Cooking Lesson #443: Kosher Chocolate Macaroon Cake

For Passover or Anytime When You Need A Chocolate Fix

credit: chocoparty.org

How you doin’? It’s coming close to when Jews around the world observe the Passover holiday. This year it coincides with April 15th. Maybe, just maybe the Angel of the IRS will pass over my house! There are a number of dietary restrictions that are important to this holiday, one of which is the absence of any leavening in baked goods. Being the author of Choclatique—150 Simply Elegant Desserts, I have a great chocolate dessert recipe that fits this requirement perfectly.
 
Okay! Are you ready? Here is my new great-tasting Passover dessert! It’s a wonderful combination of flourless chocolate cake and coconut-almond macaroons. You will need to shop for kosher for Passover ingredients—coconut oil, toasted almonds, shredded coconut and, most importantly lots of cocoa powder and chocolate. The dessert has both great flavors and textures—it’s nutty, melt-in-your-mouth fudgy, rich and chocolaty and spiked with coconut. You’ll love the topping, too—a rich chocolate, glossy ganache sprinkled with crunchy, toasted coconut-almond clusters. The ganache may be a bit extravagant, and maybe it is, but it sets up to a very shiny finish and gives the cake its unmistakable Passover holiday elegance.
 
Prep time:  35 minutes
Bake time:  35 to 45 minutes
Assembly time: 30 minutes
Yield:  10 servings
 
Ingredients (If strictly observing kosher or for the Passover holiday, be sure to look for the certifying kosher agency seal on ingredients)
 
For the cake
1 cup virgin coconut oil, melted, cooled, plus more for the pan
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for the pan
1 cup skin-on almonds
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
6 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 
For the ganache and assembly
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a very well shaken 13.5-oz can)
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
 
Directions
To make the cake

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F.
2. Lightly brush a 10-inch cake pan with coconut oil.
3. Line the bottom with parchment paper and brush the parchment with oil.
4. Dust the sides of pan with cocoa powder; tap out excess.
5. Toast the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and slightly darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
7. Meanwhile, heat the chocolate and 1 cup of coconut oil in a medium, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring often, until mixture is smooth. Do not not let the bottom of the bowl touch the steaming water.
8. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. In a food processor, pulse the toasted almonds, salt and 1/ cup of cocoa until nuts are finely ground.
10. Add the shredded coconut and pulse a couple of times to combine.
11. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until no longer streaky, about 30 seconds.
12. Add both sugars and vanilla, increase speed to high, and beat until mixture is pale, thick, and starts to hold the marks of the whisk, about 2 minutes (it should fall off the whisk and immediately sink back into itself).
13. Switch to the paddle attachment and with mixer on low speed, gradually add the chocolate mixture.
14. Beat to incorporate, then mix in the almond mixture.
15. Fold batter several times with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth the top.
16. Bake the cake until it’s firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean but greasy; 35 to 45 minutes.
17. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Run a paring knife or small offset spatula around the edges of the cake and invert onto the rack.
18. Carefully peel away parchment and let cool completely.
19. Note: Here’s where you can bake the cake a day ahead. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature until you’re ready to put the ganache on top.

To make the ganache and put it all together

1. Preheat an oven to 350°.
2. Combine the chocolate, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat and pour it over the chocolate mixture. Let it sit until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, toss the coconut flakes, sliced almonds, sugar, and remaining teaspoon of maple syrup on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden; about 4 minutes.
5. Let the almond-coconut mixture cool, then break into smaller clusters.
6. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the chocolate mixture until it has lost its sheen and is thick enough to hold very soft peaks, 6 to 8 minutes (the ganache won’t be quite as thick as frosting, but close).
7. Working quickly before the ganache starts to set, scrape it on top of cake and spread to the edges with a small offset spatula.
8. Top with the almond-coconut clusters.

ChefSecret: My recipe is an easy cake to make (really it is), it has a lot of steps to help you avoid making mistakes. It can be baked a day ahead. More good things to think about—this cake is gluten-free and it can be dairy-free if you use vegan chocolate.

Quip of the Day: “There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate truffles.”

​What is Passover? Passover, also called Pesach is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The Passover Seder is the ritual meal on Passover night—the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Passover is traditionally celebrated for eight days. The Passover Seder is one of the most widely observed rituals in Judaism.
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