Recipes for German Chocolate Cake

This article contains three recipes for the always popular German Chocolate Cake. You will find a traditional recipe, a recipe for dietetics and a recipe for a using white chocolate instead of dark.

Here's a surprise, folks! The German Chocolate Cake did NOT come from Germany. In fact, this cake is not German at all!

According to various web sites, the cake originated in Dallas, back in the 1950s. A reader sent the recipe to a Dallas newspaper and it immediately became hugely popular. The recipe called for a type of chocolate bar called "German". A Brit by the name of Sam German developed the chocolate in the late 1800s. At the time the recipe emerged in Dallas, German Foods owned Baker's Chocolate. They began distributing a recipe for German Chocolate Cake on the back of the chocolate package.

• 4 oz Baker's sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 1/4 cup sifted flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 egg whites; stiffly beaten

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the chocolate in the boiling water. Cool.

In small bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.

Using a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Beat well after each one is added. Blend in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, beating after each addition.

Fold in egg whites carefully.

Line three nine-inch pans with paper. Pour batter into pans. Bake for half an hour or perhaps a little longer. Cake will spring back when pressed lightly in the center.

Cool for quarter hour, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a rack.

Preparation for the Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

Mix together evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine and vanilla. Using saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring well, until the mixture thickens. This takes about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut and pecans. Cool until it reaches spreading consistency. Beat occasionally.

Apply filling and frosting to layers and top of the cake. Assemble.

Exchanges provided

• 4 ounces baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar replacement
• 3 tablespoons granulated fructose
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 egg whites -- stiffly beaten

Frosting

• 1 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar replacement
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

To make the cake, first melt the chocolate in the boiling water. Cool.

Cream together the butter, sugar replacement and fructose. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla and chocolate water.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Add alternatively with buttermilk to the chocolate mixture. Beat each time until it is smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites.

Grease three nine inch pans and line with paper, or use nonstick pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour batter in pans and bake for 25 or 30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove paper lining if used and cool.

Exchange:1 serving = 1/2 bread,1/2 fat Calories:1 serving = 50 calories

Frosting

Combine all but vanilla and pecans in saucepan. Cook and stir on low heat till thick. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pecans. Cool slightly; spread over your German chocolate cake recipe while warm.

Yield: frosts 2 9-in. layers or 13 x 9 in. cake Exchange:1/18 recipe = 1/7 bread,1 fat Calories:1/18 recipe = 54 calories

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 lb unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 lg eggs, separated
• 4 oz white chocolate, melted in 1/2 c boiling water and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting

• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter
• 3 lg egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Put your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of three eight-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. You might also use non stick pans. Dust bottom and sides with flour.

Using a medium sized bowl, sift the flour and baking soda.

Next, using a large bowl with the mixer set to medium speed,cream the butter and sugar well. It should be light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks once at a time. Blend well after each. Beat in the melted white chocolate water and the vanilla.

Set mixture to low speed. Blend in the dry ingredients alternatively with the butter milk. Do not over beat.

Fold in the coconut and pecans.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks Blend 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the batter. Then, carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Spoon the batter into the pans. Bake for 35 or 40 minutes or until done. A cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the pans on wire racks and cool for ten minutes.

Invert the cakes onto the racks. Peel off parchment paper if used. Cool fully.

Frosting

Put the evaporated milk, sugar, butter and egg yolks into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, Simmer for ten minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil rapidly. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, pecans and coconut.

Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice. Stir until frosting is cool and slightly thickened.

Spread over cake layers, assemble, and spread remaining frosting on top and sides of your cake.