Chef Stephen Block's German Chocolate Cake

Your tip for March 6, 2006 - CHEF STEPHEN BLOCK'S GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Chef Stephen Block the founder and ongoing inspiration for The Kitchen Project designed this recipe to use only one cake mix. He owes his love of German food to his much beloved German Grandmother.

German Chocolate Cake
Is it really German?

There is nothing like a German's Chocolate Cake made from scratch.

I am of German decent and this was my favorite cake growing up, I requested it for all my birthday parties.

I was very proud that it was German's except that I found out that it is not really German!! In fact you won't find it in Germany.

If you are American you can be proud it was created by a Texas Housewife in 1957 who submitted it the recipe in a newspaper contest and won the contest. The recipe spread like wildfire and quickly became popular all over the country. Read more about the history of the German chocolate cake here. You may laugh when you find out why it is called German Chocolate Cake.
http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/GermanChocolateCake

Here is the original recipe that was on the back of that green box of German's chocolate baking bar that is next to those baker's chocolate bars that you have seen for years on the grocery shelves. Here is a picture http://www.kitchenproject.com/images/germchoc.gif

I have found that you can use a good chocolate cake mix, or a German chocolate cake mix ( like Betty Crocker Super moist) and add 1 bar of the German's chocolate to the batter as described in the recipe below.

I drizzle in the melted chocolate to the cake batter when it is almost done beating.

The original recipe just said to fill and ice with a coconut pecan frosting. I went ahead and gave a recipe for it. The original recipe wasn't iced with chocolate icing on the sides. I like the iced sides so I gave a recipe for the frosting.

THE CAKE
1 pkg. Baker's German's sweet chocolate (4 oz.)
1/2 cup Water, boiling
1 cup Butter or margarine
2 cup Sugar
4 Eggs, separated
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 cups Flour, all-purpose
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Buttermilk
Coconut-pecan frosting

Approx. Cook Time: 30min

1. Melt chocolate in water and cool.
2. Cream butter and
Sugar.
3. Beat in egg yolks.
4. Stir in vanilla and
chocolate.
5. Mix flour, soda and salt. Beat in flour
mixture, alternately with buttermilk.
6. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Pour batter
into three 9-inch layer pans, greased , and lined on bottoms with
waxed paper.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or
until cake springs back when lightly pressed in
center Cool 15 minutes; remove and cool on rack.

THE FILLING AND TOPPING
1-14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk such as Eagle Brand or Magnolia
1/2 C water
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C butter (2 sticks)
1 1/3 C pecans chopped, reserve 10 whole pecan halves for garnish.
1 3/4 C Angel flake coconut
(If you can not find sweetened condensed milk then use this substitute
mix 1 cup + 2 T (250 gr.) powdered milk with 1/2 C water and 3/4 C
granulated sugar
Directions:
Cook the milk eggs and water over a double boiler until thickened.
For faster results cook in a pan over direct heat, however stir
constantly or the eggs may curdle. Then add the vanilla and butter and
whisk in until it is melted and smooth. Add the chopped pecans and
coconut.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING (Optional)
1 stick ¼ C (125 gr) butter, softened
9 squares (50 ml) Baker's German Chocolate, melted and cooled
1-1/2 cups (350 gr) powdered sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
1-1/2 Tbs (45 ml) milk

For a richer chocolate flavor, add cocoa powder. or buy more German
chocolate. Mix butter and chocolate in mixing bowl. Stir in powdered sugar.
Beat vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Assembly;

Divide the filling evenly between the 3 cakes putting the 1st layer
down, Then spread the filling evenly
Repeat with the other layer.
Frost the side of the cake only.
For Garnish you can place pecan halves around the top edge. You can
add a maraschino cherry half also next to the pecan half.

***note; you can shave off any high spots with a bread knife to make
the cakes flatter so they will stack evenly. You can use any scraps
from the shavings also to fill in any low spots.

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