🍫 German Chocolate Cake
Despite the name, this cake is American — named after Samuel German, who developed a type of sweet baking chocolate.
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 8–10)
🍰 Chocolate Cake Layers
- 4 oz (115g) German’s sweet chocolate (or semi-sweet), chopped
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (120ml) buttermilk
🥥 Coconut-Pecan Frosting
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (115g) butter
- ¾ cup (180ml) evaporated milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups (120g) sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecans
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Melt Chocolate
Melt chocolate gently (microwave or double boiler). Let cool slightly.
2️⃣ Make Cake Batter
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in egg yolks one at a time, then vanilla and melted chocolate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to batter.
- In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold egg whites into batter.
3️⃣ Bake
Divide batter between pans.
Bake 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.
🥥 Make the Coconut-Pecan Frosting
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, and evaporated milk.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans.
- Let cool until spreadable.
🎂 Assemble
- Spread half the frosting between the layers.
- Spread remaining frosting on top.
- Traditionally, the sides are left unfrosted — but you can frost them if desired.
🔥 Pro Tips
- Toast the pecans for deeper flavor.
- Don’t overcook the frosting — it thickens more as it cools.
- Cake tastes even better the next day.
- Store covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
If you’d like, I can give you:
• A super moist bakery-style version
• A sheet pan German chocolate cake
• A cupcake version
• Or a shortcut box-mix hack with homemade frosting
Which one would you like?
