Gingerbread Coconut Christmas Cake
This Gingerbread Coconut Cake is a delightful and impressive dessert that everybody will love, not to mention that is a perfect dessert for winter holidays. The cake consists of a gingerbread sponge cake at the bottom, followed by caramelized coconut and gingerbread cookie crunch and topped with a rich and smooth coconut mousse. Beautifully decorated with fresh rosemary, coconut truffles and homemade gingerbread cookies, this cake really gets you into the winter holiday spirit.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cake
Makes about 10-12 servings
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp (30g) sugar
- 2 tbsp (30g) dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (42g) vegetable oil
- 1 oz (30g) molasses
- 1 tsp (5ml) gold rum , optional
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (1g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (2g) ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp (2g) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1g) ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Caramelized Coconut
- 1/2 cup (35g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp (30g) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15ml) water
For crunch
- 2.5 oz (70g) gingerbread cookie crumbs
- caramelized coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp (16g) Crispy pearls , optional
- 4 oz (120g) white chocolate
- 3 tbsp (45g) whipping cream
Coconut Mousse
- 7 oz (200g) coconut milk
- 7 oz (200g) coconut cream
- 1/4 tsp (1g) salt
- 1/3 cup (70g) sugar
- 1 ½ cups (360g) whipping cream (35% fat) , chilled
- 2 ½ tsp (8g) gelatin powder
- 3 tbsp (45ml) cold water
For decoration
- fresh rosemary
- gingerbread stars
- coconut truffles
Instructions
- Prepare gingerbread sponge cake. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease a 8 inch (20cm) pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl sift the flour with baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl mix egg with both sugars until creamy, foamy and light yellow colored.
- Add oil, molasses and gold rum and mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low, incorporate flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean
- Let cool completely.
- Prepare the gingerbread coconut crunch. First caramelize the coconut.
- To caramelize shredded coconut add sugar and water in a medium pan over medium heat until dissolved completely and light caramel colored. Add shredded coconut, stir continuously to prevent burning until golden brown, for no more than 1 minute. Remove from heat, transfer it to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl combine cookie crumbs with caramelized coconut and crispy pearls if used. Melt chocolate and cream over bain-marie. Add melted chocolate to the cookie mixture and stir to combine.
- Place the sponge onto a serving platter, and place a ring around the cake and line with an acetate sheet.
- Spread the crunch on top of the sponge leaving an ¼ inch (6mm) border. Refrigerate until you prepare the coconut mousse.
- Prepare the coconut mousse.
- Dissolve the gelatin powder in cold water and let it swell for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk, coconut cream, sugar and salt. Heat until warm and sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
- Add the bloomed gelatin into the warm coconut mixture and stir to dissolve. Let it cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl whip cream until soft peaks form. Add coconut mixture and mix to combine.
- Pour the mousse over the sponge. Smooth the top.
- Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Decorate the cake with coconut truffles, fresh rosemary and gingerbread cookies. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 29.9gProtein: 4.5gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14.8gCholesterol: 58mgSugar: 17.3g