These vegan coconut buns are sticky, spongy and soft, with a crisp surface, and are packed with sweet coconut flavours. With a hard chocolate topping and a dusting of desiccated coconut the result is the flavours and textures of a chocolate Bounty bar. But 100% deliciously vegan!
Divide the cake batter between the 12 cupcake cases.
Bake on the middle oven shelf for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden and firm. A skewer popped into the middle will be clean once the cakes are baked.[Check fan ovens after 20 minutes to see how the buns are baking as fan ovens tend to bake a few minutes quicker. My coconut buns were ready after 25 minutes using an electric oven at 180C].
Some of the cakes may have a bumpy surface and some may look slightly sunk but they have not sunk! It is just the high coconut and sugar content reacting to the heat and so the surface will develop a crispy top which is what we are going for.
After 5 minutes of cooling in the baking pan remove each cake and transfer to a wire rack or similar, to cool completely.
Decorate:
Once the cakes are cool they can be decorated.
Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or on the stove top.
100 grams dark chocolate
Stove-top:
Pour about an inch [2-3 cm] of water into a small saucepan. Place a heat-proof bowl into the saucepan. Add the evenly broken up chocolate to the bowl.
Switch the heat to medium-high and once the water has begun to boil, remove the pan from the heat and stir the chocolate until melted. [be careful not to get any steam or water droplets into the melting chocolate as the added liquid could cause the chocolate to seize up and not melt smoothly]
Microwave:
Add the evenly broken up pieces of chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and in short bursts of 20-30 seconds melt the chocolate. This should take about 2-3 bursts and once the chocolate has started to melt give it a stir to help it along. Once the chocolate has nearly melted, stir the chocolate quickly and it will melt completely.
Finish decorating:
Using a teaspoon or small spatula scoop the melted chocolate onto the centre of each bun and spread it around to coat. Sprinkle the chocolate with desiccated coconut.
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
Leave the chocolate to harden before enjoying.To speed this up the coconut buns can be placed into a refrigerator.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary, and the data is gained through computerized apps.
Coconut buns can be stored at room temperature or within the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Possibly a few days longer especially if stored within the fridge or kept somewhere cool and dry.
Store within a cake tin or food container.
Coconut buns can be frozen, decorated or undecorated, for 2-3 months.
If preferred the coconut buns can be enjoyed without the chocolate topping.