Filling For Ring of Coconut Fudge Cake

This cream cheese filling turns any chocolate bundt cake into something special. It’s a thick, sweet mixture of softened cream cheese beaten smooth with sugar, vanilla, and egg, then studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and flaked coconut.

The filling gets swirled into the cake batter before baking. As the cake rises around it, the cream cheese layer stays dense and fudgy, creating a tunnel of coconut-chocolate richness through the center of each slice. The contrast between the light cake crumb and this concentrated filling is what makes a ring cake worth the effort.

Softened cream cheese is a must. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won’t smooth out no matter how long you beat. Pull it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before mixing, or microwave it in short bursts until pliable but not melted.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg until completely smooth before folding in the coconut and chips. Any lumps in the base will stay lumpy after baking.
• Use full-fat cream cheese. Reduced-fat versions have more moisture and can make the filling weep during baking.
• The chocolate chips stay mostly intact during baking, giving you pockets of melted chocolate throughout the filling.
• Don’t overfill your cake ring. The filling expands slightly, so leave room for the top layer of batter.

Variations

• Toasted coconut: Toast the flaked coconut in a dry skillet until golden before folding in for a nuttier, deeper flavor.
• White chocolate version: Swap semi-sweet chips for white chocolate chips and add a tablespoon of rum extract.