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German Chocolate Cake

This is the best German Chocolate Cake! We've got three layers of rich, moist, delicious chocolate cake and a traditional sweet coconut and pecan filling. This cake is perfect for any holiday or birthday celebration - it's sure to disappear off plates in no time!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword Easter Cake, Thanksgiving Dessert, Birthday Cake
Servings 16 slices

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 4 ounces Baker's German Sweet Chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened at room temperature (2 sticks or 226 g)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs separated
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk See note below for a sub

For the Coconut Pecan Frosting

  • 4 egg yolks yes, in addition to the 4 separated eggs above - for a total of 8 eggs
  • 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup salted butter (1 and 1/2 sticks, or 12 tbsp)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 7 oz sweetened, shredded coconut
  • 1 and 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans well with shortening and then coat the insides with flour, tapping out the excess. Set aside.
  • Make the Cake: Microwave chopped chocolate and water in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until completely melted. Set aside.
    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter with an electric mixer to cream. Add sugar and mix until creamed with the butter. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Add the chocolate mixture and vanilla, and mix. Add about a third of the flour mixture and mix until it's just incorporated. Add a third of the milk and mix until just incorporated. Repeat this until the flour mixture and milk are completely mixed into the wet ingredients, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, to get everything incorporated.
    Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with mixer on high speed, until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. (See tip about folding in blog post above.)
  • Bake: Divide the batter between your three prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 22-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with some moist crumbs. Note: I typically bake 2 cake layers at a time, and then bake the third layer after that. When I have two pans in the oven the cake is done around 25 minutes, and when I only have one pan in the oven, it's done around 22 minutes.
    Tip: To divide the batter perfectly evenly, use a kitchen scale. My batter weighed 1595 grams, so it was about 520-530 grams per pan. If you're pretty good at eyeballing this, don't worry about weighing it out.
  • Cool the Cake Layers: When the cake is done, immediately run a butter knife around the edges of the cake layers to loosen from the side of pan. Let the cake layers cool in the pans for 15 minutes and then invert onto cooling racks. Let them cool completely before frosting.
    Make Ahead Tip: Make the cake layers a day ahead. Once they're completely cooled, place each one on a dinner plate or something similar and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature overnight, and frost the next day!
  • Make the Coconut Pecan Frosting + Frost the Cake: In a large saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Add the sugar and butter. Cook on medium heat about 10-12 minutes. The mixture will have thickened and become golden brown. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Let the frosting cool about 15-20 minutes, or until it's thick enough that it won't run all over the cake, but not too thick that you can't spread it.
    Frost in between each cake layer and on the top. Cover the cake with plastic wrap (use toothpicks to keep it from sticking to the top of the cake) or use a cake plate with a lid, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing, so it can set up.
  • Serve + Store: Slice and enjoy with a glass of cold milk! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Notes

Note: To sub for buttermilk, add 1 tbsp lemon juice to a 1-cup glass measuring cup, then pour in the milk until you reach the 1 cup line. Stir, and let sit 5 minutes. Give it another stir and then use as directed.