Bake for your Valentine!
Valentine’s Day isn’t far off, which means it’s time to figure out a present for your loved one. But honestly, who needs chocolates or flowers or even gifts when you can bake them a cake? Of course, all of the above are great presents to give on V-Day, but there’s something special about putting in the effort it takes to make a homemade dessert. That’s why it’s so romantic to have someone cook you a meal – it’s about the time and energy it takes to make it. And if your loved one, whether it’s a partner, friend, or family, has a sweet tooth or an addiction to chocolate, then this is the cake for them.
Today’s Recipe
This cake is a chocolate mocha coconut cake, which isn’t a name that really rolls off the tongue. In Swedish, it’s called kärleksmums, also a strange name, which I will explain more about later in this post. But “chocolate mocha coconut cake” definitely describes all the delicious flavors that blend together perfectly in this dessert. There’s the chocolate sponge on the bottom, which has a bit of coffee in it to really bring out the chocolate flavor, then a mocha glaze with a bit of a stronger coffee flavor, and the coconut on top brings a lightness and freshness to the cake. The textures are also an ideal balance – a fluffy but robust and moist cake, topped with a smooth icing and crunchy coconut flakes. Plus, since there’s nothing perishable in the topping, you can easily store it for several days at room temperature!
Love Yum – a mediocre translation
What does kärleksmums mean, you may be wondering. Its literal translation I guess would be “love yum,” since “kärleks” means love and “mums” is what you say when you eating something delicious, so the equivalent of “yum.” But “love yum” isn’t really the best name for a dessert, at least in my opinion! Can you think of a better name? Leave us an idea in the comments. Other blogs call it “love cake” or “love treats,” which are okay, but again, they don’t sound quite as nice as “kärleksmums.” In Denmark, there’s a similar cake known as “den du ved nok” cake, loosely translated as the “you know what” cake 😂
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need for the base of this cake are the following: eggs, sugar, butter, milk, coffee, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. If you don’t have coffee, you can omit it, but it does really add to the flavor of this cake. You can replace the butter with margarine if you prefer, or even a vegetable or neutral oil. For the topping, you’ll need powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and more coffee, as well as desiccated coconut to sprinkle on top. You can use water or milk instead of coffee, but again, the coffee is pretty integral to the flavor of this dessert. Instead of coconut flakes, feel free to use sprinkles or chopped nuts. Toasted coconut flakes would also be super tasty!
How to make Kärleksmums
To make this cake, we follow a pretty standard cake recipe that we think makes a really moist but robust sponge. First, melt together the butter, milk, and coffee and let this cool down a bit. Since you’ll be adding it to eggs, you don’t want it piping hot or you’ll have scrambled egg in your batter. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until very fluffy and add the vanilla. Then, sift together the dry ingredients. Now, you’re going to add the wet ingredients (butter, milk, coffee) and dry ingredients into the eggs and sugar mixture in batches. Mix gently and try not to overmix – mix just until there are no more dry spots. Bake the batter for 25-30 minutes, let it cool, and then make your icing. Decorate however you wish but we love a simple-looking finish. Enjoy!
Kärleksmums (Swedish Chocolate Mocha Coconut Cake)
Ingredients
CAKE
- 100 grams unsalted butter
- 100 ml milk
- 60 ml coffee or espresso (you can also dissolve 1 tsp instant coffee in 60 ml of water)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 200 grams sugar
- 120 grams all-purpose flour
- 80 grams cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
TOPPING
- 120 grams powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2-3 tbsp coffee or espresso
- Desiccated or shredded coconut (you can use either unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut, and you can also use bigger flakes if you prefer!)
Instructions
- Melt butter, milk, and coffee together in a saucepan, then let this mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- Add the eggs and sugar to a bowl or stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) and whisk together until light in color, fluffy, and about doubled or tripled in size. When you lift the whisk out of the mixture, you should see the mixture flow on top of the surface and sit there for just a moment before dissolving back in – this is called "ribbon stage!"
- Add the vanilla extract to the egg/sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
- Sift the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt – together in a separate bowl. Cocoa powder tends to get lumpy so it is important to sift for a smooth batter!
- Add half of the wet ingredients (butter, milk, and coffee) to the fluffy egg and sugar mixture. Whisk to combine, for just about 10 seconds.
- Then, add half of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine, for probably around 15-20 seconds.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients, mix, and then add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until there are no more dry spots.
- Give the whole mixture a few folds with a rubber spatula to make sure you've incorporated all the dry ingredients.
- Prepare a baking tin by buttering the bottom and sides and lining with parchment paper. You can use either a round cake tin (9-10 inch/22 cm), a square cake tin (9×9 inch/22×22 cm), or a rectangular cake tin (11×7 inch/28×18 cm) – whichever you have on hand or prefer.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin, pressing it all the way to the edges, and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester emerges clean from the center of the cake. Let this cool fully on a wire rack, removing it from the tin, before decorating.
- Once the cake has cooled, make the icing by combining the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and coffee until you have a smooth, thick icing. You can add more powdered sugar or water to adjust the consistency to your preference.
- Pour the icing over the cake and spread into an even layer.
- Top with desiccated/shredded coconut. Serve and enjoy!
