Mounds Layer Cake

Ingredients:

Cake: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup boiling water


Filling: 

• 14 oz bag sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk


Frosting: 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, slightly softened
• 1/3 cup cream of coconut (I buy this in a squeeze bottle with the drink mixers)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Ganache: 

• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup (you can use honey if you are opposed to corn syrup) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three (9) inch round pans. If you only have two pans, just fill one pan a little more than the other. You will split the taller cake in half.
2. Bake your cake: In the bowl of your mixer, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, oil, and buttermilk and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Scrape sides of bowl and stir in boiling water. Divide batter into cake pans (batter will be thin) and bake for 30 minutes or until tops spring back until lightly touched. Allow cakes to cool in pans for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.
3. Prepare filling: In a large bowl, combine coconut and sweetened condensed milk. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Prepare ganache: In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream. Microwave for about 2 minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and refrigerate until slightly cooled and thickened.
5. Prepare frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beat butter, cream of coconut, and heavy cream on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer set on low, slowly add powdered sugar. Once the powdered sugar is just barely mixed in, increase speed to high and beat for one minute until fluffy.
6. Assemble cake: Spread coconut filling between 3 layers (if you only made 2 cakes, split one in half). Frost with coconut frosting, and spoon ganache on top to the very edges of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Garnish with a scoop of coconut filling if desired.
Keep uneaten cake stored in refrigerator.

Source:  Itty Bitty Homestead