This cake is no more “German” than “Cesar, the German “at Sonic! (family joke) The chocolate for this cake was introduced to the world in 1852 by an American named Sam German. The first German Chocolate Cake recipe was published in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 by a Texas homemaker. Thank you to the unsung heroes, Mr. Sam German and the Texas homemaker for bringing the world such a scrumptious cake!
**This recipe is found in/on the Baker’s German’s Chocolate box, but I have included it here for consolidation purposes.
Cake
1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
½ cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
Coconut-Pecan Filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover bottoms of 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with parchment/reusable parchment rounds; grease sides of pans. (Also makes a wonderful 9 x 13 cake). Microwave chocolate and water for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately run small knife around cake edges. Cool in pans 15 minutes, and then move to wire racks. Discard parchment. Cool cake layers completely. Spread filling between layers and on top of the cake, but don’t frost the sides. Makes up to 16 servings!
Filling/Frosting
4 egg yolks
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk*
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups sugar
3 /4 cup (1 ½ sticks) butter
1 (7 oz.) pkg. flake coconut (about 2 2/3 cups)
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Beat egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter, cook on medium heat 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Add coconut and nuts, mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency. Makes about 4 ½ cups…or perfect for the 3-layer cake…and I do mean perfect!
*Ever wonder what evaporated milk is? It’s fresh milk that has had 60 % of its water removed. Because of the high heat process it endures, the color and flavor of evaporated milk takes on a caramel taste and color. It was originally used by those who didn’t have easy access to fresh milk since it has a long shelf life. Today we mainly use it for baking.
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