German Chocolate Cake (Printable)

A moist chocolate layered cake with coconut and pecan frosting offering rich, nutty sweetness.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
03 - ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
04 - 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
06 - 1 teaspoon salt
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - ½ cup vegetable oil
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - 1 cup boiling water

→ Coconut-Pecan Frosting

12 - 1 cup evaporated milk
13 - 1 cup granulated sugar
14 - 3 large egg yolks
15 - ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
17 - 1 ⅓ cups sweetened shredded coconut
18 - 1 cup chopped pecans

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
02 - Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
03 - Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
04 - Stir in boiling water; batter will be thin.
05 - Evenly distribute batter among prepared pans.
06 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
08 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, and butter.
09 - Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until thickened, approximately 12 minutes.
10 - Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans. Let cool until spreadable, about 30 minutes.
11 - Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread one-third of frosting evenly over the top and repeat with remaining layers, finishing with frosting on top. Frost sides if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The frosting is cooked on the stovetop instead of whipped, giving it an incredibly luscious, almost toffee-like texture that shop-bought frostings can't touch.
  • Three thin layers mean more frosting-to-cake ratio, which is the whole point of making this instead of just opening a box mix.
  • The boiling water secret makes the chocolate flavor impossibly deep and keeps the cake moist for days, even though it rarely lasts that long.
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients aren't just a suggestion, cold eggs and milk won't emulsify properly into the batter and you'll end up with a separated, grainy texture instead of something silky.
  • The frosting must cool before spreading or it will melt into the warm cake layers and slide right off, learned this the hard way and ended up with frosting pooling on the plate.
  • Three pans are strongly preferred over baking in two pans and cutting layers, because the extra handling and slicing creates crumbs that show up in the frosting and compromise the clean appearance.
03 -
  • Slightly toast the pecans before chopping them, it deepens their flavor and makes them taste more nutty and sophisticated in the frosting.
  • Use a kitchen scale if you have one, measuring by weight is more accurate than volume and the cake will be more consistent every time you make it.
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