I made this beautiful cake for my good friend Angela’s birthday this weekend. It’s moist and chocolatey, and the topping is nutty and sweet without being too sweet. It got rave reviews at the party, and several requests for the recipe, so here it is! Apparently the true name is German’s Chocolate Cake, which comes from the U.S., not Germany. All I know is… yum! I just used semi-sweet instead of sweet chocolate.
If you don’t want to make a German Chocolate Cake, you could use the cake recipe and make a different frosting – it’s a good moist cake.
I got this recipe from an amazing cake book that I’m working my way through, and loving every recipe so far: All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray. And my friend Justin Cathcart took the beautiful photo.
What you need:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
For the filling and topping:
1 & 1/3 cups pecans (plus 5-6 nice halves for a garnish)
1 & 3/4 cups coconut, unsweetened
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup water
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
What you do:
1. Put the chocolate in a bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir until the chocolate has dissolved.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.
3. Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar.
4. Add the egg yolks and beat thoroughly.
5. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.
6. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add half of it to the batter and mix in. Add half the buttermilk and mix in. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk.
7. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
8. Pour the batter into 8 or 9-inch round pans that have been lined with parchment paper rounds.
9. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the pans for 10 minutes before removing. Then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a rack. Let them cool before frosting.
10. For the topping grind the pecans and coconut in a food processor until it is moderately chopped.
11. Put the condensed milk, water, and egg yolks in a double boiler. Stir until it thickens. When it has thickened, add the butter and vanilla, continuing to stir. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts. (I didn’t let mine thicken enough, so I put it in the fridge to thicken before I used it.
12. When the cake is cooled place one layer on a plate and spread half the topping over the top. Put the other layer on, and spread the rest of the topping onto that. Garnish with some pecan pieces.
You could also add a chocolate frosting around the sides of the cake it you want to sweeten it up a bit or make it fancier.
Trust in Kim (she will guide thee) 