High Altitude Chocolate Coconut Cake
Soft and rich chocolate cake, frosted with fluffy coconut cream cheese buttercream, covered in crunchy coconut flakes and chopped dark chocolate.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 6-inch Round Cake Pans (x3)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- ½ recipe Chocolate Cake
Coconut Buttercream
- 4 oz (1/2 block) full fat block cream cheese, cold
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp meringue powder, optional
- 1 tsp corn starch
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray the bottoms of three 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.
- Prepare 1/2 the recipe for Chocolate Cake, as instructed.Baker's Note: For a standard-sized 8-inch cake, make the full chocolate cake recipe and use three 8-inch cake pans. You will also need to double the coconut buttercream.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans, and bake for about 20-22 minutes, until the tops of the cakes spring back when gently touched, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool the cakes completely before frosting.
Coconut Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter for 1 minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder, corn starch and salt, mixing until combined. Add the extracts.
- Increase the speed to medium, and beat the buttercream for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy.
- Stack, fill and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream. I recommend applying a thin crumb coat first, chilling the cake for 30 minutes, then frosting the cake with a final coat of buttercream.
- Chop the chocolate so that you have a mixture of fine pieces and chunks no bigger than 1/4 inch. Combine the chopped chocolate with the coconut, then press the mixture all over the top and sides of the cake. Do this by just scooping up handfuls, pressing it against the sides, and gathering up what falls onto the counter to press it back onto the cake.
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