Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Balls / Polka Dot Cake

Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Balls / Polka Dot Cake
This is my first Polka Dot Cake and the balls are not pre-baked, they are made from coconut and cheese and therefore they are soft and creamy. The sponge also is moist and delicate, due to the cream and the butter. This dessert is just wonderful. Thank you, Merişor, for inspiring me to make this amazing cake.

INGREDIENTS Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Balls / Polka Dot Cake

(for a two-layered, 17 cm diameter cake)

►For the coconut-cheese balls:

• 250 g Ricotta (or other creamy, unsalted cheese)
• 50 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 20 g  corn starch
• 150 g coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• gel food coloring: turquoise, pink, yellow, light green

►For the sponge cake:

• 3 eggs
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 100 g soft butter
• 100 g cream
• 1 teaspoon of orange extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 40 g dark cocoa
• 150 g all purpose flour

►For the ganache frosting:

• 200 g dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa), chopped
• 100 g whipping cream
• 50 g sugar

DIRECTIONS Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Balls / Polka Dot Cake

►Preparing the balls: Mix the Ricotta cheese until creamy. Add cornstarch, egg yolk, vanilla extract, coconut flakes and homogenize. Divide the batter into 4 equal parts. Color each part into different colors – I used turquoise, pink, yellow and light green. From the coconut cream form balls (10-12 g each) and place them onto a plate covered with aluminum foil. After using all the cream, put the plate with the balls into the freezer for a few minutes, so they set.

►Preparing the sponge cake:Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius and prepare two cake pans of 17 cm diameter by greasing them and covering the base with baking paper. Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs (one at a time), orange extract and cream. Finally add the dry ingredients and homogenize. Divide the batter equally between two bowls. From one of the bowl, take 3-4 spoons of the batter and spread a thin layer onto the bottom of one cake pan. Place coconut balls over this thin layer (just like in the picture below). Pour the rest of the batter over the balls layer and spread it equally using a spatula. Do the same with the other bowl mixture and the other cake pan.

Put the pans into the preheated oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes (check the cakes, they should be springy to touch). When they are done, take the pans off the oven and let cool.

► Preparing the ganache frosting: Dissolve sugar into cream and bring to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let the sit for a few minutes then whisk the mixture until smooth. Let the ganache cool until it reaches room temperature and starts o thicken.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:

Assembling the cake is very simple. Put one of the cake layers onto a plate, spread half of the ganache, cover with the other cake layer and spread the rest of the ganache. Sprinkle colored nonpareils on top. This cake can be served immediately – which is exactly what we did 🙂  Keep the remaining cake – if happens to remain – into the fridge.