Chocolate cake:
2 c Hot water
4 oz Cocoa powder
11 oz Mayonnaise
14 oz Sugar
1 tb Baking soda
1 ts Salt
14 oz Cake flour
Coconut ganache:
1 qt Heavy cream
1/3 c Coconut rum; (1/3 to 1/4)
2 lb Semisweet chocolate chopped
Mandarin orange sections
Grated coconut
Shaved chocolate
For the Cake: Place hot water an cocoa powder in the bowl
of a mixer with a paddle. Mix until blended. Add
mayonnaise. Blend until creamy. Add sugar, baking soda, mix
well. Add the flour in three batches, mix only until
blended. Pour into a pan that has been sprayed with cooking
spray, bake at 350 degrees for 3040 minutes. Yield: 1
9-inch layer cake For the Ganache: Bring cream to a
boil. Remove from the flame. Whisk in coconut rum, and
chopped chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has melted
and set aside to cool.
To Assemble: Once the cake has cooled, take a slicing
knife and even out the top of the cake. From this one layer
we will make four. Spread a thin layer of ganache on the
bottom layer, top with a layer of mandarin oranges that
have been drained from the juice and patted as dry as
possible, a layer of freshly grated coconut and then
another thin layer of ganache top. Repeat the process with
the remaining 3 layers. Coat the top of the cake with a
thin layer of ganache and garnish with mandarins and shaved
chocolate.
CHEF DU JOUR CHEF CYNTHIA LONG
