coconut oil layer cake with stracciatella mascarpone whip

aka my ideal birthday cake

please excuse the ugly, crumb-y plastic “plate” it rests on; i finished the cake at work and then had to carry it to another location in a cake transporter

i’m sure i don’t need to remind you that birthdays are always a great reason to make a cake; i think it’s safe to say that’s a given. so when my birthday rolled around this year, i needed no further excuse to make a simple but really tasty birthday cake… for myself, lol.

i’d already been experimenting a little bit with coconut cakes, so i decided to put those experiments to use here. the cake itself is very a simple, one bowl affair that bakes up with a rather delicate coconut flavor. it’s a really moist cake with a soft crumb but sturdy texture and is very delicious sliced and served plain; when it’s freshly baked it has a gentle crispness to the crust.

however good it might be on its own, to finish off the cake, i knew i wanted to layer it with something fantastic. stracciatella is one of my favorite flavors of gelato and has a very milky, creamy base with thin, flaky pieces of dark chocolate running throughout. so i decided to channel the essence of stracciatella in a mascarpone whipped cream folded with finely chopped shards of dark chocolate.

it’s an extremely creamy and light “frosting” with little flecks of texture from the chocolate and it pairs so well with this subtle coconut cake. obviously it would be amazing with other base cakes like a chocolate or vanilla sponge, too. if, for some reason, you don’t want to make this a layer cake, halve the ingredients for the mascarpone whip and simply spread it on top of the cake instead.

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a few weeks after publishing this recipe, i revisited the cake and whip with a strawberries and cream rendition.

make the cake as written. use granulated sugar instead of brown for the mascarpone whip, and leave out the chocolate. layer half the whip into the middle of the cake and top with macerated chopped strawberries, and peaches if you wish; to macerate, add to a bowl with a few tablespoons of sugar, toss gently and let rest for an hour or two. top the entire cake with remaining whip and whole strawberries!

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makes one 8 inch (21 cm) round cake; serves 10 - 12

for the coconut oil cake, can be made up to a day in advance

250 grams full fat coconut milk, room temperature

200 grams granulated sugar

120 grams eggs (about 2 large eggs)

150 grams coconut oil (melted, but not hot)

15 grams fresh lemon juice (about half of one juicy lemon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

240 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

for the stracciatella mascarpone whip

105 grams bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cacao)

250 grams mascarpone cheese, cold

105 grams brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

350 ml heavy cream, cold

1. preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. rub a 21 cm/8 inch round cake tin with some butter; i always save my butter wrappers in the fridge or freezer and use them for things like this, makes it super easy. place a parchment round in the bottom, rubbing the top of it with some butter as well.

2. add coconut milk, sugar, eggs, coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla to a large bowl and gently whisk until thickened and emulsified, about 30 seconds. set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of wet ingredients and sieve in the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. whisk just until no dry ingredients remain, some small lumps are okay.

3. pour the batter into the lined pan and gently tap on the counter to release any large air bubbles. bake until the edges and top are golden and the center of the cake springs back with a poke, about 40 minutes. let cool completely in the pan then run a knife around the edges to loosen and flip over onto your hand or a large plate to remove. gently peel off the parchment from the bottom of the cake, then flip onto a plate or cake stand and let sit at room temperature while you prep the mascarpone whip; optionally, wrap the cake tightly in plastic and keep at room temperature for up to a day before finishing and serving.

4. to make the mascarpone whip, finely chop the chocolate and set aside. add mascarpone, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the sugar is fully dissolved; test this by dipping your pointer finger into the mixture and rubbing it with your thumb, it should feel completely smooth.

5. add the heavy cream and exchange the paddle for the whisk attachment. whip on medium speed until medium stiff peaks form, about 3 - 5 minutes. remove from the stand mixer and fold in most of the chopped chocolate with a rubber spatula, saving some for the top of the cake.

6. to finish the cake, transfer it to whatever you want to serve it on. use a long serrated knife to slice the cake in half so you have a top and bottom piece; this doesn’t have to be perfect, just do your best and watch a youtube video or two if you need some visual guidance. put about half of the mascarpone whip on the exposed bottom of the cake and use an offset or rubber spatula to gently distribute, leaving about 1/2 cm / 1/4 inch around the edges. place the top of the cake onto the base and gently press to secure, then top with the remaining whip and spread it to the edges and making nice swirls on top if desired.

7. sprinkle with the finely chopped chocolate you set aside before slicing and serving. leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days; let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving.