Try this German chocolate cake recipe, a rich yet quick and easy layer cake

The recipe called the "German chocolate cake recipe" is a layered chocolate buttermilk cake, filled and topped with a coconut and pecan frosting.

Many people claim this as their favourite birthday cake recipe - every year!

Though called the German chocolate cake recipe, it's not because it is an old-fashioned German recipe. The story goes that a housewife in the 1950s made a cake that was very popular. She sent the recipe in to a Texas newspaper in 1957. It is thought that the recipe used German's sweet chocolate.

This sweet chocolate had been created in 1852 by Sam German, and was a product line of the Bakers Chocolate brand; though in the 1950s, Bakers Chocolate was owned by General Foods. When General Foods saw how popular the recipe was - they further marketed the German chocolate cake recipe, and sales of the German sweet chocolate product increased by 73%.

So, it seems almost certain that the German chocolate cake recipe just got shortened from "German's sweet chocolate cake recipe".

Wherever the name for the German cocolate cake recipe comes from, it is still very popular across the USA today. The cake mix is available in grocery stores and they do give a very good German chocolate cake recipe result too.

I have here a recipe to create; the ingredients are described in the traditional way, with cup measures:

The German chocolate cake recipe is usually a 3-layer cake, so that plenty of the frosting filling is nicely sandwiched between the chocolate cake's layers, a good ratio of filling to cake!

This German chocolate cake recipe serves 12. Prepare three 9" cake tins lined with wax paper or greaseproof paper on their bases.

Preheat oven to 180C (350F) gas 4.

Ingredients

4 oz German's Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup boiling water

8oz butter 15oz of superfine sugar

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

10oz cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

Melt the chocolate gently in boiling water. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg yolks, vanilla, and chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, then fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into the three 9" pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Frost only the tops of the layers with the traditional German chocolate cake coconut pecan frosting, leaving the sides unfrosted.

Here are the ingredients for the coconut pecan filling and frosting for the German chocolate cake recipe:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecan nuts

Combine all ingredients except coconut and pecans in a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 12 minutes. When the mixture thickens, remove from heat. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Cool until the mixture is spreadable.

For other classic American recipes go to chocolate brownie recipe page, or go to chocolate muffin page for chocolate chip muffins that melt in your mouth. Or click here for chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Sachertorte
This is nearly a German chocolate cake recipe, - it's actually from Vienna!

It's a recipe taken from the original chocolate cake recipe created in 1832 at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna.

Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) gas 3.

Prepare a spring form or loose based cake tin, 23cms in diameter, buttered and base lined.

For decoration, use a greaseproof paper-piping bag containing melted milk chocolate; it is customary to pipe an "S" onto the cake in homage of the Hotel Sacher in Vienna.

This recipe serves up to 12 people.

Ingredients

175g of plain chocolate, finely chopped

125g unsalted butter at room temperature

150g caster sugar

5 large eggs, plus one egg white

150g plain flour

½ teaspoon of baking powder

For the apricot glaze

4 tablespoons of apricot conserve

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

For the chocolate icing

125ml of double cream

175g plain chocolate, chopped up

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

Whipped cream to serve

Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water to gently melt the chocolate. When melted remove from the heat and let cool.

Put the butter into a large bowl, and beat until creamy, either with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Add half the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Separating the eggs, put all the whites (6) into a grease-free bowl, ready to whisk.

With the five yolks, one at a time beat them into the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition

Stir the cooled chocolate into this creamed mixture.

Sieve into this mixture the flour and baking powder. Fold in gently with a metal spoon.

Now whisk the egg whites until stiff, and then beat in the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide into 3 batches and gently fold the egg whites into the mixture.

When the mixture is evenly blended, spoon into the prepared tin. Level the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven. The cake takes 1 hour to cook, and is ready when a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

After the hour remove, check it is cooked, let stand for 10mins, then turn out and cool on a rack.

To prepare the glaze

Place the glaze ingredients into a saucepan with a tablespoon of water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and sieve into a bowl.

Brush the hot glaze over the top and sides of the cake.

To make the icing, put the cream into a pan and heat till almost boiling, then pour over the chopped chocolate, which should be in a heatproof bowl.

Leave for 2 mins, then stir until the icing is smooth and glossy.

With a plate under the wire rack with the cake on it, pour the icing over the glazed cake, covering the top and sides. Let it set in a cool place, but do not refrigerate.

You can decorate the cake with the letter "S", to follow the authentic decoration for this chocolate cake recipe.

To cut the cake, dip the knife in warm water and wipe dry.

Best eaten within one week.

The Sachertorte can still be bought today at the Hotel Sacher, made following the same recipe.

Meanwhile, the American German chocolate cake recipe has undergone many further developments. Some recipes suggest using condensed milk, baked in the oven to thicken. Though some German chocolate recipes continue to have the coconut and pecan nut fillings, they are instead glazed with a dark glossy chocolate covering on the outside.

If you have a favourite variation of the German chocolate cake recipe, send it in, let others create it, and let's see which ones are the most popular.

Talking of popular go to Missisippi mud pie recipe. and try another popular Amercan recipe.


Return from German chocolate cake recipe page to best chocolate recipes online home page.

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