Valentine’s Day Recipe: Easy but tasty chocolate caramel coconut cake

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Okay friends, if there was ever a recipe of mine you ought to try, this one is it!

My version of this cake combines all the things I love about the classic cookie — sweet coconut, rich chocolate and luscious caramel.

The super moist and fudgy cake gets a generous topping of my caramel cream cheese frosting. Toasted sweet coconut gets pressed into the frosted cake, followed by drizzles of melted chocolate and MORE caramel!

Do I have you drooling yet and ready to bake this cake RIGHT THIS MINUTE???

My super easy recipe is made even more simple by using boxed cake mix. While you can certainly make a cake from scratch, there are several brands that bake up a very moist and delicious cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1¼ cups water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Toasted Coconut:
2 cups (packed) sweetened coconut flakes

Frosting:

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
½ cup caramel sauce
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

Drizzled Sauces:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons caramel sauce

Directions:

Bake the cake: 1. Mix all of the ingredients for the cake together using a whisk. Mix just until combined and most of the lumps disappear. Do not over mix. 2. Pour the batter into a bundt pan sprayed with baking spray. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let it cool completely.

Toast the coconut: 3. Spread the coconut onto a large baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to ensure even browning. Bake until golden brown. 4. Remove the toasted coconut from the hot pan; allow to cool completely.

Make the Frosting: 5. Beat the cream cheese and caramel sauce until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, one cup a time, mixing until thick and creamy. Use all four cups of powdered sugar if you like your cakes frosted with a thick layer of frosting, otherwise, three cups of sugar will suffice.

Drizzle on the Goodness: 6. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe glass cup or bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds then stir. Microwave for 30 more seconds then stir again. Place the melted chocolate into a small sandwich bag. Snip a tiny piece off one corner of the bag. Squeeze the melted chocolate over the top of the cake. 7. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top of the cake.

SERVE AND ENJOY! :)

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