2ozbittersweet chocolate(or semisweet chocolate) shredded with a cheese grater
2ozunsweetened chocolatechopped
6Tbspwater
1cupunsalted butter(2 sticks) at room temp
1 ¼cup granulated sugardivided into 1 cup and 1/4 cup
4lgegg yolksyolks and whites separated and reserved in separate bowls
2cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
½teaspoonsalt
1cupbuttermilkat room temperature
1tspvanilla extract
3egg whitesreserved from above
For the Filling
6Tbspunsalted buttercut into small pieces
½tsp salt
1 ⅓ cupscoconut(unsweetened or sweetened) toasted
1cuppecanstoasted and finely chopped
1 cupheavy cream
1 cupgranulated sugar
3largeegg yolks
For Rum Syrup
1 cupwater
¾cups sugar
2Tbsp dark rumi.e., Meyers Rum
For the Chocolate Icing
8ozbittersweet chocolategrated with cheese grater or chopped
2Tbsplight corn syrup
3Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.
Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. I used a microwave on 50% for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until combined. Then beat in the egg yolks (yolks only), one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Over low speed, beat half of the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into the creamed butter mixture until just combined. Add the buttermilk and the vanilla extract until combined and then beat in the rest of the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat the reserved egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of reserved sugar (slowly) and beat until they hold stiff, glossy peaks.
With a spoon, fold about one-third of the egg white mix into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.
Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake layers completely. While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.
To make the Filling
Put the butter, salt, toasted coconut, and toasted pecan pieces in a large bowl and set aside.
Mix together the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan.Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)
Pour the hot custard immediately into the bowl with pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)
To Make the Rum Syrup
In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted and dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum. Set aside.
To Make the Chocolate Icing
Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and the 3 tablespoons of butter.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth.
Let sit until room temperature. Once the filling and icing are both cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for 1 hour.
To Assemble the Cake
Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife (some bakers cut cakes in half with a string pulled taut, but the knife worked well for me. Just keep your eye on it so you are cutting it evenly). You will now have 4 cake layers. .
Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush the top of this layer well with the rum syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges
Set another cake layer on top. Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top layer.
Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping (I used a plastic ziplock bag with a hole cut out and just squirted dabs around the edges. While not as professional, it worked fine for a non-baker).
(It may seem like a lot of chocolate icing, but use it all. It is very, very good).