German Chocolate Cake
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- ½ cup water
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, yolks & whites separated, room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- nonstick cooking spray
Custard Filling/Topping
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1⅓ cups toasted coconut
- 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Equipment
- three 9" spring-form pans
- parchment paper rounds
- stand mixer with paddle & whip attachments
- fine-mesh strainer
- plastic wrap
- offset spatula
How-to
Toast Coconut & Pecans for Filling/Topping (not demonstrated in the video)
- Preheat oven to 350º
- To toast coconut, spread flakes onto a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasty and brown. Remove from oven, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool
- To toast pecans, spread onto a baking sheet and bake until fragrant, about 6-7 minutes, watching carefully that they do not get too dark. Transfer onto a plate to stop the cooking process and allow to cool
Melt Chocolate & Prep Pans
- Prepare three 9” spring-form pans by coating with nonstick cooking spray. Line each bottom with a parchment round, and coat with spray atop parchment paper again
- Combine water and semi-sweet chocolate over low heat in a saucepan, and heat until melted, 2-3 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool
Mix Batter
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until just combined
- With the mixer turned off, add half of the melted chocolate and mix until just combined. Add remaining chocolate and mix until just combined
- Add the yolks from the separated eggs and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl once
- Combine flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate container, combine buttermilk and vanilla
- Starting with flour mixture, add one-third and mix on medium-low speed until just combined. Add one-half of the buttermilk mixture and beat on low until just combined. Continue alternating the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the last one-third of the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to assure that everything is incorporated
- Transfer the batter to a separate large bowl, and clean and dry the bowl of the stand mixer thoroughly (egg whites won’t whip properly with any film, particles or moisture in the bowl). Change to a whip attachment
- Add egg whites to the mixing bowl and start whipping at medium speed, and gradually increase to high speed. You are looking to reach medium peaks, careful not to over-whip
- Fold whites into the batter. This does not need to be done in stages, however, just assure that there are no streaks of whipped white throughout batter
Portion & Bake Cake
- Transfer to prepared pans, distributing the batter equally. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula, and tap the cake pans on the counter a couple of times to eliminate air pockets
- Bake at 350º for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center removes clean. Allow to cool in pans
Make Custard Filling/Topping
- In a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk, sugar, egg yolks and butter over low heat, stirring until thickened, about 10 minutes
- Pass through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the custard surface and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Fill & Frost Layers
- Remove cooled cakes from pans, peeling away parchment paper rounds
- Remove cooled filling/topping from refrigerator and fold in the toasted coconut and pecans
- Place one cake round on a serving platter. Spread one-third of the coconut-pecan filling atop, almost out to the edges. Top with cake round, repeat
- Place last cake round on top, and spread the remaining third of the filling/topping, allowing it to cascade and drip over the sides of the cake slightly. Slice and serve