At first glance, this recipe may look complex and overly time-consuming. In reality, you are making a cake batter and two toppings, and simply cutting a sheet cake into individual rounds. The result is impressive, as these little cakes look like they were produced in a bakery. The end result is, in my opinion, well worth the little bit of extra time. I found the cakes to be positively addictive.

Here goes the recipe:

For the cake:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons espresso powder (you can also use an equal amount of instant coffee granules)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup dried cocoa, preferably Dutch process cocoa
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cool water

Icing
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup half and half or milk
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened*
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted*

First off, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

To toast the pecans and coconut, place them in a small pan in the 350°F oven; the easiest thing is if you simply put them into the oven just as soon as you take out your finished cake. Bake the pecans and coconut for about ten minutes, making sure that the coconut does not burn. Stir occasionally to ensure that all of the coconut browns evenly.

To make the cake:

Get out a large mixing bowl and cream the butter, sugar, salt, espresso powder or instant coffee granules, baking powder and vanilla until very smooth, which should take about five minutes or so. Then add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the cocoa. Then, take about a third of the flour and add this to the creamed mixture. Now add half of the water, another third of the flour, the rest of the water, and the remaining flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and make sure this is incorporated into the batter. Then pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes; bake until a tooth pick or other cake tester comes out clean, and the cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Be careful not to over-bake or you will have a very dry dessert. It is always preferable to slightly undercook chocolate as opposed to baking it too long. Take the cake from the oven, and cool for about ten minutes. Now run a table knife all around the sides of the pan to loosen the edges. Use a spatula to gently lift the cake free of the pan all around the edges.

Here comes the scary part; you need to turn the cake out of the pan, ideally without it sticking. The best way to do this is to place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a cookie sheet, put the sheet, parchment-side down, atop the cake pan, pick up the cake pan/cookie sheet, and turn the whole thing over. An assistant can help ensure you don’t drop the pan! Once the cake is secure on the cookie sheet, lift off the pan, and let the cake to cool for about 5 minutes. Now, take a 2 ¾" to 3" round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 12 circles out of the cake. Feel free to use other shapes, but to get about 12 servings, stick to a diameter of about three inches.

Carefully place the cakes on a cooling rack, right side up, and allow them to cool. You can snack on the cake remnants, and or save them to put in a pudding or into ice cream.

Now, you’ll make the icing. Heat the chocolate chips and cream on stove or in the microwave, just until the cream is quite hot. Remove from the heat, and stir till the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth; it will get there with patience.
Take one cake at a time, hold it in the center with thumb and forefinger, and roll it through the chocolate like a wheel, to coat the sides. Place the little cakes on parchment paper to keep the chocolate from dripping. Repeat until all of the cakes are coated.

For the topping, combine the butter, salt, half and half, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and spoon the topping evenly over the cakes; use about two tablespoons or a bit more for each cake.
This recipe makes about twelve little cakes. This dessert looks really beautiful and the taste matches its looks.