Why it works: Walnut and coconut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 606 recipes. Both carry 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which smells cocoa, roasted. The science ↓
Christmas Ho-Ho-Co-co-nut Gift Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Remove the sour balls before cutting the cake or omit them around small children.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a 13x9 inch square cake pan.
Make and bake the cake
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl.
Beat the mixture at medium speed for about 4 minutes.
Stir in 1 ⅓ cups coconut and the walnuts.
Pour batter into the greased and floured 13x9 inch pan.
Bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes.
Cake is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan slightly; cool in pan for about 20 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan when cooled thoroughly and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Fill and frost
Cut the cake in half to make two 6x8 inch layers.
Spread jam between the layers.
Mix the jam, coconut, and walnuts until a good consistency for frosting is achieved.
Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Before the frosting sets, sprinkle flaked coconut all over the cake.
Decorate as a gift
Roll out green gumdrops and sprinkle them with sugar.
Cut the rolled gumdrops into strips 3 inches wide, long enough to span the length and width of the cake.
Place the strips on the cake in a cross pattern to resemble a ribbon.
Cut seven 3x1 inch strips to form a bow.
Assemble the bow at the apex of the ribbon on the center of the cake.
Fold three strips in half, puffing them up on one side, and place them on the ribbon to form the bow.
Cut two small strips with ends cut at an angle to represent the bottom part of the ribbon hanging down.
Tuck the angled strips slightly under the bow to assemble the cake like a wrapped present.
Add two small round red and green sourballs near the bow.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 11 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cherry | 1 cup (138g) | 87 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Raspberry | 1 cup (123g) | 64 |
| Strawberry | 1 cup (152g) | 49 |
| Walnut | 1 walnut half (4g) | 26 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Pudding | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Walnut + coconuttop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
-
Chocolate + coconuttop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,107 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Chocolate + walnuttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
-
Strawberry + coconuttop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together201 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Chocolate + strawberrytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together447 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as the cake sets in the oven.
- Oil
- Adds moisture and a tender crumb to the cake.
- Jam
- Adds sweetness and fruit moisture between the layers and in the frosting.
- Coconut
- Adds chewy texture and flavor to the batter and the frosting.
- Walnuts
- Add crunch and a toasted, nutty flavor to the cake and frosting.
The step that matters
Judging when the cake is done. Pulling the cake too early leaves the center wet and gummy, since the structure has not fully set. Baking until it pulls slightly away from the pan sides shows the crumb has firmed. Cooling it fully before cutting keeps the layers from crumbling.
Swap the strawberry
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chocolate, egg, walnut, coconut):
- Vanillafits better
- Cherryfits better
- Avocadofits better
- Strawberrythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chocolate, egg, walnut, coconut. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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