German Chocolate Cake – Liv for Cake

This basic German Chocolate Cake combines wealthy chocolate cake layers with a candy coconut pecan filling and a dreamy chocolate buttercream.

I’m fascinated with the historical past behind some recipes. The origin of the German Chocolate Cake is under no circumstances what I anticipated it to be, not even shut!

German Chocolate Cake was really named after American baker Samuel German, who labored for the Baker’s Chocolate firm within the mid 1800’s. Whereas there, he created a baking chocolate for the corporate, which they named Baker’s German’s Candy Chocolate.

Years later, within the 1950’s, Mrs. George Clay used mentioned chocolate to create a cake that she known as “German’s Chocolate Cake”. In some unspecified time in the future the ‘s was dropped, and folks began calling it what you and I do know it as immediately: German Chocolate Cake. 

Coincidentally, Baker’s Chocolate Firm just isn’t named so due to baking, however as a result of the corporate founder’s final title was Baker.

My entire life is a lie!

Now, historically this cake is made utilizing a lighter-colored delicate chocolate cake. I’m a wealthy/darkish chocolate kinda gal, so I’m utilizing my favourite Chocolate Cake recipe as the bottom for this.

The unique recipe additionally doesn’t name for chocolate frosting, however I’m additionally a cake wants frosting kinda gal, so that is my model of the normal cake.

Be happy to skip the frosting in case you choose (there may be sufficient coconut pecan filling to totally high 3 layers).

How do you make German Chocolate Cake?

The chocolate cake recipe is fairly customary, it’s one I exploit on a regular basis in varied varieties. The one factor to notice right here is that the batter could be very skinny and rises a LOT, so don’t overfill your pans — half full max.

Since I baked it in three 8″ pans as a substitute of my standard two, the layers are a bit thinner and could be a bit delicate when heat. I like to recommend chilling the cake layers earlier than assembling the cake.

I all the time wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze them till I’m prepared to brighten. I take them out once I begin making the frosting, and by the point the frosting is completed, the layers are thawed sufficient to assemble.

The coconut pecan filling could be very easy to make:

• cook dinner the eggs, milk, and sugar combination till it resembles a pudding
• add butter, pecans, and coconut

I toasted the coconut and pecans and used half brown sugar as a substitute of simply all common sugar that almost all recipes name for. Notice that doing each of this stuff will make the filling have a yellow tint to it, which is totally different from the unique, however equally scrumptious.

Utilizing brown sugar within the filling makes it a bit trickier to know when it’s accomplished cooking, as you possibly can’t actually inform that it has caramelized, so simply cook dinner it till it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.

Toasting the coconut and pecans is optionally available, however I discover that doing this enhances the flavour. It takes little or no time, so I decide to do it once I can.

I used sweetened coconut within the filling, however you may wish to use unsweetened relying in your sugar tolerance. The submitting is candy. I occur to love it that means (I used to be consuming it with a spoon), and it goes nicely with the not-too-sweet chocolate cake and darkish chocolate frosting, however chances are you’ll wish to tone it down a bit in case you choose your desserts much less on the sweeter facet.

Let’s speak about my cake layers for a sec, as a result of they appear extra dense than they really are.

This cake was sitting in my fridge for 2 days whereas I waited for the climate to clear so I may take pics, so the burden of it compressed the layers a bit. The cake was additionally chilly once I reduce it, which makes it look extra dense than it’s.

Not that there’s something improper with a dense cake (I really choose these), however this one appears to be like virtually like a brownie and it’s NOT that dense.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I’m on a quest to seek out the proper chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. We’re getting there. My objective is a darkish(er) chocolate frosting (which is difficult to do with SMBC) that’s steady to frost and pipe with.

My first chocolate SMBC was for this Mocha Cake. It’s nonetheless considered one of my faves as a result of it’s loopy scrumptious, however it’s too mild in coloration for what I’m on the lookout for. I’m principally making an attempt to realize an American model chocolate buttercream frosting coloration with an SMBC. No small feat!

My subsequent chocolate SMBC was for this Traditional Chocolate Cake. I added extra melted chocolate to it, hoping to darken the colour. That labored (although to not the extent I hoped), however the additional chocolate made the frosting fairly delicate and a bit more durable to work with.

For the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream on this German Chocolate Cake, I first began with a darkish brown sugar SMBC. At the least the bottom wasn’t pure white, I figured. I additionally in the reduction of a bit on the proportion of melted chocolate and added some Dutch-processed cocoa powder to it.

It’s higher by way of the colour I used to be going for, however not fairly there. I ought to have added some black cocoa powder, however I used to be anxious that it could skip the darkish brown coloration I used to be going for and go proper to blackish (it’s fairly potent). I’ll strive that subsequent time.

Let me let you know although, this chocolate SMBC is the BEST. The flavour is severely wonderful. I don’t know if it’s the darkish brown sugar in it, or the combo of the high-quality darkish chocolate and cocoa powder or what, however I used to be fortunately consuming this with a spoon.

When assembling this cake, I first unfold a skinny layer of buttercream on every layer earlier than topping with the filling. That is utterly optionally available. I normally do that with any softer fillings (curd, jam, and so on.) in order that they don’t seep into the cake layer, however this filling is so thick it stands nicely by itself. You most likely don’t want the buttercream dam both.

The highest border on this German Chocolate Cake is completed utilizing a 6B piping tip. I principally simply piped the infinity image (∞) sideways alongside the highest.

I like to recommend chilling the cake earlier than filling within the high with the remainder of the coconut pecan filling. That means you gained’t injury any of the ornamental border.

This German Chocolate Cake is the proper mixture of flavors and textures — it’s no marvel it’s been such successful all these years. I don’t assume Mrs. Clay has gotten sufficient credit score for it! And although my cake is modified from her unique recipe, I attempted to remain considerably true to the filling. In any case, I feel that’s what makes this cake what it’s!

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This put up was initially revealed on 02/01/19 and was up to date with new content material on 02/06/23.