German Chocolate Cake

Total Time Prep: 30 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Yield 16 servings
Contest Winner
Test Kitchen Approved
German chocolate cake is a towering chocolate-coconut-pecan cake, perfect for your next baking affair.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs, separated, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • FROSTING:
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 5 large egg yolks, room temperature, beaten
  • 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • GLAZE:
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions

  1. Line 3 greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate with water over low heat; cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
  3. In a small bowl and with clean beaters, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into creamed mixture; fold in remaining whites.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 24-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
  5. For the frosting, in a small saucepan, heat sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread. Spread a third of the frosting over each cake layer and stack the layers.
  6. For the glaze, in a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 691 calories, 40g fat (21g saturated fat), 166mg cholesterol, 415mg sodium, 78g carbohydrate (58g sugars, 3g fiber), 8g protein.

This German chocolate cake is my husband’s favorite! Each bite has crunch from the pecans, and sweetness from coconut and chocolate. —Joyce Platfoot, Wapakoneta, Ohio
Recipe Creator

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