German Chocolate Cake
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Monday, November 30, 2009 - 6:01pm

Ingredients




3 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks
12 ounces evaporated milk 
1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
7 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
4 ounces German's Sweet Chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 large egg whites

Preparation

1 Frosting:
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 4 egg yolks, and evaporated milk in a 2-quart pan over medium heat. 
Bring to a simmer and cook until thick (about 12 minutes)
Strain through a sieve into a bowl; stir in pecans and coconut; chill frosting until firm

 2 Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9" round cake pans with butter, line bottoms with parchment circles. Grease parchment and set aside
 3 Cake:
Put chocolates into a small bowl and pour in 1/2 cup boiling water; let sit for 1 minute
Stir until smooth and set aside
 4 In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt and set aside
 5 In a standing mixer, beat 1 1/4 cups sugar and remaining butter until fluffy.
Add remaining egg yolks one at a time. Add chocolate mixture and remaining vanilla; beat until smooth
 6 On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk until just combined; set batter aside
 7 Meanwhile, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Add remaining sugar; whip to soft peaks
 8 Fold egg whites into batter; divide between pans and smooth batter.
 9 Bake until cakes are set, 25-30 minutes
 10 Let cakes cool, then frost the top of each cake and assemble, leaving the sides bare

About


Most people think that German Chocolate Cake is a German treat, but in fact it is about as American as Apple Pie. It was created by a woman in Dallas, Texas named Mrs. George Clay who submitted her recipe for "German Sweet Chocolate Cake" to the Dallas Morning News in 1957. It became such a hit that newspapers around the country began printing the recipe. Many people thought it was German due to its name, but German desserts are usually filled with jam and/or cream, while coconut and pecans are typical in Southern American desserts. 
So why the name German Chocolate Cake? Mrs. Clay's recipe called for a store-bought product named German's Sweet Chocolate, manufactured by Walter Baker & Co., and named after the man that created it in 1852 - Samuel German. 
Traditional German Chocolate Cakes are not iced on the sides, but only on top and between layers.
This recipe was found in Saveur, Dec. 2009