German Chocolate Cake

4.82 from 16 reviews

This is the best German Chocolate Cake recipe. The cake is extra soft and chocolate-y, the coconut-pecan filling is less sweet & the whipped ganache frosting balances out the flavor of the cake.

Prep Time1 30

Bake Time30

Total Time2

Servings:16 servings

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

2 ounces Dutch process cocoa powder (½ cup)
4 ounces boiling water (½ cup)
6 egg yolks (room temperature)
8 ounces sour cream (1 cup, room temperature, divided)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 ounces granulated sugar (1 ½ cups, divided)
7 ounces cake flour (1 ½ cups, see note)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
3 egg whites (room temperature)

Coconut Pecan Filling

4 egg yolks
12 ounces evaporated milk
4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
8 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon table salt
7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes (2 ¾ cups)
1 ½ cups chopped pecans (toasted)

Whipped Ganache

8 ounces semisweet chocolate
8 ounces heavy cream (1 cup)

Instructions

Make The Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line two 8" round cake pans with parchment paper rounds or butter and flour the bottoms of the pans only, not the sides.
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and the boiling water. Set aside to cool. Add the yolks, 1/2 the sour cream and the vanilla to the cooled cocoa and whisk to combine.
Into a mixer bowl put 1 1/4 cups of the sugar, sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix on low speed to distribute the ingredients. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Mix on low until the butter is incorporated and the batter looks like a paste. Add the other 1/2 of the sour cream. Increase the speed to medium and mix about 3 minutes until the batter lightens in texture.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add 1/2 the cocoa mixture, mix to incorporate. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the rest of the cocoa mixture. Scrape the bowl and mix until incorporated. Set the batter aside.
Whip the egg whites on medium high until they form soft peaks. Turn the mixer to medium low and slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Turn the mixer to medium high and whip the whites to full peak. Fold the whites into the batter in 2 parts, folding just until there are no streaks of egg whites.
Divide the batter between the 2 pans and spread to level. Bake about 25-30 minutes until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack. When fully cooled, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours or over night before assembling.

Make The Filling

In a small saucepan, whisk together the yolks, evaporated milk, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the coconut flakes and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Make the Ganache

Chop the chocolate into small pieces, none larger than 1/2". Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.
Heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove until scalding. Pour the cream all at once over the chocolate. Do not stir for 1-2 minutes to allow the chocolate to begin melting then stir until all the chocolate bits are melted.
Chill the ganache until it is beginning to set around the edges, about 20 minutes. Do not allow the ganache to set completely. It should be cooled, but still quite soft. The ganache will whip up better if it's soft.

Assembly

Using a long serrated knife, split each cake in 1/2 horizontally so you have 4 layers. Fold the toasted pecans into the cooled filling.
Place a layer on your serving platter. Place 1/4 of the filling on the layer and spread it evenly to the edges. Repeat with the other layers. Place the final layer on the cake but don't put any filling on the top. Reserve the final 1/4 of the filling.
Whip the ganache on medium speed until it is light and airy and looks like frosting. You need to use the ganache right away since it will set up quickly once it's whipped.
Scoop 1/2 cup of the whipped ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Immediately ice the sides and top of the cake with the rest of the ganache. Pipe a border around the top edge of the cake. Spread the remaining coconut pecan filling within the border on the top of the cake.
Chill the cake until 1 hour before serving. Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen after a day.

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition