Coconut cake with a cocoa heart

Simple, nutty and delightful cake that communicates well with all the juicy Summer fruits around... or an espresso. 

Coconut cake with a cocoa heart
adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 20 min preparation / 50 min baking / 15 min cooling

ingredients
190 g (1 1/2 stick) butter, diced, room temperature
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
3 egg, room temperature 
150 ml (2/3 cup) milk, I used almond
80 g (3 oz) dry coconut flakes or coconut-hazelnut mix*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
660 ml (2 1/3 cup) flour, I used 165 g (1 1/2 cup) whole rye flour and 125 g (1/2+1/3 cup) regular flour
8 g (2 teaspoons) baking powder
4 g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
pinch of salt
20 g (2 Tablespoons) cocoa powder
almond (or coconut) flakes and brown sugar for finishing

instructions
Preheat oven to 150C/300F (fan forced). Line a standard 28cm/11cm loaf form with parchment paper. To line a form: I cut a piece of paper larger than the form, crush it between my hands, soak it under water, squeeze the water out, shake (gently) the paper to open and line the form.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour(s) baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another medium bowl, soak coconut in milk.

Using your standing mixer equipped with a whisk attachment beat butter with sugar till creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at the time and vanilla. Change attachment to paddle, add coconut/milk then flour mix, just till combined.

Take 100 g (3 1/2 oz) of the batter and incorporate it with cocoa powder. Make a cocoa bar (as long as your baking form) and place on a piece of parchment paper and then in the hot oven for 5 minutes. It does not have to completely baked. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile...spread half of the remaining batter on the bottom of your lined form. Place baked cocoa dough on top and then cover it with the rest of the coconut mass. Drop almond flakes and a couple of pinches of sugar on top and set the loaf in the hot oven for 50 minutes till the toothpick from the middle comes out dry. Remove from the heat, let it sit in the form for 15 minutes to cool and set.

NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES

• * I didn't have enough coconut flakes so I mixed 2 oz (55 g) coconut with 1 oz (25 g) hazelnut meal;
• I cut sugar amount by 25% and baking powder by 50%;
• the cake turned out very tasty and pleasant; there is a subtle coconut and hazelnut flavor; 
• it's light, crumbly, on a dry side but buttery;
• the heart is denser with a definite cocoa kick;
• in the original recipe, the batters (both, dark and light) where a lot more liquid; the cocoa heart had to baked in the loaf form to have some shape.