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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Butter two 9-inch round cake pans.
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3
Line the bottoms with parchment.
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4
Butter the parchment, and dust with flour; tap out excess, and set aside.
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5
In a food processor, finely grind the coconut; transfer to a bowl.
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6
Finely grind the pecans with 2 tablespoons sugar, and set aside.
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7
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir in the ground coconut and pecans.
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8
Set aside.
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9
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, creamed coconut, and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
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10
Beat in the eggs and coconut extract.
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11
Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the coconut milk and starting and ending with flour.
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12
Divide the batter between the prepared pans; smooth the tops.
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13
Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
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14
If the tops begin to get too dark, cover loosely with foil.
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15
Let cool in the pans 30 minutes.
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16
Run a knife around the edges of the cakes; invert onto a wire rack.
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17
Reinvert; let cool completely.
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18
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with plastic wrap; fit 1 with a cooling rack.
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19
Use a serrated knife to trim the tops of the cake layers, if desired.
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20
Transfer 1 layer to baking sheet with rack; spread with filling.
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21
Place the remaining cake layer on top.
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22
Using an offset spatula, spread 1 cup chilled ganache on the sides of the cake; smooth with a bench scraper.
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23
Pour the remaining ganache over the cake, coating completely.
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24
Transfer the cake and rack to the other baking sheet; chill until set, about 5 minutes.
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25
Scrape the excess ganache back into bowl, passing it through a sieve.
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26
Coat the cake again with ganache.
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27
Chill until set, about 5 minutes.
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28
Press toasted coconut on the sides of the cake, if desired.
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29
Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.
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30
In a food processor, coarsely grind the coconut; set aside.
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31
Combine the milk, butter, and creamed coconut in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes.
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32
Whisk one-third of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks.
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33
Return the mixture to the saucepan; cook, stirring constantly, until the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes.
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34
Remove the pan from the heat.
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35
Stir in the coconut extract and reserved coconut.
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36
Let cool completely.
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37
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; let stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread.
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38
Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
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39
Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
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40
Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over the chocolate, swirling to cover completely.
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41
Let stand until the chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
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42
Add the corn syrup; whisk until smooth.
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43
Pour 1 cup ganache into a bowl set in the ice bath; stir until thick and spreadable.
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44
Keep the remaining ganache at room temperature, stirring every 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 12 to 15 minutes.
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45
Use immediately.
