Almond Joy Layer Cake

When I was a kid I was not a fan of Almond Joy candy bars.  I think it was because of the overly sweet artificial flavor that they have as well as the huge hard almonds in the center.  So why would I choose to make a cake with the same flavors of an Almond Joy bar?  Well, now that I am an adult, I like the combination of almonds chocolate and coconut!  Just not in the form of the commercially made sickeningly sweet candy.  I called the cake I made yesterday "Almond Joy"  because it gave me joy as I sat and enjoyed every last crumb of it. 

I wanted the cake layers to have a big coconut flavor, so I added it in 2 forms, coconut oil, coconut milk, and shredded coconut.  They tasted like a macaroon, but not overly sweet, just right with all the goodness of coconut as the star.  To frost and fill my cake I chose an almond butter fudge frosting that complimented the light cake layers perfectly in texture and color!  The gooey fudge against the light moist cake was perfect!  I didn't forget to add some coconut and almond between the layers and atop the cake as well...I chose sliced slmonds however, since I am not a fan of the big hunks of almond in the Almond Joy bars. 

The cake was heavenly...that is the best word I can think of to describe it!  It was 100 times better than the candy bars of my childhood!  Here is the recipe if you wish to expirience some almond joy!

Vegan Almond Joy Layer Cake

Makes 1 6 inch 4 layer cake

2 6 inch cake pans

Cake:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup toasted finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup maple sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Frosting:
1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup toasted almond butter
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut milk, or more if needed
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, or more if needed
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups toasted sliced almonds
1 1/4 cups toasted large flake coconut

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Line two six-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper and pan sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, sea salt, and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Whisk oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract together in small bowl to blend well, then whisk into the flour mixture until well blended. Whisk in cider vinegar and stir quickly (pale swirls will be in the batter, which is the baking soda reacting with the vinegar, which allows the cake to rise since there are no eggs). Transfer cake batter to prepared pan and bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off parchment paper. Let cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill until very cold to make slicing easier (since cakes with no eggs crumble easier). When chilled, slice cakes horizontally in half so that you have 4 layers.

To make frosting, whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until very smooth, adding more cocoa powder if the frosting is not thick enough, or more coconut milk if too thick. Place a layer of cake on a plate, and spoon about 1/2 cup frosting over, almost to the sides, then top with about 2 Tbsp each toasted almonds and coconut.  Add another cake layer and repeat. Top with another cake layer, another frosting layer, the nuts and coconut then the top cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and the sides of the cake, and sprinkle almonds and coconut over the top of the cake, and at the base.

*if you would like a 4 layer 9 inch cake, double this entire recipe and bake in two 9 inch cake pans.