Happy Birthday Dawn - Part 2

Yesterday's birthday tease turned into a multi-layer decadent chocolate cake with coconut frosting, chocolate butter cream, macadamia nuts and chocolate ganache. Diet food? Definitely NOT. Delicious? ABSOLUTELY!!

Chocolate Cake recipe, adapted from epicurious.com:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Beat in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Smooth tops. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool completely in pans on racks. Peel off parchment.

Emily's Coconut Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream of coconut
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add butter and vanilla, mix until blended. Add sugar, cream of coconut and shredded coconut, mix until smooth.

Emily's Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting:

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add cocoa and milk, beat until well mixed.

Emily's Chocolate Ganache:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate , chopped
1 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan, heat cream to a simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until melted and smooth.

Emily's Cake Assembly:

Flat side up, place first chocolate cake on a platter. Spread with coconut frosting. Sprinkle with chopped macadamia nuts. Using a pastry bag, pipe chocolate ganache around the outer edge of the first cake layer. Layer on the second cake tier, flat side down. Spread with coconut frosting. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Alternate butter cream rosetts and whole macadamia nuts around out edge of cake. Pour warm ganache over cake.