I grew up with German chocolate cake. I am sure Mom made it from the recipe from the Baker's Chocolate box. It is a light chocolate cake made with egg whites and tends to be a bit dry. When I discovered the David Lebowitz
German chocolate cake recipe I felt like I hit the jackpot. He brushes syrup on each layer and toasts the coconut. This adds a great texture to the filling.
The cake I made for a big birthday was 10 inches, three layers measuring almost six inches high. To make the extra ten inch layer I made one and a half recipes. The recipe will make three eight inch layers or two 10 inch layers. I doubled it and saved the extra layer.
Cake
2 oz dark chocolate. I use Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate.
1 oz Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate
1 ½ cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 ½ cups flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
1 ¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs (room temperature)
¾ cup canola oil
1 ½ cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Finely chop chocolates and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another (very) large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thickened slightly and lemon-colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed, until just combined well.
Butter and cocoa powder all the pans and cut a circle of parchment for the bottom. Use the Wilton Bake-even Cake Strips on every pan. No domes with bake strips. Putting a rose nail in the center of each layer while baking also helps them bake evenly.
Bake in middle of oven for 50 minutes. One crucial thing I do is keep an eagle eye on my cakes and test as soon as I think they may be done, taking them out just as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.
Ganache
6 ounces dark chocolate.
2 ounces milk chocolate. I use Trader Joe's
1 cup heavy cream
Chop chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. I put it in the microwave for a minute or two. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the cream. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let the ganache come to room temperature.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and cream, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional cream, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Add the ganache mixture and mix until smooth. If you would like a fluffier frosting. Cool for an hour in the fridge then beat in stand mixer for 3-4 minutes. About 2 1/2 cups frosting.
Double the recipe for the 10" cake.
Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted
I have toasted coconut in the microwave in small amounts and it comes out crispy for me. You do need to watch it carefully. For larger amounts I put a layer of coconut on parchment on a sheet pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes in the oven. Watch it carefully and stir about halfway through. Baked by an Introvert compared three ways to toast coconut and gives her opinion on each method. Toasting the coconut is an important step in this cake. More coconut will give your filling structure and keep the filling from squooshing down. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.
Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.) You will know the mixture has thickened enough if you can draw a line with your finger on the back of the spoon.
Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)
For the syrup:
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
To make the syrup:
In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.
Putting cake together
Brush each cake layer well with syrup. Make a dam of chocolate frosting around the edges of each layer. This will keep the filling inside. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top. Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, making a dam, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top. Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.
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