Chocolate cake with cottage cheese and coconut layer

Ingredients:

Chocolate cake

• 110g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (see note) + extra for dusting pan
• 1 cup of sugar
• 0.5 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 cups of sour milk or kefir, room temperature
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut filling

• 1 cup sweet coconut flakes
• 1 sachet (7 g) gelatin powder
• 110 g of cream cheese, room temperature
• 0.5 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp coconut extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate ganache

• 220 g dark chocolate (70%-80% cocoa), finely chopped
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease two 20cm square cake pans with butter, line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease the parchment and dust with flour, shaking off any excess.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sour milk, egg, vanilla, and 0.5 cups of water until smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, whisking until fully combined. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface.
3. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
4. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, and then invert them again. Place the rack with the cakes on a baking sheet and let cool completely.
5. Coconut filling:
   Finely chop the coconut in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the gelatin with 2 tablespoons of cold water and let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Microwave the gelatin, stirring until completely dissolved, about 10 seconds. Place the gelatin mixture, cream cheese, sour cream, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and coconut extracts, and salt in a food processor and pulse until smooth, at least 1 minute. Pour the custard into the bowl with the coconut and stir. Let the custard sit until thick enough to spread, about 10 minutes. Do not let it set too much!
6. Place one cake layer on a cake stand and spread the coconut filling in the center, spreading it in a thick layer almost to the edge. Top with the second cake layer, lining them up so the cake stands up straight. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 1 hour.
7. Prepare chocolate ganache:
   Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan and remove from heat. Add the chocolate, gently shaking the pan to completely submerge it. Let it sit for 3 minutes until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir the mixture until it forms a smooth ganache, then refrigerate until it's thick enough to spread on the cake (like mayonnaise), about 15 minutes. Don't let it set too much!
8. Mix the ganache again and spread it evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Use a spatula to create swirls in the ganache to create a chocolate-covered coconut candy. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache sets, at least 1 hour or overnight.
   
   
   Note
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a measuring cup for dry ingredients and remove any excess. Scooping directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact the flour, resulting in dry baked goods..