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German Chocolate Cake!

  

Have you ever had a 'from scratch' German Chocolate Cake?  Not one made from a cake mix with frosting from a can, but a real, down home scratch German Chocolate Cake?  For a chocolate lover like me, there can't be anything much better as far as cake goes.  If you have never had one, you have to make this.

This cake is not German in origin, but is called the German Chocolate cake because of the chocolate  which was developed by an American chocolate maker whose name was Sam German.  He developed the chocolate for the Baker's Chocolate Company and the chocolate was named in honor of him...Baker's German Sweet Chocolate.  Much later in 1957, the recipe for German Chocolate Cake was sent into a newspaper by a Dallas, Texas homemaker.  The recipe became very popular and the sales for Baker's German Chocolate went up 73%.

 It's actually not a hard cake to put together and if you make it, everyone will be in awe of  your amazing baking skills. You can also look down your nose at people and say things like... "I only bake, 'from scratch' dear" and "Bless your heart, you used a cake mix"...lol.  Not that anyone who reads this blog would ever say such things to anyone.  I know you wouldn't, but it's funny to think of.  Ok, I might be exaggerating a bit, but you know I can do that at times.   If you want to try this cake, here is all you need:

1/2 cup boiling water
4 oz. Baker's German Chocolate bar
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
2  1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 egg yolks
1  3/4 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt chocolate in 1/2 cup boiling water.
Mix sugar and butter and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks.
Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla.
Sift flour together with baking soda and salt.
Alternate adding the buttermilk and flour  to the egg, butter and sugar mixture ending with the buttermilk.  Blend together well, but do not over beat this. It's best to use a wire whisk for this. 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they are at the stiff peak stage.

Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Do not beat this, just fold to blend them in.

Place wax paper in the bottom of 2  9 inch cake plans.  With either shortening or butter, grease the sides of the pans and I even grease the wax paper a little. 

Evenly divide the batter between the pans.  Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely before turning them out of the cake pans.   This cake can stick if you don't follow the instructions to use the wax paper and grease the sides of the cake pans well and also allowing them to cool completely. 

Frosting
Combine sugar, butter, milk, and egg yolks in a heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes, turn heat down and continue to cook and stir until it thickens.  This will take about a total of 12 minutes.   Add vanilla, coconuts and chopped pecans. 

Place a cake layer on a cake plate.  Spread frosting on just the top of that layer and then place the second layer on top of that.  



Pour the rest of the frosting right in the center of the top layer and then spread over the top of the cake.  You don't frost the sides of this cake, but if some of the frosting runs over and down the sides it's ok.  As a matter of fact, it will and it's all good! 


 German Chocolate Cake!


37 comments:

  1. The German Chocolate cakes I have made in the past always turn out dry. This one looks so good! I am going to give it a try!!

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  2. nice and yummy i would love to do this..

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  3. This is my all time FAVORITE cake!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!! Can't wait to make it!!! :)

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  4. This is the same exact recipe my grandmother used!

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  5. Feelin a little dumb for asking this question but do you melt the chocolate "IN" the water or just use the hot water to melt the chocolate?

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  6. You do mix the chocolate in with the water and blend it together.

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  7. Sometimes German Chocolate cakes can be dry, as well as Red Velvet. This one is not. A tip I learned from my mother on avoiding dry cakes, do not mix them up with an electric mixer. Do it with a whisk and good old fashioned muscle. It really does keep your keeps from being dry. I used to use the mixer and since I have started only using a whisk, my cakes are never dry.

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  8. When doing a lot of hand mixing, like this recipe requires, if you put the mixing bowl down in the kitchen sink, it changes the angle you use to mix for awhile, or mix something thick or heavy, and cuts way down on shoulder stress and fatigue. It also contains any drips or spills to be washed right down the drain. It can also be used when mixing with a hand mixer, a potato masher (which works beautifully with stiff cookie doughs as well as meatloaf), or just your hands.
    When teaching children how to cook, this way makes it easier for them too, since they don't have to reach up to reach down, especially if they need to stand on a stool or chair to reach what they are doing.
    I have a weakened right (dominant) shoulder due to weakened and torn rotator cuff tendons that two surgeries couldn't fix, and I have used this method for a long time, with great success. Just thought I'd pass it along for anyone else who might benefit, especially during this busy baking season!

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    1. Thank you for sharing!I will try this,you were very helpful!!

