Chocolate Taro Coconut Birthday Cake

Chill the coconut cream. Refrigerate the cans overnight, or at least several hours. You want the thick coconut cream to become very firm.

Prepare the pans. Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease your pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. If you’re unsure about the pan size, only fill each pan about ½ to ⅔ full.

Make the chocolate cake dry mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, soy milk, oil, and vanilla.

Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until mostly combined. Don’t overmix.

Add the coffee. Dissolve the instant coffee in the 1¼ cups hot water. Slowly pour it into the batter while stirring. The finished batter will be fairly thin; that is normal.

Bake the layers. Divide the batter evenly between your pans. Bake until the center springs back lightly and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. For thinner layers, start checking around 20–22 minutes. Thicker layers may take 28–35 minutes. If you only have one pan, you can bake the layers one at a time. Keep the remaining batter covered while the first layer bakes.

Cool completely. Let the cakes sit in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove them and cool completely on a rack. Do not assemble while warm.

Make the taro filling. Mash the steamed taro while it is still slightly warm if possible. Add ½ cup soy milk or coconut milk, coconut cream, sweetener, salt, and vanilla. Mash or blend until smooth. Add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. You want the taro to be thick and spreadable, almost like very thick mashed potatoes. Do not make it runny.

Make the coconut frosting. Open the cold coconut cream cans and scoop out only the thick solid cream. Beat the cold mascarpone or cream cheese briefly until smooth. Add the solid coconut cream, powdered sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Whip until light and fluffy. Stop once it becomes firm enough to spread. Keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble.

Level the cakes if necessary. If the tops have domed significantly, trim them gently with a serrated knife so the layers stack evenly.

Build the first layer. Place one chocolate cake layer on your plate or cake board. Spread a ring of coconut frosting around the outer edge. This creates a dam that keeps the taro from squeezing out. Spread about 1–1¼ cups taro filling inside the frosting ring.

Add the second layer. Place the next chocolate cake layer on top. Repeat the frosting dam and taro filling.

Add the final cake layer. Place the third chocolate layer on top, ideally with its flattest side facing upward.

Chill the stacked cake. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before frosting the outside. This makes the cake much easier to work with.

Crumb coat. Spread a very thin layer of coconut frosting over the top and sides to trap loose crumbs. Refrigerate another 15–20 minutes.

Finish frosting. Add the remaining coconut frosting. You can make it completely smooth or leave it slightly rustic. I’d keep the frosting layer relatively thin because you already have two rich taro layers inside.

Chill before serving. Refrigerate the finished cake for at least 1 hour so everything firms up. Take it out about 15–20 minutes before serving so the cake and taro soften slightly. Taste the taro and frosting separately before assembling, as different sweeteners vary in sweetness.