I feel like I have been lacking a little in the baking department lately.  I have been very focused on jams, getting a healthy dinner on the table, and not as much focused on the baked goods.  My family has been very patient with me, but I can tell that they are anxious for me to get back into my baking routine.  Fortunately I have lots of great recipes to try, and as long as it doesn’t get to hot next weekend – I am definitely looking forward to the 3-day weekend to catch up.

A lot of my friends have been dropping their kids off at sleep away camp this year – of course out here, it is not nearly as popular as it is on the east coast – and fortunately for me, my older daughter was still not dying to sign up just yet – but I know the time is coming.  I loved sleep away camp – when I came home after the first year, I cried until my mother promised I could go again the next summer.

Months ago I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, and coconut is one of those ingredients that always makes me look twice.  I looked at the recipe, and I was seriously intrigued.  I have been eyeing the coconut oil in the super market for quite some time, and now I had an opportunity to buy it.  Unfortunately this was not one of those dairy-free recipes that makes me (but mostly my husband) so happy, but I decided to go for it anyway.  I wish I could say that I made this today, but this was made a about a month ago, and I have been patiently waiting  to post it.  As I am writing this, I am remembering this moist, delicious, flavorful – pretty much killer – pound cake.  I cannot say enough about this cake.  I had one piece, and it wasn’t enough – the kids went nuts for it also.  There was just a hint of chocolate, combined with a hint of coconut, but it just had this overwhelmingly comforting taste.

I would be kidding myself if I said that the kids needed some comfort food right now – even if they are homesick – I think it is the moms that are in real need of some comfort.  Instead of watching the time go by wanting to talk to your kids, how about trying this cake instead?  Eat half now, and freeze the rest for when your kids return.  If you can actually get half into the freezer before it is all gone…

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
• 1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Preparation

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat oil, ¼ cup butter, and 1½ cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 5–7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5–8 minutes. Add vanilla.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (do not overmix; it will cause cake to buckle and split). Scrape batter into prepared pan and run a spatula through the center, creating a canal. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar.

Bake cake, tenting with foil if coconut browns too much before cake is done (it should be very dark and toasted), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan 20 minutes before turning out.

DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 5 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Chocolate-Coconut Pound Cake