German’s Chocolate Cake
German’s Chocolate Cake is every bit as American as apple pie. German refers not to the country but rather to the last name of the originator of the type of chocolate used in the original recipe—Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. I’ve kept the essentials of the classic recipe in place—chocolate cake layered with caramel, coconut, and pecans—but tweaked them just enough to proudly call this version my own. The cake itself is dark, moist, and truly chocolaty, and a glaze of chocolate ganache heightens the chocolate flavor without the overpowering sweetness of a traditional buttercream frosting. The real twist is found in the cake’s inner layers: my caramel of choice is cajeta, a liquid dulce de leche Mexican treat of sweetened goat’s milk cooked into a rich, syrupy caramel with smooth coconut milk. And forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream; fluffy coconut whipped cream is the last touch in this to-die-for dessert.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 1 (9-inch) layer cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
Frosting
Ganache
Coconut Whipped Cream
Preparation
Step 1
To bake the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Step 2
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 3
Melt the 12 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the muscovado and granulated sugars, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
Step 4
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting.
Step 5
To make the frosting, bring the milk, coconut milk, and goat’s milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Keep warm while you prepare the caramel.
Step 6
Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook without stirring until a deep amber brown color, 8 minutes. Slowly and carefully whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth. Add the vanilla seeds and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is reduced by half and has the consistency of a caramel sauce, about 55 minutes.
Step 7
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, salt, and rum if using. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and shredded coconut. Let the frosting cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, before frosting the cake.
Step 8
Slice each cake layer in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a cake round and spread one-third of the frosting evenly over the top. Repeat to make 3 layers and top with the remaining cake layer, top side up.
Step 9
To make the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl, add the hot cream and the corn syrup, and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake.
Step 10
Set the cake on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, letting the excess drip off. Top with the toasted coconut. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours before slicing.
Step 11
Slice the cake and top each slice with a dollop of the whipped cream.
Coconut Whipped Cream
Step 12
Combine the heavy cream, cream of coconut, sugar, rum, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix until soft peaks form.
