This sheet cake has all the flavors of the beloved Girl Scout cookie in cake form! It has a moist and rich gluten-free chocolate cake base with a layer of sweet toasted coconut flakes and drizzled with warm melted dark chocolate. Made gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and dairy free!
I feel like as a kid, Samoa's get a bad rep. The coconut flavor is probably the primary culprit. However, as an adult I've grown to love coconut! Samoa's are now one of my favorite types of Girl Scout cookie! As such, I felt it was only appropriate to close out Girl Scout Cookie Week with a deliciously chocolaty and coconut-y Samoa Sheet Cake!
ps: ICYMI...Girl Scout Cookie Week has been a major hit over here with these Extra 'Thin' Thin Mints and Healthy Tagalong Bars!
The Three Components to this Samoa Sheet Cake
The chocolate cake base
This cake begins with a rich and decadent chocolate sheet cake. We use a combination of cacao powder, coconut flour, and tapioca flour to get the texture and density just right.
The layer of toasted coconut.
This is my personal favorite part. For the coconut layer, we toast a few cups of shredded coconut until deliciously golden brown. THEN we coat the shredded coconut in a dairy free caramel sauce and spread over the top of the cake.
The dark chocolate drizzle
To put the finishing touches on this Samoa sheet cake, we drizzle warm melted dark chocolate over top of the shredded coconut layer. You can get creative here with your drizzle or just go wild with it (kinda like I did here).
Tips for Making this Samoa Sheet Cake
- This cake can get a little messy. The best cakes are right?! I like to line the baking pan with parchment paper before baking the chocolate cake layer. This makes it easy to remove and store later.
- The key to the toasted coconut layer lies within the caramel sauce. The caramel allows the coconut to stick to the cake almost like icing. If you're having trouble spreading the coconut layer, try adding a tad more caramel or a touch of maple syrup if needed.
- When cutting the cake, I highly recommend using a plastic or non-metal knife to cut into slices. Like I said above, things can get a little messy. The coconut and caramel may want to latch onto a metal utensil.
- To store this cake, simply cover the baking pan tightly with saran wrap or place pre-cut slices in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week!
Samoa Sheet Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 Sheet Cake 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This sheet cake has all the flavors of the beloved Girl Scout cookie in cake form! It has a moist and rich gluten-free chocolate cake base with a layer of sweet toasted coconut flakes and drizzled with warm melted dark chocolate. Made gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and dairy free!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup tapioca flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp espresso powder (or ground coffee)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Coconut Layer
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ⅔ cup caramel sauce
For the Chocolate Drizzle
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, mix the cacao powder, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt; set aside
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar; add in the coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Slowly fold in the flour mixture into the bowl with the almond milk
3. Pour cake batter into a 9 x 13 sheet pan lined with parchment paper; bake for 22 - 28 minutes until a tooth pick can be inserted in the middle and come out clean
For the Coconut Layer
1. Increase oven temperature to 400 F. In a bowl, mix together the shredded coconut and coconut oil and spread evenly into a baking sheet; bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden
2. Transfer the toasted coconut into a bowl and mix with the caramel sauce until fully coated
3. Spread the toasted coconut evenly over top of the cooled chocolate cake
For the Chocolate Drizzle
1. Melt the dark chocolate chips in a skillet over low heat* until fully melted
2. Drizzle the chocolate over top of the coconut layer
Notes
*Note : My go-to process to easily melt chocolate is with a make-shift double boiler. Simply fill a small pot about ¼ of the way full with water and heat over medium low heat. Place the chocolate in a skillet and position on top of the pot. As the water beneath begins to simmer, the indirect heat will melt the chocolate perfectly with limited risk of burning. If you need to thin out the chocolate, add a little coconut oil 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 169
- Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Protein: 2
Keywords: Samoa Cake, Sheet Cake, Healthy Cake, Gluten-free, Paleo
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