Samoa Cake

Love my Samoa cookie recipe? Want all those delicious flavors in a cake?! Of course you do (if you don’t think you do, after reading this recipe you will) Two separate batters, one yummy cake! (This recipe is adapted from Breakfast to Bed – THANK YOU for the inspiration!)

Samoa Cake

Ingredients

For the First Batter

• 1 stick of vegan butter, softened (Earth Balance)
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

For the Second Batter – This is a recipe from Hershey’s that I tweaked to make gluten free and dairy free.

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

For the Frosting

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk or homemade sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut or rice milk
  • 1/2 or 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 sticks vegan butter, softened (Earth Balance)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sweetened toasted coconut (if you don’t have toasted ones you can toast them yourself)

For the Topping

• 1 1/2 cups sweetened toasted coconut (if you don’t have toasted ones you can toast them yourself)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF The following instructions apply to both batters. (Remember you are making two separate batters
2. Beat liquids/wet ingredients on medium high (except for boiling water in the cocoa cake – that will come later)
3. Sift in dry ingredients until combined.
4. Add boiling water for cocoa cake here when making the chocolate batter.
5. Grease and flour (with gluten free flour) the bundt pan VERY WELL. You don’t want the deliciousness to be stuck in the pan now do you!? (If you don’t have a bundt pan, use a round cake pan that is the same size as a bundt pan – about an 8 inch cake pan)
6. Layer the cake pouring some of the brown sugar batter, then cocoa batter, then brown sugar, until both batter bowls are empty.
7. Tap the pan to remove any bubbles that may be in your batter
8. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
9. Let the cake cook ENTIRELY!! This is IMPORTANT! A cool cake is a happy cake. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Let’s start to make the frosting!
11. If you don’t have toasted coconut flakes, toast sweetened coconut flakes on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil in the oven on 350ºF tossing occasionally until they reach a warm light brown color
12. Beat cooled condensed milk, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt for 3 minutes.
13. Add in 1 cup toasted coconut.
14. Chill for 1 hour
15. Frost cake with frosting and top with remaining toasted coconut.
16. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, place in a ziploc bag with a corner cut out about 1/4″ up from the corner, and drizzle stripes on the cake. (if you have a pastry bag, that’s even better)
17.  SERVE!

I know it seems like a LOT but the reward is delicious cake that tastes like a favorite girl scout cookie!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.