Dessert: Chocolate-Coconut Pound Cake

Recipe by Alison Roman The fragrant richness of coconut oil and the tenderizing power of buttermilk make this the ultimate chocolate pound cake.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 °F. Butter an 8x4" loaf pan; line with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on long sides. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat oil, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 5 –7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very light and doubled in volume, 5 –8 minutes. Add vanilla.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients (do not overmix; it will cause cake to buckle and split). Scrape batter into prepared pan and run a spatula through the center, creating a canal. Sprinkle with coconut and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Bake cake, tenting with foil if coconut browns too much before cake is done (it should be very dark and toasted), until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 70 –80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan 20 minutes before turning out.
DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 5 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.