Cocoa-Coconut Flip Cake

You'll flip over this super easy, healthy cake that frosts itself. It's a perfect, fast comfort-food dessert for after school or a weeknight supper. If you think cakes only come from a boxed mix or a box from the grocery store, you'll also flip to see how simple it is to cook this chocolate cake from scratch. It's healthy too: with highly nutritious cocoa and whole wheat flour and without dairy, eggs, cholesterol, and weird chemicals.

Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes, plus at least 2 hours chilling time for the coconut milk. Yield: 8 servings. Dairy-free and vegan.

Ingredients

• 1 can full-fat Thai Kitchen coconut milk
• 1 cup white whole whole wheat or all-purpose flour (120 grams)
• 3/4 cup sugar (150 grams)
• 2 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa(10 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (163 grams)
• 1 tablespoon Hershey's cocoa(5 grams)

Method

1. Refrigerate can of coconut milk for at least two hours, so the coconut cream will rise to the top and harden.
2. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
3. Open can of coconut milk. Spoon out two tablespoons of the hardened white coconut cream on the top and put in a microwave-safe container (I use a Pyrex measuring cup). Melt the coconut cream in the microwave until just barely liquid, about 30 seconds on high and pour onto flour mixture. Push a spoon through to the remaining coconut cream in the can to the liquid underneath, then pour 1/2 cup coconut liquid into a measuring cup (preferably the same one you used to melt coconut cream). Add coconut liquid and vanilla to flour mixture and stir until smooth, using a spatula to include any dry parts on the bottom of the bowl. More stirring is not better, though: you don't want to develop the gluten network and make the cake tough. Pour batter into greased cake pan.
4. Heat water in a microwave on high until hot to the touch, about one minute. (Yes, use that same Pyrex measuring cup.) Put hot water, brown sugar, and remaining cocoa into batter bowl. Swish to combine and pick up remaining batter. Gently pour hot liquid over cake batter. Bake for 35 minutes or until top is medium brown and chocolate sauce bubbles around the edges.
5. Let cake firm up for about 10 minutes, then serve by cutting into pieces, flipping onto the serving plate, and topping with any chocolate sauce left in the pan. Keep any extra covered at room temperature for about three days. To serve, cut, flip, top, and then microwave until topping goes molten again, about 30 seconds on high per piece.

Tips

• Adding more cocoa makes this cake bitter, not better.
• This recipe mixes Depression-era thrifty and simplicity with modern ingredients and diets. I love using refrigerated coconut milk in place of butter and cows' milk.
• Cocoa may be good for you, according to the National Institutes of Health, especially the minimally processed type. Last year, a meta-study from Harvard found that cocoa may lower many cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and blood pressure. A piece of this warm, gooey cocoa cake certainly elevates my mood and makes my Taster happy!

Comments

[lamarisf79]

Tried this tonight! I liked the fudginess and molten chocolate! Hubby likes more of a dry cake, so not one for him. Any ideas on what to do with the left over coconut milk?

[Linda Watson]

Yaaay, Lamarisf79! For now, freeze the coconut milk. Next week, the recipe will show you how to turn it into a healthy caramel sauce, excellent with cooked apples. Or if you can't wait, make another cake ;-)

[octobergirl65]

This turned out pretty well, in spite two problems I had. For some reason the coconut milk didn't get very hard in the fridge. But the worst thing was when after following the directions to the letter, I realized when it was in the pan the steps hadn't said to add the salt & baking powder. I added last, but probably over mixed as a result. You might want to include salt & baking powder in step 2.

[Linda Watson]

Octobergirl65, thanks so much for sharing and sorry I didn't list all the dry ingredients there as I should have! I've added the salt and baking powder to step 2 as you so rightly said.

I also dropped the recommendation for 365-brand coconut milk. Is that what you used? If not, do you remember what you did use? Turns out the 365 brand just doesn't harden like the Thai Kitchen brand does. The 365 brand has somewhat less coconut fat than the Thai Kitchen and may have other differences not detectable by scrutinizing the labels. On the other hand, 365 is organic.

[octobergirl65]

Thank you, Linda. I did use 365 coconut milk. I will try again.

[shaunaf]

The ingredient list says baking powder, while step 2 says baking soda. Which to use here? Thanks!

[Linda Watson]

Great spot, Shaunaf! It's baking powder. I've fixed the recipe. Thanks!

[shaunaf]

One more question - I used full-fat Thai Kitchen coconut milk, organic, and it never separated into fat and "water" (even now - 3 days in the fridge later). I just winged it then, using a mix of the stuff in the can and regular water, and the cake was fine. I notice that the label says it contains guar gum. Did I get a version that is pre-emulsified and will not separate? Thanks!