The “Pesach-dic” Chocolate Macaroon Cake

Quite Possibly the Most Devine “Hybrid” Dessert Ever!

When searching for my own version of something new for the upcoming Passover holidays (yes, they ARE next month, difficult to believe as that may sound), I found myself searching for something new, different, an uncommon twist on an old tradition… I was unsure exactly what I was looking for. I think I have found it. In fact, I am sure.

The cold, gray skies descended upon us here on a late winter’s weekend in New York, and after a day of making granola and attending to myriad other  routine tasks, I took to my computer to see just when the holidays would beckon this year. And then the panic set in: in a few short weeks, the rush would be on to assuage and satisfy the demands of “the kindehr,” those young adults that revert to their childish ways and whine, “Ma, what is happening this year for Pesach?” –as if the date were the following weekend. And the next cry, “Are you making something new this year? We are tired of the same old, same old…”

Which brings me to where I am now. Where I arrived after some real searching. To a fabulous and delicious and mouth-watering and smashing PARVE dessert to be served as a real treat after the main seder menu has been demolished (sorry, food is not just finished among Jews, especially on holidays;  I have yet to see a Jewish feast of any kind where the food is anything BUT demolished –just sayin’…)

Ok, enough prep… so here it is. I found it, I made it, we have… um eaten quite a bit of it this weekend. It has been the guinea pig for this year’s holiday, and it is simply divine –utterly fabulous, and, for sure, the next dessert that should grace YOUR Pesach dessert table. This dessert is a morphed version of the classic chocolate macaroon, but better. And different. It is made in a cake form, and the nuts (assuming that you are not a nut-free home) are interchangeable; any type will do, so decide which type of nut is your favorite this year, and use that type –or, in fact, any combination of nuts you might like.

The Chocolate Macaroon Hybrid Passover Cake

The Cake:
1 cup virgin coconut oil, melted, cooled, plus more for pan
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pan
1 cup skin-on almonds
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
6 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The Ganche
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light agave nectar or pure maple syrup
Pinch of kosher salt
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (from a very well shaken 13.5-ounce can)
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Preparing the Cake

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a 10” cake pan, brush the insides with oil (butter is ok, but there goes the parve quality!) Use parchment paper to line the bottoms and brush that with oil as well. Dust some cocoa powder inside as well.
  2. Almost should be toasted until lightly brown –about 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.
  3. Heat chocolate and 1 cup of the oil in a bowl in a double boiler stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
  4. Place almonds, salt and ¼ cup of cocoa in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Add coconut and pulse a few times.
  5. Beat the eggs until smooth and uniformly colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla and keep beating for 2 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture and then the almond mixture. Scrape into a prepared pan, and smooth the top.
  6. Bake 35-40 minutes on a middle rack; a toothpick should come out clean, but greasy. Then cool for 15-20 minutes before handling. Peel away the parchment and let cool completely.

Preparing the Ganache

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the chocolate, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, and salt.
  2. Bring the coconut milk to a simmer and pour over the chocolate mixture. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes until the chocolate is melted.
  3. Toss the coconut flakes, almonds (or remember, any other nut you like!), sugar, and 1 teaspoon nectar on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast until golden. Let this cool, and then break into pieces.
  4. Beat chocolate until soft peaks form, about 6-8 minutes.
  5. Pour on top of the cake and spread it to the edges with a spatula.
  6. Top the cake with the almond-coconut clusters.

Enjoy!

The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School is a prestigious NYC Jewish Day School in the heart of New York City.  Located in the Upper East Side, this Jewish Day School promotes academic growth through community and collaboration.