A woman asked her friend, “Is your husband hard to please?” Her friend answered, “I don’t know. I never tried.” That’s good for a chuckle, but I can’t imagine NOT wanting to please my husband. So, when he recently asked for a German Chocolate Cake, I was on it. The cake was so delicious, it was a birthday cake request by another family member a week later.
Did you know this cake did not originate in Germany? The recipe originated in the US, first appearing in The Dallas Morning News in 1957 and was named after Samuel German who was an English, American chocolate maker in the 1800s! The cake is traditionally filled and topped with a coconut and pecan custard. It’s decadent, delicious and easy to assemble. You don’t even need a mixer. If you have a chocolate-coconut- pecan loving palate to please, you should give this recipe a try.
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup olive or coconut oil
- 1 cup boiling water
Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- CAKE: Stir together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix by hand. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into 2 greased, round cake pans. Bake at 375°F for 25-35 minutes. Cool cakes for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely. FILLING: In a medium saucepan, combine sugars, butter, egg yolks and milk. Bring to a low boil over med heat, stirring constantly. Stir for several minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, pecans and coconut. Cool completely. Place one cake on a plate and top with half the filling. Spread filling to the edges. Place the second cake on top of the filling and top it with the remaining filling.
