• In a food processor, coarsely grind the coconut; set aside. Combine the milk, butter, and creamed coconut in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk one-third of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Return the mixture to the saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the coconut extract and reserved coconut. Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; let stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread.
• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over the chocolate, swirling to cover completely. Let stand until the chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes. Add the corn syrup; whisk until smooth.
• Pour 1 cup ganache into a bowl set in the ice bath; stir until thick and spreadable. Keep the remaining ganache at room temperature, stirring every 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. Use immediately.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH COCONUT-PECAN CAJETA FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Melt the 12 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the muscovado and granulated sugars and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and just combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour before frosting.
• Make the frosting: Combine the whole milk, coconut milk and goat's milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Keep warm while you prepare the caramel.
• Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook without stirring until a deep amber color, 8 to 10 minutes. Slowly and carefully whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth. Add the vanilla seeds and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is reduced by half and the consistency of a caramel sauce, about 55 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, salt and rum (if using). Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and shredded coconut. Let the frosting cool to room temperature, stirring it occasionally, before frosting the cake.
• To assemble the cake, slice each cake in half horizontally. Place 1 cake layer on a cake round and spread one-third of the frosting evenly over the top. Repeat to make 3 layers, then top with the remaining cake layer, top-side up.
• Make the ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl, add the hot cream and the corn syrup and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
• Set the cake on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, letting the excess drip down the sides. Sprinkle the top with toasted coconut and pecans. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before slicing.
• Slice the cake and top with a dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream.

BOBBY FLAY'S GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH COCONUT-PECAN CAJETA FROSTING

Steps:

• To bake the cake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the muscovado and granulated sugars, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, and continue whisking until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting.
• To make the frosting, combine the milk, coconut milk, and goat's milk in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over low heat. Keep warm while you prepare the caramel.
• Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat, and cook without stirring until a deep amber color, 8 to 10 minutes. Slowly and carefully whisk in the warm milk mixture, and continue whisking until smooth. Add the vanilla seeds and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is reduced by half and has the consistency of a caramel sauce, about 55 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla extract, salt, and rum (if using). Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and shredded coconut. Let the frosting cool to room temperature, stirring it occasionally, before frosting the cake.
• To assemble the cake, slice each cake in half horizontally. Place 1 cake layer on a cake round, and spread one-third of the frosting evenly over the top. Repeat to make 3 layers, and then top with the remaining cake layer, top side up.
• To make the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl, add the hot cream and the corn syrup, and let sit for 30 seconds. Then gently whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake.
• Set the cake on a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, letting the excess drip off down the sides. Sprinkle the top with toasted coconut and pecans. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before slicing.
• Slice the cake, and top each slice with a dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream.
• Combine all the ingredients in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk until soft peaks form.