German Chocolate Cake

For weeks I have had a terrible craving for German Chocolate cake. And for weeks I have been resisting the urge to make it. 'Wait' (my most unfavorite four letter word) I kept saying to myself. This was followed by wait for 'what'? A birthday, a holiday, a gathering? Does one really need a reason to make cake? Couldn't the reason be 'just because'? Well the answer is YES, however, I did wait until Easter to make it (thankfully the world did not come to an untimely end before this cake was made). I was assigned dessert with the expectation it would be something made of chocolate. In other words 'Go chocolate or go home'. So I thought a German Chocolate Cake would be the most perfect Easter dessert and I must confess it would also deal with the craving I was restraining myself from satisfying. A win-win! But really, what is not to like about a lush, deep dark chocolate cake, rich coconut and toasted pecan filling, and a little bit of chocolate frosting?

As a kid growing up my father used to bring home a German Chocolate cake (back in the days when grocery stores made cakes from scratch) from the grocery store (he was the one who did all of the grocery shopping). I was the culprit in the family who would scrape off the coconut and pecan frosting leaving the cake behind. One would think for as many times as I got in trouble for eating just the frosting that I would have learned to eat both the cake and frosting. For whatever the reason, I didn't. It wasn't until years later that I learned to appreciate the eating of both the frosting and the cake, all at the same time. What I finally discovered was that as decadent as the coconut and pecan frosting is, it really does taste even better when combined with a deep chocolate cake. Although I can't help but save a spoonful of the frosting in the bowl to enjoy all in the spirit of re-living a part of my childhood, the part without any repercussions.

So you probably know that German Chocolate Cake is not German in origin at all. Not to discount the recorded history of this cake, but I would go so far as to say it is German in origin, in an odd not what you think sort of way. The cake probably should have been named German's Chocolate Cake in honor of the American man by the name of Sam German who in the mid 1850s developed the rich dark baking chocolate that almost a century later was one of the key ingredients in the making of this cake. One version of the cake recipe goes back to 1957 when a woman named Mrs. George Clay (did women not have first names back then?) submitted a recipe for German's Chocolate Cake to a Dallas newspaper. Her recipe ultimately appeared on the boxes of Baker's German Chocolate. And for some of you this was the recipe that might have been the version of German Chocolate Cake made in your house. Over time this recipe has been changed and modified by many cooks and pastry chefs. One of the most significant changes was the use of both Dutch Process Cocoa and dark chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet) in the cake batter instead of the use of Baker's German Chocolate. Yet in spite of the absence of 'German's Chocolate' in some of today's German Chocolate Cake recipes no one seems to want to change its' name. And in the spirit of sharing a bit more cake trivia with you, June 11th is National German Chocolate Cake day. But seriously I would not wait that long to make this version of the cake. Unless of course you are someone for whom waiting is your middle name.

Okay, you might be thinking 'This looks like a lot of work' or 'This looks challenging'. It really isn't. Or you maybe you are thinking 'The one I buy from Market Day is probably just as good." Really? Okay, I will go out on a limb and say it probably isn't. Or you might even be thinking 'The one at the bakery is phenomenal." Okay, maybe it is. But then it probably doesn't have the homemade love factor as one of the ingredients. Seriously, you can and really should make this version of German Chocolate Cake, it is that over the top, possibly legendary, wicked good.

The filling can be made the day before but should be made at least several hours before making the cakes to ensure it has time to chill and set up. The toasted chopped pecans are not added to the coconut pecan filling until right before you are ready to frost the cake.

This cake uses two kinds of chocolate: Dutch-processed cocoa powder and melted semi-sweet chocolate. The Dutch-processed cocoa will result in a cake with a darker color and more complex flavor. David Lebovitz wrote a great piece on the difference between Dutch-processed and natural cocoa powder.

