This is my favorite cake! It’s moist and light and chocolate. Plus, the frosting is amazing! I’m very liberal with the frosting because it’s what makes this cake so incredible. 
- Cake Ingredients
- 2 (4 ounce) packages German’s sweet chocolate baking bars
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups grated coconut (7 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups pecans, finely chopped (7.5 ounces)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment, and lightly coat with non-stick spray for baking.
- Break the chocolate into a small mixing bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Stir until completely melted, and allow to cool. Add vanilla.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk together.
- Separate the eggs, and set aside.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, and beat just until completely incorporated. Stir in chocolate/vanilla mixture. Add 1/3 flour mixture, and mix just to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl, and add ½ buttermilk. Mix in, and continue alternating with flour mixture.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and gently fold into batter.
- Pour into prepared pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cool in pans for 15 minutes. Invert pans onto wire cooling racks, remove paper, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
- Spread with frosting.
- In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Add evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, and salt. Increase heat to medium-high, and whisk constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens.
- Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Add coconut and pecans, and mix well. Cool completely.
- Spread between layers and on top of cake.
- Garnish with chocolate dipped pecans, if desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment, and lightly coat with non-stick spray for baking.
Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet
7.5 ounces pecan halves
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes to lightly roast.
Cool completely.
(If you’re planning on dipping some in chocolate, or using some plain ones, for decoration, add that many more to the pan.)
In a small mixing bowl, break up
2 (4 ounce) packages German’s sweet chocolate baking bars
Pour
½ cup boiling water
over it.
Stir until completely melted, and allow to cool.
Add
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the following,
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Whisk together.
Separate
4 eggs
Put the whites in a medium-size mixing bowl.
If you’re not sure how to separate egg yolks from whites, here’s a quick tutorial. Now, let’s get on with making this luscious cake.
In bowl of a stand mixer, beat the following until light and fluffy.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
Add
4 egg yolks
and beat just until completely incorporated.
Stir in chocolate/vanilla mixture.
Add one third of the flour mixture, and mix just to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add
½ cup buttermilk
Mix in, and continue alternating with flour mixture as follows.
Mix in another third of the flour mixture, then …
… add the other
½ cup buttermilk
End off with the last third of the flour mixture.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, and …
… gently fold into batter.
Do NOT over-mix. You want the batter to stay light and fluffy.
Pour into prepared pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 or until …
… a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven, and cool in pans for 15 minutes.
Invert pans onto wire cooling racks, remove paper, and …
Cool completely. (about 1 hour)
Now it’s time to make the most incredible frosting!
In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt
¾ cup butter
Then add
1 ¼ cup evaporated milk
1 ½ cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt
Increase heat to medium-high, and whisk constantly until mixture bubbles and thickens.
Remove from heat, and stir in
2 teaspoons vanilla
Now add
2 cups grated coconut (7 ounces)
1 ½ cups pecans, finely chopped (7.5 ounces)
Mix well, and cool completely.
Now, place the first layer on a cake plate, bottom side up, and spread with one-third of the frosting. Repeat with each layer.
Garnish the top with pecan halves.
I got fancy and dipped mine in tempered chocolate. 🙂 That’s all just optional.
Here’s how I did that. Start by tempering some milk or dark chocolate. If you need help with this step, here’s a tutorial for tempering chocolate. Once you’ve done that, …
Dip each pecan half in the tempered chocolate, and …
… place on a parchment-lined pan to set. Keep it at room temperature. (This could take several hours.)
Once they’re set, arrange them on top of the cake.
Enjoy a slice with a glass of cold milk.
