Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

chocolate-caramel-coconut cake

(4 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Lindsay Fowler
Boulder, CO

I love Samoa Girl Scout Cookies and this cake is made to mimic that famous cookie. The cake itself is a cake I have been making since I was about 11 years old and I use it with numerous other fillings/toppings because it is a moist decadent cake all by itself.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

OK ... this recipe had me at Samoa. They are one of my favorite cookies, so I had pretty high expectations for this cake. It DOES taste like the cookie. So moist and yummy I found myself going back for just one more bite ... over and over.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(4 ratings)
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 35 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For chocolate-caramel-coconut cake

  • CAKE
  • 2 c
    sugar
  • 1 3/4 c
    all purpose flour
  • 3/4 c
    cocoa, unsweetened
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 2
    eggs
  • 1/2 c
    canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 c
    milk
  • 1 c
    boiling coffee
  • 1 tsp
    pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 c
    sweetened shredded coconut
  • COCONUT CARAMEL FILLING
  • 4 c
    powdered sugar
  • 1 stick
    butter, softened
  • 1/2 c
    shortening
  • 4 Tbsp
    milk
  • 2 tsp
    artificial caramel flavoring
  • 1/2 c
    light brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 c
    sweetened shredded coconut
  • CHOCOLATE FROSTING
  • 1 stick
    butter melted
  • 2/3 c
    cocoa, unsweetened
  • 1/3 c
    milk plus 1-2 tablespoon for added creaminess
  • 4 c
    powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp
    pure vanilla extract
  • CAKE TOPPING
  • 2 c
    unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 3 c
    sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 c
    sweetened shredded coconut
  • chocolate syrup
  • caramel ice cream syrup

How To Make chocolate-caramel-coconut cake

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • 2
    Add dry ingredients for cake into a medium sized bowl.
  • 3
    Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and oil and beat with a mixer for 2-3 minutes.
  • 4
    While you are beating the cake bring the coffee to a boil in a sauce pan.
  • 5
    Pour the coffee into the batter after the 2 minutes is up and mix until smooth.
  • 6
    This is a very soupy batter, it will pour easily. Pour into two oiled and floured 9" circle baking pans.
  • 7
    Take the 1/2 cup coconut and divide between the two pans. Sprinkle on top and push down into the batter with a spoon until submerged.
  • 8
    Put pans in the oven and set timer to 35 minutes.
  • 9
    While the cake is baking you should prepare your filling and icing.
  • 10
    For the caramel coconut filling- add shortening and butter to a bowl and mix with a mixer until blended. add powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
  • 11
    Heat milk in a cup in the microwave and add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved.
  • 12
    Add the milk mixture and caramel flavoring to the icing and beat for about a minute with a mixer.
  • 13
    Add the coconut and stir until incorporated and put in refrigerator.
  • 14
    For the chocolate icing- Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized bowl.
  • 15
    Add the cocoa and vanilla and mix until completely combined.
  • 16
    While beating with a mixer alternate the powdered sugar and milk until fully combined.
  • 17
    Put chocolate icing in refrigerator.
  • 18
    Let the cake cool completely before attempting to frost.
  • 19
    Take the first layer and remove from pan onto a cake platform.
  • 20
    Take a knife and slice the cake horizontally to form two layers.
  • 21
    Set top layer to the side, and spoon some of the coconut filling out onto the cake. Spread the filling thickly to cover the layer.
  • 22
    Put the next layer on top of the filling. Spread this layer with chocolate icing and then top with a thick layer of the coconut filling.
  • 23
    Cut the other cake horizontally and add another layer to the cake.
  • 24
    Add the remaining coconut filling to this layer and top with the last cake layer.
  • 25
    Frost the entire outside of the cake with the chocolate icing.
  • 26
    Take the coconut for the topping and mix 2 cups unsweetened and three cups sweetened coconut on a large baking sheet. Spread out to a single layer.
  • 27
    Set in oven and bake at 350 stirring every 2 minutes until toasted. Depending on your oven it may be less than 10 minutes just make sure you are checking it or else it may scorch.
  • 28
    let the coconut cool and add the non-toasted cup of sweetened coconut to the mixture.
  • 29
    Take the coconut working with small handfuls at a time and pack into the coconut cake. It is okay to press on the cake you want the coconut to stick completely. This will get a little messy you will get icing on your hands but the point is to get all of the coconut on the cake.
  • 30
    Drizzle the cake with chocolate syrup and caramel syrup.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT