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This Almond Joy Layer Cake is made with layers of moist chocolate cake, a delicious flakey coconut filling, almond slivers, coconut frosting and chocolate ganache! It’s the perfect cake for any celebration!
Almond Joy Layer Cake
Today is such a big day – there are TWO things to celebrate! First, it’s my mom’s birthday. She’s pretty much one of my favorite people, so celebrating her birth is totally important. Without her I wouldn’t exist and I wouldn’t be who I am. She’s always been a huge influence on me and she’s one of my best friends. I love her to death, so this cake is definitely in part to celebrate another fabulous year of her life.
I am also celebrating my 5 year blogiversary today. Five years ago today I published my first blog post. It’s amazing to look back on the last 5 years to see how much this blog has grown and changed. I’ve learned so much, met so many amazing people, made new friends and made this blog my full time job. I’ve also accumulated an insane amount of cakes stands, written a cookbook and heard from so many readers.
One of the best parts of this blog is hearing from people who have made and loved recipes, as well as those who have followed our fertility journey and relate in some way or are praying for us. You guys are all awesome and inspire me to keep creating and sharing. Thank you for following along! This cake today is also for you!
So let’s talk a bit about this almond joy layer cake. If you like chocolate and coconut, it’s to die for! To start, there’s the moist chocolate cake. So moist, so easy to put together. No creaming or craziness, just mixing some ingredients together. All you need is a couple bowls and a whisk! Bake those babies up and let them cool.
For the filling, we’ve got a super simple mixture of shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk. The mixture is not only delicious, the texture totally reminds me of the inside of the Almond Joy candy bar. So good! Soft, chewy and moist. Get in my belly! A few almond slivers are sprinkled on top of the coconut filling layers as well.
The whole cake is frosted with a coconut frosting, then covered with chocolate ganache. I often get questions about my frostings and the use of butter/shortening and the amounts of powdered sugar. If you find yourself wanting more information about those things, I wrote this post on frosting consistency that gives some guidance. My frosting is much like a standard decorating buttercream because I like to be able to decorate my cakes. If that’s not your thing, feel free to adjust.
The final cake is totally intoxicating! Every time I opened the container I stored it in, I could smell all the chocolate and coconut. Yum!! The moist chocolate cake, with the chewy coconut and light crunch of the almond slivers is perfection! Almond Joy in cake form and so perfect for a celebration like today!
Almond Joy Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Almond Joy Layer Cake is made with layers of moist chocolate cake, a delicious flakey coconut filling, almond slivers, coconut frosting and chocolate ganache! It’s the perfect cake for any celebration!
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) cocoa
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
COCONUT FILLING
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups (280g) sweetened shredded coconut
- 2–4 tbsp sliced almonds
COCONUT FROSTING
- 1 1/4 cup (280g) butter
- 1 1/4 cups (237g) shortening
- 10 cups (1150g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut extract
- 5–6 tbsp (90-105ml) water or milk
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 6 oz (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
- Almond Joy candy bars, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8 inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom.
2. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
8. To make the coconut filling, add the shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
9. To make the frosting, add the butter and shortening to a large mixer bowl and mix together until well combined.
10. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
11. Add the coconut extract and 4-5 tablespoons of water or milk and mix until smooth.
12. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional water or milk, as needed.
13. To build the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the tops of the cake layers so that they’re flat. See my tips on how to level a cake and how to stack a cake.
14. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cardboard cake circle then pipe a dam of coconut frosting around the edge of the cake.
15. Add about half of the coconut filling inside of the dam, then spread evenly into an even layer.
16. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of slivered almonds over the top and press into the filling.
17. Add the next cake layer, then top it with another dam of frosting, the remaining coconut filling and more slivered almonds.
18. Add the final cake layer to the top of the cake.
19. Smooth out the frosting on the sides of the cake, creating a thin crumb coat.
20. Add about 1 cup of frosting to the top of the cake and smooth into an even layer.
21. Frost the cake using my tutorial for how to frost a smooth cake. Stop just before using the paper towel, which won’t be necessary with the pattern on the sides of this cake.
22. Use an offset spatula to create the stripes around the cake.
23. Set the cake aside and make the chocolate ganache (see my tips on making chocolate ganache). Put the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.
24. Microwave the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
25. Use a squeeze bottle or a spoon to drizzle the chocolate around the edges of the cake, then fill in the top of the cake and smooth it with an offset spatula. See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.
26. Allow the ganache to firm a bit, about 10 minutes, then top with remaining frosting, a little more shredded coconut, almond slivers and Almond Joy candy bars.
27. Cover well and refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. Cake is best for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 1212
- Sugar: 150.1 g
- Sodium: 495.3 mg
- Fat: 60 g
- Carbohydrates: 168.5 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 88.3 mg
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Enjoy!
This chocolate cake recipe is really perfect! The moistest one I have ever made. I made a coconut Swiss buttercream with this instead of the American buttercream as the recipe is written, and it was perfect – and not overwhelmingly sweet. I also used unsweetened coconut flakes in the filling to cut down on some of the sugar that is already in the condensed milk. Would totally make this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
The icing for this cake is way to sweet and buttery. How can I tone it down?
It’s a traditional American buttercream, which can seem pretty sweet to some. You could cut down on the sugar, but then you also change the consistency of the frosting. As for the butter taste, did you use some shortening or use all butter? The shortening should cut down the buttery flavor. But really those things are just characteristics of American buttercream. You could try another type of buttercream, like Swiss meringue buttercream.
hi, to replace the shortening with butter, are the measurements the same ?
Yes, they are.
Beautiful and a delicious cake.
It’s a showstopper, and Almond Joy fans will rejoice. However, I found that in addition to the filling, the American buttercream makes this cake painfully sweet. I substituted a swiss meringue coconut frosting instead and found the overall cake more to my taste (just my preference). Looking forward to trying additional recipes from this site. Nicely done.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Does this cake have to be refrigerated?
Because of the sweetened condensed milk in the filling, it’s not a bad idea. But I’d definitely serve the cake at room temperature.
I’ve made this cake a few times and substituted a coconut buttercream frosting. It’s simpler (I’m new to this) but the dark chocolate cake is perfect. I’m trying cupcakes today….
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I made this cake for my family and it was the best cake we’ve ever eaten! Thank you so much for this great recipe!
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Hi I just saw this recipe and it looks amazing!! I was asked t make one of my almond joy cakes and I ran across your recipe, I think I’m going to try it. I was wondering if in all of the places it calls for milk or water if using coconut milk would work instead, it would make the coconut flavor come more alive I think. Anyway I think I will try both ways. I will let you know my findings. Lol. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe. Congratulations on your blog Anniversary. B
I haven’t tried coconut milk in this particular cake, but it might be ok. Let me know how it works out!
Hi Lindsay !
first, your recipes is soooo good ! i really love the texture of your chocolate cake !! For this one, the only thing is that i had waayy too much frosting left. But i used it for another cake ;). But for the cake itself, very good !
My question is, do you have any recipe without eggs ??? my daughter has an allergy 🙁
thank you ! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And unfortunately I don’t have any recipes without eggs, unless they are no-bake. I’m sorry!
I made this cake to take to a church party. It was amazing. Fun to make, beautiful and beyond delicious. The only thing that I would say to those who make this beauty is that next time I will cut the frosting recipe by at least a third, maybe even as much as half. Waaay too much frosting. Thanks for sharing.
I’m not sure if this is your original recipe or not, but if it is a lady in my area submitted it into a competition and won first place making it sound like it was hers…it’s basically word for word of your instructions, she changed the veggie oil to coconut oil.
this cake looks amazing!! I am going to try it this weekend! I like to bake my cakes in the larger pyrex glass pans. I suppose I wont need as much frosting then? also, what would happen if I used buttermilk instead of regular milk ? curious~~
I have never baked a cake in that type of pan, so I’m not sure. I haven’t tried buttermilk in this particular cake, but it might be ok.
Hello! I realized after I bought it that the recipes says shredded coconut. I bought fresh sweetened grated coconut.. would that still work? Thank you!
Not sure entirely, but I think it’d be ok.
My son requested a chocolate coconut cake for his birthday. Do you think this recipe would work well with the cake from the dark chocolate cake in your Chocolate Coconut Cake? https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2014/09/10/chocolate-coconut-cake/
Thanks!
Yes, either cake would be fine. They are fairly similar.
hii, im doing this for my bday lol, but i feel the cake mix is watery, is that fine?
It’s a fairly thin batter.
Hi Lindsay, this looks sooo good and I can’t wait to try it. I’ve been able to do this with some of your recipes but i was wondering, is it ok to just divide the cake batter into 2- 8″ pans and have only one layer of coconut filling? Thanks!!
Certainly! You’d just want to adjust the baking time a bit.
how much frosting was leftover after the cake was frosted?