German Chocolate Cake
Yield: 16 servings
This classic German Chocolate Cake recipe is a moist, rich three-layer chocolate cake topped with a nutty coconut-pecan frosting. Perfection!
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup water
- 4 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar, roughly chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup full-fat buttermilk, at room temperature
Coconut-Pecan Frosting (See Notes below)
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups Baker's Sweetened Angel Flake Coconut
- 1½ cups chopped roasted and salted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three light-colored 9″ round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. Lightly grease the insides of the pans. Set aside.
- Cake: Add the water to a liquid measuring cup and heat in the microwave until it just starts to boil. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place yolks in a small bowl; set aside. Place whites in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer). Using the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Gently transfer stiff egg whites to a smaller bowl and refrigerate until ready to fold into the cake batter.
- Add butter and sugar to the same mixing bowl (no need to clean it first). With the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until mixture is light and creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add reserved egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add melted chocolate and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating in three additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients only until incorporated - do not over mix.
- With a spatula, gently fold in the stiff egg whites until you see only small specks of egg white in the batter. Divide batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out just barely clean. Remove cakes from oven and immediately run a thin, sharp knife around the inside edges of each cake pan. Let cakes cool in their pans for 15 minutes, then invert each cake onto a wire cooling rack. Peel off wax paper rounds and let cakes cool completely.
- Coconut-Pecan Frosting: Add egg yolks, evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla to a large saucepan and whisk until well blended. Add butter and cook over medium heat until thickened and golden, stirring slowly yet constantly, about 12 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in coconut and pecans until fully combined. Let cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.
- Assemble: Place first cake layer on a serving platter. Spread with an even layer of frosting. Repeat with second cake layer and frosting. Then add final cake layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top.
Notes
Coconut-Pecan Frosting:
- The frosting amount is meant to frost the top of the cake and in between the cake layers only. This is a nice, adequate amount of frosting, but not "generous".
- You can also use this same amount to frost the top of the cake, in between the cake layers, and the outside perimeter of the cake. Just know that each layer will be very thin. I've done this before - it does work.
- To frost the entire cake (including the layers and the outside perimeter of the assembled cake), consider doubling the frosting recipe - especially if you really love frosting! This will add a little time to the total cook time of the frosting.
- How I make my German Chocolate Cake: I make 1½ batches of the frosting, so I can be a bit more generous with the frosting - because it's so dang good! You will need to add a little time to the cook time. I still frost only the top of the cake and in between the cake layers (not the outside perimeter of the assembled cake). You can see what this looks like from the photos included in this post.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 691kcal Carbohydrates: 79g Protein: 7g Fat: 40g Saturated Fat: 21g Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 149mg Sodium: 389mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 62g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.