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    2. I love German Chocolate cake it's my favorite but I've never made one from scratch but sense I've seen this recipe I will definitely make this one,.. It looks so good I can't wait to make it,. Thank you so much for sharing this with us
      It looks GREAT

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    3. There I's one thing I want to tell everyone if you have not tried the Peanut Butter Pie you need to try it,.. It's out of this world Good best pie I have ever made so easy and simple and so. Delicious

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  9. I LOVE THIS CAKE, AND THIS IS THE VERY BEST RECIPE TO USE. THIS CAKE NEVER TURNS OUT DRY.I LOVE IT AND THE RECIPE

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  10. When I make this cake I always add the 3 egg whites to 4 the recipe calls for and fold them all in. Always does good for me. Always make this at Christmas.Yummy.







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  11. I have made a few of your things from here not been bad yet ! Next I will try to make that very good looking coconut cake ! Thanks for sharing !

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  12. I do make all my cakes from scratch and it hey taste so much better!

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  13. I feel that the icing is a little dry, and it really thickened up once the cocnut and pecans were added. Hopefully it wont dry out anymore before tomorrow. I would ahve for the icing to ruin the cake. However the cake itself really awesome.

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  14. I used to make German Chocolate Cake from scratch all the time. Loved them. Don't know if this is the same recipe - I always used the recipe off the bar of German Sweet Chocolate.

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  15. I use the recipe on the wrapper of the chocolate and it turns out perfect everytime.

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  16. My mom made it this way, even frosted the sides, always good, never dry. I've made it a few times for my wife for special occasions, she thinks it's great!

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  17. I always heard real german chocolate has coffee in it.This is what a german lady told me.She said she couldn't give me her family recipe,but she made me one for christmas

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  18. German Chocolate Cake is my son's favorite. He always gets one for his birthday as this is his request. Can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks

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  19. German chocolate as in German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany. German Chocolate was named for Sam German the chocolate make who developed it for the Baker's Chocolate Company. It's as American as apple pie.

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  20. I love this cake. Have always made it from a mix though, but no more. I used to make this homemade icing all the time with success but the last 3 times I tried the icing curdled and had to be thrown out. I don't know what I did any different other than we moved and I have a different stove (perhaps the heat setting for medium is too hot on this stove). Help?

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  21. This is the recipe that my mom and now me use. This is birthday cake for me and my brother. I dont even like chocolate but I like this cake. Very moist and very tender. Handle with care because it will break.

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  22. JUST MADE THIS FOR MY SONS BIRTHDAY AS PER HIS REQUEST.

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  23. kathykellum@live .comFebruary 25, 2013 at 4:31 AM

    Don't want 2 sd dumb,,but do u use salted r unsalted butter!! ??Always used margarine!! Also would splenda work in this ??? Husband's diabetic,, thanks 4 ur input!!

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  24. kathykellum@live .comFebruary 25, 2013 at 4:36 AM

    also looking 4 a recipe 4 Hershey's Disappearing cake , Mother used to make,,got it off can of Hershey's cocoa!! Best thing,but w/ her passing,something happened to it!! Thank you in advance!!

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    1. Here is the Recipe for Hershey's Disappearing Cake! http://www.food.com/recipe/hersheys-disappearing-cake-113964

      HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

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  25. Kathy, most bakers would say to use unsalted butter in baking, but to be honest, in this it doesn't matter much. Use the butter though and not margarine. You can try Splenda for baking in this, I have never tried it so I don't know how it would work. The frosting might be an issue. I am not sure how Splenda works in frosting.
    I have never heard of the cake you mention, but I will try to find a recipe for it for you. It sounds really good.

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  26. hi I made this over the weekend but I baked in a 9x13 and the cake was a little dry. how could I have done different so that it would not be dry?

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  27. I've made this cake for years I use the recipe on the Bakers German Sweet Chocolate bar,it always turned out perfect never dry and the icing was never too thick or dry. I make a 3 layer cake.


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  28. Nothing better than "made from scratch" cakes. My mother always made her cakes from scratch and she made the best German Chocolate cake. Wish I had paid more attn. I'm going to try yours :)

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  29. I use cake flour and make 3 layers. Love this cake.

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  30. When you add beaten egg whites, you always have to fold them in. No beating.

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  31. My family like this cake. I make it about once a week.

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  32. They are so adorable and as always I'm inspired to get into the kitchen and make something fun!

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  33. My mother always used Swans Cake Flour. It's easier & extremely fine

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