The batter for this cake should be light and fluffy. The cooled melted semi-sweet chocolate is folded in last. Evenly dividing the batter between three 9 inch cake pans prepared and lined with parchment paper, the cakes are baked in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. To ensure the layers are even I weigh each cake pan. There was approximately 1 pound 6 ounces of batter in each pan.

The cakes are cooled for 20 minutes in the pan. Each layer is removed from the cake pan, placed on a cake rack and allowed to cool completely. I find that is often easier to handle the cake layers when they are slightly chilled in the refrigerator.

There is enough coconut pecan filling to frost each layer of the cake. Divide the filling evenly amongst the three layers. 

The chocolate icing is optional but makes for a great finished look. You can make the chocolate icing when the cakes are baking in the oven as it needs a little time to cool and set up.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the chocolate icing and create a pattern along the edge of the cake.

The finished cake can be kept at room temperature but my preference is place the finished cake in the refrigerator. The cake can be removed from the refrigerator at least one hour before serving. This cake is equally delicious served at room temperature or chilled. Personally I like my German Chocolate Cake chilled, not just because it evokes some childhood memories, but because it seems as if the flavors of the chilled cake are further enhanced.

Recipe
German Chocolate Cake (cake inspired by the German Chocolate Cake recipe from Matt Lewis and Renato Poliatifo in Baked; coconut pecan filling inspired by an old Cook's Illustrated recipe; and chocolate icing loosely inspired by recipe from David Lebovitz)

Ingredients
Coconut Pecan Filling
4 large egg yolks
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla 
8 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, finely chopped

Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups (450g) granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet), melted and cooled

Chocolate Icing
8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
3 Tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
pinch of sea salt
3 cups sifted confectionary sugar

Directions
Coconut Pecan Filling
1. Whisk egg yolks in medium saucepan over low heat gradually whisking in the evaporated milk.
2. Add sugar, butter and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is boiling, frothy, and slightly thickened (takes about 6 minutes to get to this stage).
3. Transfer mixture to large heatproof bowl, whisk in vanilla.
4. Stir in coconut.
5. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool or cold (at least 2 hours and up to 3 days).
6. Right before getting ready to frost the cake, stir in the chopped toasted pecans.

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 9 inch cake pans lining each with buttered parchment paper.
2. Sift cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the hot coffee and buttermilk. Set aside.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 4 to 5 minutes).
5. Add eggs one at a time beating until each egg is incorporated. 
6. Add vanilla and beat to incorporate. Note: The mixture should look light and fluffy.
7. Add flour mixture, alternating with coffee/buttermilk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
8. Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in the melted chocolate.
9. Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake cakes for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Transfer baked cakes to wire rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely.
11. To assemble cake, place one layer on cake platter. Dividing the coconut pecan filling in thirds, spread evenly on each layer. Finish the cake with chocolate icing. 
12. Store finished cake in the refrigerator. Allow to sit out at least one hour before serving. Cake can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Chocolate Icing
1. Place chopped chocolate, corn syrup, pinch of sea salt and butter in medium sized bowl.
2. Heat cream until it just begins to boil. Pour heated cream over chocolate. Let stand one minute.
3. Stir until smooth. Allow icing to cool slightly.
4. Gradually vigorously stir in 3 cups of sifted confectionary sugar. Icing is finished when it thickened to the point it can hold a peak. 
5. Put icing in pastry bag fitted with star tip to decorate top of cake. Optional: Icing along the bottom edge of cake (Note: This makes more icing than you need for this cake. Refrigerate unused icing for later use.)

I absolutely love when I come across a quote that takes my breath away. And a few weeks ago my breathing was temporarily suspended when I read this one: "It's impossible, said pride; it's risky, said experience; it's pointless, said reason, give it a try, whispered the heart." On both a personal and professional level this quote just spoke to me. I am one who believes we sometimes need to listen to our hearts rather than relying primarily on our heads when making life decisions. If we have to learn to live in a gray world, then my preference would be to live in the darker shades of listening to one's heart gray world. And once we make a decision with our hearts to at least try, we always have our heads to figure the rest of it out.