Two of my favorite candy bars growing up were Mounds — dark chocolate covered chewy coconut — and it’s sweeter, milk chocolate sister Bounty. Since the latter isn’t marketed in the U.S., I remember hoarding pocketfuls of the bars on summer trips to Canada and carefully rationing them when I got home. They are worth it!
This is a baked take on those treats, turned inside out: Moist, rich dark chocolate cake filled and topped with creamy coconut-vanilla frosting and sprinkled with coconut flakes.
I love this chocolate cake recipe from scratch, using Ghirardelli cocoa powder, courtesy Gourmet Magazine from 2004. My coconut-vanilla frosting recipe follows below.
Coconut Vanilla Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 can coconut milk, reduced until thickened (use 1/3 cup)
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups sweetened coconut flakes
(1) Blend butter, sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer until smooth. Add more milk if too thick to taste.
(2) Frost bottom layer of cake, adding 1/2 cup of coconut flakes spread evenly on top. Then add top layer.
(3) Frost top layer and sides of cake. Sprinkle remaining coconut flakes on top and along sides.
Oh Oh! I have been doing this a lot recently. I made a batch of “Snow Balls” from scratchity-scratch, which turned out to be aMaZING! Also, once I made a batch of Rice Krispy treats modled after Mallow-Cups. They weren’t as successful, because I was rushed and at work, but if i had my druthers, I’d do them extra gooey and with toasted coconut both in the treat and mixed into the dark milk chocolate on the top. I still have hope for it. That said, Mounds have always been a giant favorite of mine.
HOLY YUM!!! This looks amazing!! I have GOT to make this, this week-can’t wait!
I am literally drooling over both the recipe and the photos. Devin – this is spectacular! I am a chocolate and coconut fanatic, so putting them both together equates to a total lack of control. I wish I had a slice right now!
I made it and it was delicious….I added a handful of mini semi-sweet morsels on top of the middle frosting and dotted the cake with them. Cute and delicious. The candy in the middle lessened the sweetness and made it taste just like a Mounds bar! Yum
One thing though — I don’t think it should be 2 1/5 CUPS of Powdered sugar…the vanilla would pretty much dissolve that little amount of sugar. I used 2 POUNDS of powdered sugar (a 2 lb bag) and it was perfect.
Ive been thinking about this since I made a chocolate cake and some of it got smashed with my coconut cake in a carryout tray now I know just what to do lol