Dec 16

Dec 16 Mini German Chocolate Cake Recipe

A scratch-made German Chocolate Cake is a wonderful thing. You’ve simply forgotten.

When was the last time you tasted a homemade German Chocolate Cake? It had been a while for me, and since I’m on this six-inch cake-making jag, I thought I’d give it a try.

This is a beautiful cake. But let’s get one thing straight: Like French dressing and Canadian bacon and English Muffins, German Chocolate Cake has nothing to do with the country attached to its name. Rather, it was simply named after the developer of a sweet style of baking chocolate, whose name happened to be Sam German. The recipe had become a sensation in about 1957.

Sadly, over the years, inferior supermarket-bakery versions and those made at home with boxed cake mixes and canned frostings have sullied the good name of this wonderful cake.

I’m here to give German Chocolate Cake back its good name – but in a smaller version that’s perfect for “these times.” As always, my six-inch cake yields four massive servings, six sane servings, or eight really sane servings. (A slice equivalent to one-eighth of the cake us usually fine for me; Mr. Sportcoat happily eats about one-sixth of the cake at a sitting.) Yes, leftovers freeze well.

German’s Chocolate. Named for food scientist Samuel German, not for the country.

The cake itself is a pretty basic sweet-chocolate cake; you make it with a product called “German’s chocolate,” which is widely available at supermarkets. What makes it wonderful is the coconut-pecan frosting that tops the cake and nestles between the layers. If you’re feeling splashy, you can slather a second frosting – a simple chocolate-butter affair – up and down the sides.

One caveat: While scaling down this recipe worked just fine, I didn’t love the fact that I ended up using just one-half of a five-ounce can of evaporated milk. What am I going to do with the rest of it? The solution, to me, is to make a double batch of the frosting and freeze half of it for the next time I make the cake. I gave this a go, and it freezes pretty well.

Mini German Chocolate Cake Recipe for Four+. Leftovers freeze incredibly well. The chocolate-butter frosting on the side is optional. The Coconut-Pecan Frosting on top is not.

Mini German Chocolate Cake Recipe
Serves 4+

If the top of the cake is significantly uneven, use a serrated knife to carefully saw off the uneven portion.

1         ounce sweet baking chocolate (usually labelled “German’s Chocolate”)
1/4      cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/2      cup all-purpose flour
1/4      teaspoon baking soda
            Scant 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8      teaspoon salt
3          tablespoons butter, softened
7          tablespoons sugar
1          small egg or 2 tablespoons beaten egg from a large egg
1/2      teaspoon vanilla
            Coconut-Pecan Frosting (see below)
            Chocolate-Butter Frosting, if you like

1. In a small saucepan cook and stir chocolate and milk over low heat until the chocolate melts. Cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the bottom of a six-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper or waxed paper. Grease and flour the top of the paper and the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy; scrape bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Add the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture alternately, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Spread batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan; peel off paper. Cool completely.

5. Cut the cake in half horizontally with a large serrated knife. Place the top half, cut side up, on a plate. Spread with Coconut-Pecan Frosting. Top with second cake half, cut side down. Spread top with coconut pecan frosting. If you like, spread the sides with Chocolate-Butter Frosting.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting: In a small saucepan, combine 1 egg yolk, 3 tablespoons evaporated milk (from a 5-ounce can)*, 6 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup coconut and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Cover and cool before using.

Chocolate Butter Frosting: In a small mixing bowl, beat 1 1/2 tablespoons softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Gradually add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 2 teaspoons milk. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup more powdered sugar. If needed, add additional milk, a drop at a time, to reach spreading consistency.

* Note: If you don’t love the idea of using 3 tablespoons (just half of a five-ounce can) of evaporated milk, double the recipe (using the entire five-ounce can, which mathematically isn’t an exact doubling of 3 tablespoons, but works just fine – I’ve tried it). Then, freeze the half of the frosting you don’t use to have on hand next time you make the cake. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before spreading on cake.

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OH, one more thing: In the interest of giving credit where credit is do, I should tell you that I adapted and scaled down this recipe from the fabulous 17th edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I worked on three previous editions of this book, and I have to say that (even though I didn’t work on this edition!), the 17th is the best ever. Check it out.