German Chocolate Cake

I am surrounded by men who are obsessed with German chocolate cake. My husband, nephew and father are all smitten with it. But, I have a secret. I don’t like German chocolate cake. So, when my nephew and father both requested one for their birthday (they are a day apart), I knew I had to make one…and make it good. Because I don’t eat it, I have to assume that good means it has lots of ingredients and requires lots of time. According to the eaters of the cake today, my assumption was right.

It took about 3 hours to make and I have a mean mess to clean in my kitchen, but it was worth it to see how happy my family were while eating it. It brings me joy to see how baked goods make people happy…I would love to have a bakery one day and experience that joy as my job.

Anyway, I still haven’t mastered getting a four layer cake to be level. Yes, I have a cake leveler, but I haven’t mastered that either. This cake didn’t disappoint in the crooked category. I also was in a hurry to finish decorating it and my frosting tip came out of my plastic bag. Once that happened, there was no turning back. So, while it wasn’t the prettiest cake, it apparently was very delicious.

I would suggest a few changes: I used German chocolate in the cake batter as opposed to the bittersweet/un-sweet that the recipe suggests. I just didn’t feel right making a German chocolate cake without GERMAN chocolate. I forgot to add the vanilla extract  in the batter and also didn’t have any dark rum for the syrup. So, I just used vanilla in the syrup instead. I’m sure the rum would add a great flavor, but I didn’t have any and didn’t want to go buy a bottle for 2 ozs. I also didn’t feel like the recipe made enough filling. It doesn’t need to be doubled, but just needs a little more. I barely had enough for the top layer and I know I didn’t over fill the rest of the layers. EDIT: So as I’m typing this, Lane gave me his honest opinion about the cake. While he said it was delicious, he also said that it wasn’t what he thinks of when he thinks of a GCC. He suggested that instead of icing the sides with the ganache, I should used the filling. He said it needed more of that flavor. So, maybe double the filling recipe and use it to ice the sides. You can still decorate the top with the ganache because it’s delicious!

German Chocolate Cake adapted from David Lebovitz

For the cake:
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (I used German Chocolate instead.)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

(I used German Chocolate instead.)
6 tablespoons water
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 ounces butter (6 T), cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

For the syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum

For the chocolate icing:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a bag of Ghirardelli

2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ (3 T)ounces unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

1. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (I used my stand mixer), or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

6. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

7. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there's no trace of egg white visible.

8. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cake layers completely.

While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.

To make the filling:

1. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

2. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)

3. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To make the icing:

1. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.

2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.
Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.

Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.

Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

Side note: I can’t believe my nephew is 12! I know its cliché to say, but I remember when he was born. I remember his first steps. I remember picking him up from day care. I remember holding him in the hospital when he had RSV. He’s a wonderful boy (he’s not a teenager yet, darn it!) and I am so thankful that God has blessed my life with him.