Demayo Chocolate Cake

Total Time: 53 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 28 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch process)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 2 -3 tablespoons heavy cream (if needed)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (preferably unsulphured)
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans (for a little extra crunch)

Recipe

• 1 make custard filling first:.
• 2 combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a full boil over medium-high heat.
• 3 reduce heat to low, and simmer about 1 minute.
• 4 whisk together egg yolks in a large bowl until well combined.
• 5 whisk about 1 cup hot cream mixture into yolks to temper them, then pour yolk mixture back into saucepan.
• 6 cook over medium heat, whisking often, until slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• 7 remove from heat, and whisk in coconut, stirring until thoroughly combined.
• 8 (as you stir, coconut will absorb custard, and filling will thicken.)
• 9 pour filling onto an 18- x 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula.
• 10 cover with aluminum foil, and chill at least 2 hours, or until cool.
• 11 make cake:.
• 12 preheat oven to 350°f
• 13 butter three 8- x 2-inch round cake pans.
• 14 line pans with parchment paper; butter paper.
• 15 sift first 6 ingredients into a 10-quart bowl (or the largest you have).
• 16 stir until well combined.
• 17 whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and 1 cup room-temperature water in a medium bowl until just combined.
• 18 immediately add to flour mixture, and whisk until smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• 19 add butter, and whisk until well combined.
• 20 batter will be thin.
• 21 divide batter evenly among prepared pans, gently shaking pans to level batter if necessary.
• 22 bake 16 to 19 minutes or until cakes are springy to the touch, start to pull away from sides of pans, and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• 23 assembly:.
• 24 let cakes cool in pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove pans and parchment, and invert again so cakes are right side up.
• 25 place 1 cake layer on an 8-inch cardboard round or cake plate.
• 26 using a stiff offset metal spatula (the blade bends up where it meets the handle), spread one-third of chilled custard filling evenly over the top of the layer.
• 27 (if filling seems too stiff, gradually stir in heavy cream to loosen it a bit.)
• 28 top with second cake layer, and spread another one-third of filling over the top.
• 29 place final cake layer on top, and spread with remaining filling, leaving sides bare.
• 30 sprinkle coconut over cake.
• 31 cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 to 3 days.
• 32 slice into hearty wedges, and serve a little cooler than room temperature.
• 33 *after baking, cake layers can be assembled as described above or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and chilled up to 1 day or frozen up to 1 month.