Tradtional German Chocolate Cake

A slice of the Traditional German Chocolate Cake sits on a white lace edged plate with the whole cake behind it and a server on the side.

5 from 3 votes

Some things shouldn't be changed or at least not dramatically. This Traditional German Chocolate Cake is one of them. A simple old fashioned cake with an irresistible custardy filling and topping of coconut and pecans.

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time25

Total Time1 40

Course: German Chocolate Cake,, Old Fashioned Cake

Servings: servings

Calories: 752kcal

Author: Helen S. Fletcher

Equipment

3 9"x2" round cake pans

Ingredients

German Chocolate Cake

4 ounces Baker's German's Semisweet Chocolate (114 grams)
1/2 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (225 grams)
2 cups granulated sugar, divided (400 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour (275 grams)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (225 grams)

Pecan and Coconut Filling and Topping

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (255 grams)
3/4 cup unsalted butter (170 grams or 1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (14 ounce can)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, lightly packed (170 grams)

Instructions

German Chocolate Cake

Spray the center of the 9"x2"pans only. Line them with parchment paper rounds. Spray only the center of the rounds. Do not spray the sides. See my post on How to Bake a Flat Cake or Cake Pan Prep.
Sift the flour along with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Chop the chocolate coarsely and combine with the water. Microwave on half power to melt the chocolate. Cool completely.
Cream the butter, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams) until pale in color and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and beating to mix in until blended and smooth.
Alternate adding three additions of flour and two of sour cream starting and ending with the flour.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of sugar until medium stiff peaks form.
Gently fold these into the cake batter. Divide equally among the three prepared pans (about 450 grams per pan).
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool.
To release the cakes, use a small metal spatula and go around the inside edges of the cake pan. Make sure you can feel the side of the pan as you go around. Place a cake board on top of the cake pan, flip the cake out, remove the paper and flip it back over. See my How to Bake a Flat Cake or Cake Pan Prep for photos.
To make filling the layers easier, freeze the layers partially if filling immediately or they may be frozen, wrapped well and kept for 3 months. Partially thaw to fill.

Pecan and Coconut Filling and Topping

Toast the pecans in a 350°F oven until fragrant and slightly brown. Cool. Set aside.
Cut the butter into smaller pieces. Combine the butter, evaporated milk, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium size saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. It will not be super thickened but definitely thicker - about 12 to 15 minutes. Do not let it boil or the egg yolks may curddle.
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, coconut and pecans. Let come to room temperature and then chill until spreadable if using immediately or refrigerate for several days.

Assembly

If the filling has been refrigerated it will be very stiff. Microwave it slightly until it is spreadable but not completely soft.or leave it at room temperature.
Place one layer on a cake board or serving plate and spread about 1 1/2 cups or about 335 grams of the filling evenly over the cake right up to the edge and just a little past. Repeat with the next to layers of cake and filling.
The cake can be served at once, refrigerated or frozen. If refrigerating or freezing, wrap the sides in a double thickness of plastic wrap so the sides don't dry out since there is no frosting or covering on them. If freezing, freeze the cake until hard and then wrap in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
To serve: Room temperature to serve for the best flavor. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Notes

There is always an abundance of photos to guide you in the post above. If you have questions, look at the photos or read the header of the article. Many of them will be answered there.

As always, I recommend using a scale for accuracy and consistency. Flour, in particular, is difficult to measure by volume. For my recipes, I use 140 grams per cup of unsifted all-purpose, bread or whole wheat flour and 125 grams of cake flour. Others may use different weights so use whatever they suggest.

Unless otherwise noted, salt refers to table salt.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

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Cake Flour is used for the tenderness it brings to cakes.

Evaporated Milk is used in the filling not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk which is a different product.

Toasting the pecans deepens the flavor of the nuts.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Because the cake flour is so soft, it can lump up and these often don't want to mix well in the batter. Better to be safe than sorry.

Baker's German's Chocolate is a sweetened semisweet chocolate that is sweeter than most and important to this old fashioned cake. It also differs as it is lower in cocoa butter than most semisweet chocolates. It doesn’t overpower the pecan coconut filling.

Make sure the chocolate is cooled before adding it to the creamed mixture.

Don't over beat the egg whites. They can be difficult to fold in smoothly without deflating them. It is better to under beat slightly. While the ideal peaks are medium which are between soft and stiff, it is better to go with soft than stiff..

The initial mixture for the filling is more of a loose custard and as such, keep the heat no higher than medium low to medium. Stir constantly to avoid burning. The mixture should thicken just prior to boiling. If cooked too long the egg yolks can curdle.

I have used sour cream for the cake instead of the traditional buttermilk as it makes the cake layers less crumbly when cut. Either may be used.

I have also increased the amount filling between the layers just because it's so very good.

Nutrition