Chocolate Coconut Shortbread Cake with Milo Custard Frosting

This recipe came off the back of a range of shortbread biscuit making experiments of different flavours. Though chocolate and coconut are not unusual favour pairings, in general, as a shortbread they were an interesting bake, though not interesting enough to post online.

I wanted to turn the biscuit base recipe into layers, and to this also add in a few other complimentary flavours into the mix.

Upon exploring the pantry, a few ingredients peaked by interest, in which I wanted to make some sort of second layer to the shortbread base…maybe a slice…maybe icing…I trialled a few combos and landed on the random milo, vanilla and custard powder with choc ganache (I had in a jar left over from a previous bake).

Once I combined the ingredients and made a frosting, I decided to jazz it up a bit by piping it. As the shortbread looked a bit bland I built layers of it with the icing until the size was cake like and a layered shortbread cake was formed.

I originally didn’t make this for this site, thinking it would not be good enough but I changed my mind as soon as I cut a slice! Then another…then another…always a giving sign of a great bake!

Ingredients:

Shortbread:

• 200g butter, softened
• 210g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 240g plain flour
• 45g cocoa powder
• 1 tsn vanilla essence
• 30g desiccated coconut, toasted

Frosting:

• 240g butter, softened
• 170g icing sugar
• 145g milo
• 60g custard powder
• 2 tsn vanilla essence

Extra:

• Chocolate ganache
• Desiccated coconut, toasted

 

Method:

1. Using electric beaters whisk the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and beat until just combined.
3. Add the flour, cocoa, vanilla and desiccated coconut beating on low until the mix is combine.
4. Place the mix onto a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball.
5. Using a rolling pin roll the dough to 4mm thick.
6. Using a 15cm plate, place the plate onto the dough, bottom side up and trace around the plate with a knife cutting out a 15cm circle.
7. Repeat cutting out the disc shape 2 more times, kneading the dough into a ball and re-rolling out again with the rolling pin if needed.
8. Lay out a large baking tray with baking paper and place the 3 disks onto the tray.
9. Place the tray in the fridge, covered with cling wrap for 30mins.
10. Preheat the oven to 180c degrees and bake the disks in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Set the disks aside to cool completely.
12. To make the frosting, place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with electric beaters on high until pale and creamy.
13. Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a circle 1cm nozzle.
14. Place 1 shortbread disk onto a plate and using 1/3rd of the frosting pipe large dots of the frosting on the disk starting from the middle and going outwards.
15. Drizzle the frosting with some chocolate ganache and place the second biscuit disk onto of the frosting, repeat with an other 1/3rd of the frosting.
16. Drizzle the frosting with some chocolate ganache and place the last biscuit disk onto of the frosting and repeat piping with remaining frosting.
17. Finish by drizzling ganache and sprinkle extra desiccated roasted coconut.