The Happy Home Cook: Tablea Chocolate, Cashew and Coconut Cake
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Tablea Chocolate, Cashew and Coconut Cake (Photo by Voltaire Gungab)
Wanting to go tropical, I used rice flour and ground cashew nuts instead of almond flour in her recipe, and condensed coconut milk instead of regular condensed milk. Filipino tablea chocolate, traditionally only enjoyed as a hot beverage in the morning, imparts exquisite chocolate-y goodness!!
My thanks to Pati Jinich for providing the template for this deliciously moist chocolate cake (with a hint of Southeast Asia)! Savor with a cup of freshly brewed coffee (perhaps premium barako from Batangas?)!!
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole roasted cashews
1 cup regular (not glutinous) white rice flour, preferably stone ground (e.g., Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 ounces unsweetened Filipino tablea chocolate
4 large eggs
1 can (11.25 oz) sweetened condensed coconut milk (e.g., Nature’s Charm)
1/4 cup milk
1 Tb gold rum
1/4 cup boiling water
Topping
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp gold rum
Garnish
Powdered sugar
Cacao nibs or toasted coconut flakes
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 10 ramekins or a 9” cake pan.
Add cashews to food processor and pulse several times until nuts are finely ground. Add rice flour and process again until fully mixed. Transfer to a bowl and add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly.
In a pot over very low heat melt butter and tablea chocolate, stirring constantly to blend. Turn off heat when melted and mixture is smooth.
Place eggs, condensed coconut milk, milk and rum in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour in the melted chocolate and puree again. Then add the dry ingredients and puree. Lastly, add the boiling water and puree one more time.
Pour the batter into prepared ramekins (filling them 3/4 full) or cake pan and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but not wet, about 20-25 minutes. Run a paring knife around the side of each ramekin or cake pan then cool on a wire rack.
Prepare topping: Whip cream until slightly thickened. Add sugar and rum and whip again until stiff peaks form.
To serve: Unmold cake and dust top with powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of cacao nibs or toasted coconut flakes.
Notes:
Unsweetened tablea chocolate is available at most Filipino or Asian stores. Choose a brand that’s pure cacao without any added ingredients like peanuts.
Condensed coconut milk is available at specialty stores or may be ordered from Amazon. This recipe was tested with Nature’s Charm sweetened condensed coconut milk from Thailand.
Stone-ground rice flour, such as the one from Bob’s Red Mill, is preferable to the powdery and overly processed kind sold at Asian stores.
Voltaire Gungab
Voltaire Gungab is based in San Francisco and currently retired after working in advertising/marketing and editing scientific articles. A self-professed foodie and recipe hound, he follows the San Francisco food scene avidly and occasionally prepares theme dinners for friends.
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