Bounty Bar Cake
If you’ve ever dreamed of eating a Bounty Bar in cake form, your dreams are about to come true! Like all good recipes, this one started as a way to use up left over ingredients. It all started after I had 300g coconut cream left over from a recipe for dinner. Rather the put the left-over cream in the fridge to be swiftly forgotten, I wondered if coconut cream could replace dairy cream in a chocolate ganache and busily got to experimenting (if you followed along in my Instagram Stories, you’ll know this was quite the journey!). Immediately after the first taste of the successful ganache, the idea for the cake emerged like the sun bursting through parting clouds. And the rest is history!
But enough about the serendipitous nature of this stunner of a cake – let me tell you what you’re in for! This coconut and chocolate cake brings all the flavours you love from a Bounty Bar, and transforms them into an incredibly moist, delicate cake that will be the star of any morning tea or dessert table.
Coconut flavour can be famously shy, so I’ve included it as much as I can in this cake, with coconut Greek-style yogurt (for extra tang!), desiccated coconut, and coconut extract.
And then we have the famous coconut and chocolate ganache. A three-ingredient wonder (with, you guessed it, 100% coconut cream being the main ingredient!) that is so whimsically light and smooth, you’ll need all your self-control to not eat it all while the cake is cooling. Finally, the toasted coconut brings a warm, caramelly version of coconut flavour, as well as adding a beautiful textural contrast to the rest of the cake.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
For the ganache, you must use 100% coconut cream, otherwise it won’t whip up. Many coconut creams are bulked out with water. If you can only find a coconut cream with added water, put the can in the fridge the day before and most brands will separate. Scoop out the solidified coconut cream and use this in your ganache, and save the water for a refreshing drink!
Coconut Greek-style yogurt is readily available in most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, normal coconut yogurt will work, but I would consider adding in the juice of half a lemon to add the missing tang to the cake.
Loaf cakes take a long time to bake compared to round cakes. If yours is starting to catch before it’s baked through, lower the oven temperature to 160 degrees, and/or lightly place some foil over the top to stop it burning.
Ingredients
270g can of 100% coconut cream
100g dark chocolate (I used 54% cocoa)
2 teaspoons icing sugar
Cake
125g unsalted butter, room temp
200g caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
320g Greek style coconut yogurt
40g desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Shredded coconut for decoration (optional)
Method
If making the ganache, start this the day before. Place the chocolate into a beaker and set aside. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan on a low heat to about 60-70 degrees c. Pour heated cream over chocolate, let this sit for a minute or two, and then blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Pour the ganache into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Once set, loosen the ganache with a spatula or spoon and whip using hand beaters with whisk attachment until lush and airy. Cover and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to ice your cake.
To make the cake, grease and line a rectangle loaf tin and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c.
Using hand beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the addle attached, cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy (3-4 mins). Add the eggs one at a time, beating to fully combine before adding the next. Add the coconut yogurt and coconut extract and beat on low to fully combine.
In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix together, before adding to the wet ingredients and gently mixing until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top with a spatula, and back for 50-60 minutes or until completely baked. The cake is done when it springs back when lightly touched, and a skewer comes out completely clean, or with the smallest handful of crumbs attached.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes or so, before lifting out and leaving to cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
While the cake is cooling, toast the shredded coconut in a small frypan until golden and the smell of toasted coconut starts to fill your kitchen. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool. When you’re ready to serve, smother the cake in the whipped ganache, top with the toasted coconut, slice and serve!
Any leftover cake will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
