Chocolate Coconut Leche Cake

   Do you know what’s delicious? Chocolate. Do you know what else is delicious? Cake. Also good: coconut. Know what isn't delicious? Diabetes. 

    With that in mind, I recently set out to create a cake that united these lovely flavors and was both decadent enough to make me stop eating it after slice one and healthy enough to....be healthy. So the Chocolate Coconut Leche Cake was born. 

   

 I used coconut sugar, which is sustainably harvested and is easier on the blood sugar, so it’s good for you and the environment (hooray! Self-righteous high-fives for everyone!) However, if you don’t have coconut sugar because it’s expensive and we’re all poor, don’t sweat it. You can substitute sugar without making any modification to the measurements. Or, you can use honey or maple syrup—if doing so, you’ll want to reduce the amount slightly, to around ½ a cup. Or so the Internet tells me, I haven’t actually tried it with this recipe, though I do frequently substitute honey for sugar in baked goods and so far it has worked out fine. 

   Also, this cake uses whole-wheat flour, which is higher in fiber and also kinder to blood sugar than its more processed white cousin. I understand that the average palate may not love whole wheat in desserts, but trust me; it works—and does so without tasting like something an ageing hippie or 19^th-century rural French cobbler would eat.

    Back to the diabetes: personally, I kind of don’t want to be a fat slob but sometimes I also want to stuff my face with creamy fluffy frosting, and I thought this cake constituted an appropriate reason to do so. If you are totally against refined sugar and flour, just keep on trucking, because this is the yang to the cake’s yin, both in color and nature. This frosting manages to include both white sugar and flour. As this cake is very chocolatey but not very sweet, the rich frosting balances the flavor. I will offer you this condolence as well: its vegan. If you say something is vegan, it automatically seems healthier. You’re welcome.

Cake:

1 cup whole-wheat flour

½ cup dark cocoa powder

¾ cup coconut sugar

½ cup dark chocolate chips, melted

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water

1 tbsp vanilla

1/3 cup oil

2 tsp vinegar

¾ cup water

1 can full-fat coconut milk

Instructions:

Put the can of coconut milk in the fridge. This will cause the cream to rise and solidify above the coconut water. I always throw mine in as soon as I get home from the store.

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine flax and water; allow to sit in refrigerator, preferably for 10+ minutes. Mix dry ingredients, then add vanilla, oil, vinegar, water, melted chocolate, and flax mixture. Combine. Pour into greased pan (I used a pie pan; this recipe is for a small cake) and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 mins.

    Allow cake to cool, then poke full of holes with a fork. Open the can of coconut and drain coconut water. You can use this, or add a few teaspoons of the hardened cream and heat or microwave for a few seconds to reincorporate, returning it to a milk-like state. Pour the liquid over cake and allow to sit and absorb. (I let it sit in the fridge overnight). Turn onto platter.

Also, hot tip: if you want to get really decadent, blend the hardened coconut cream with honey and vanilla until it’s like whipped cream, and then use it as such. Alternately, you could top cake with this instead of frosting. Or both. You could just do both.

Frosting:

Adapted from this recipe

½ cup coconut milk

2 ½ tbsp white flour

1 tsp vanilla

¼ + 1/8 cup coconut oil, solid

¾ cup sugar—granulated, not powdered.*

Dried shredded coconut flakes

   *Got that? Granulated.

Frosting instructions:

In a small saucepan, whisk coconut milk and frosting together and cook at a medium heat, whisking constantly. The mixture will begin to thicken to a batter-like consistency. Once it has reached this thickness, stir in vanilla and allow to cool completely.

   In another bowl, beat coconut oil and sugar together with hand or stand mixer until white and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add your cooled flour/coconut milk/vanilla mixture, and beat until it is fluffy, resembling whipped cream. Now beat in the dried shredded coconut to taste—this adds lovely texture. I also garnished with coconut.

   Next, frost your cake (carefully, as it’s very moist), slice, and serve to your best and most deserving friends.