Here’s a rich, classic German Chocolate Cake with moist chocolate layers and that signature coconut-pecan frosting.
🍫 German Chocolate Cake
(Named after Samuel German, who developed German’s Sweet Chocolate — not from Germany.)
🛒 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 in short bursts 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 light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Add vanilla and melted chocolate.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk to batter.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; gently fold into batter.
3️⃣ Bake
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake 25–30 minutes or 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, about 8–10 minutes until thickened.
- Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, coconut, and pecans.
- Cool until spreadable.
🎂 Assemble
- Spread half the frosting between cake layers.
- Spread remaining frosting over the top.
- Traditionally, sides are left unfrosted — but you can frost them if preferred.
🔥 Pro Tips
- Toast pecans for deeper flavor.
- Don’t overcook frosting — it thickens more as it cools.
- Cake tastes even better the next day.
- Store covered at room temperature 1–2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days.
If you’d like, I can provide a super moist bakery-style version, a sheet pan version, or an easy shortcut version using a cake mix with homemade frosting.
