Why not have one more German Chocolate recipe? This one is, well, a bit more involved than the German Chocolate Bars.
As this beautiful slice of cake was lifted out I asked which one of my family members was going to take a bite and give me their review. No takers. Zero. Nada. Zilch. They don't like coconut. What?! Ranger Cookies are one of their very favorites, so let's just keep it a secret coconut is a main ingredient.
What would Grandma do with an unwanted cake? The real answer: It would meet the garbage disposal. True. If something was deemed subpar down the disposal it went. It was a family joke her garbage disposal ate better than most households. I couldn't do it. I simply did not have the will to destroy this project. So, the cake found its way to my husband's office. A much, much better ending. (It was loved).
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 - 4 oz. bar of sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Over low heat, melt the baking chocolate and water until melted. Remove from heat and cool.
Combine the flour, soda and salt in bowl. Stir, set aside.
In mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat again until combined (1 minute). Beat in the cooled chocolate mix. Add the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beating on low after each addition until just combined.
Grease and flour baking pans. Cake can be made in either 8" or 9" layers. For 8" layers, bake approximately 35-40 minutes; for 9", approximately 30 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove and cool completely. Frost middle and top with coconut-pecan frosting and sides with chocolate buttercream frosting.
COCONUT-PECAN FROSTING
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 lb butter (1/2 cup of butter)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flake coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Beat until thick enough to spread.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 T butter
2 2/3 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat butter and powdered sugar together; add remaining ingredients mixing until smooth.