Chocolate German Cake

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, or I use these silicone nonstick mats (game changer!). Spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray WITH flour or butter and flour pans.

Melt Chocolate: Combine the chopped chocolate and hot water in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup (preferred) or bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside.

Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and Postum/espresso powder into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt ("Dry Ingredients"). Set aside.

Combine Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the buttermilk, sour cream, and oil until combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Combine: With the mixer on low, gradually add the Dry Ingredients, then the melted chocolate mixture, and beat until incorporated.

Add Batter to Pans: Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans (I weigh them with my kitchen scale), and drop them a few times on the counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake: Bake at 350°F for 17-25 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out with a few moist crumbs (don’t open oven while baking or cakes could fall in the center. Darker pans will be closer to the 17 minutes.) You will likely need to bake one cake layer on the top rack and the others on the middle rack. The cakes baked on the middle rack will be done first. Once done, move the top rack cake to the middle rack and continue to bake.

Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack until completely cooled. Once cool, level the cakes if needed using a long serrated knife.

Toast the Pecans and Coconut: Spread the coconut and pecans on two ends of an extra-large baking sheet (15x21). Bake for 5-7 minutes, stirring every two minutes (keeping pecans and coconut separate), until toasted. Once cool enough to handle, finely chop the pecans.

Thicken: Add the butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, evaporated milk, and salt to a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, as the mixture comes to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk constantly for 5 minutes (I suggest setting a timer), until thickened (It should be thickened to a custard-like consistency — thick but pourable and able to coat the back of a spoon.)

Add Pecans and Coconut: Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, followed by the chopped pecans and toasted coconut. Let it cool completely before using, about 25 minutes. If you want it thicker once it’s cooled, stir in more coconut, a little at a time.

Cream Butter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on high until smooth and creamy, about 60 seconds.

Sift Sugar: Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a large bowl.

Combine: With the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture to the butter until mostly incorporated, then slowly add the cream and vanilla.

Make it Fluffy: Increase the speed to high and beat for a full 3 minutes-no less! If the frosting is too thin, add 1-2 more Tablespoons of powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream. Taste the frosting and add a pinch more salt if it’s too sweet.

Reserve Frosting: Remove one cup of the German Coconut Pecan Frosting and reserve it for the top of the cake. You’ll use the rest for the first and second layers of cake-“Filling”.

Bottom Layer: Place the first cake layer top side down (so the flat bottom from the pan faces up) on a serving plate. Frost with a layer of buttercream frosting, followed by half of the remaining Coconut Pecan Filling (about 1¼ cups), spreading both to the edges.

Middle Layer: Place the second cake layer top side down again. Repeat frosting with a layer of buttercream, followed by the remaining Coconut Pecan Filling.

Top Layer: Place the third cake layer top side up, then frost it with a layer of buttercream. Spoon the remaining Coconut Pecan Frosting into the center, spreading it evenly while leaving a 1-inch border around the edges (leaving the edges clear for piping).

Reserve 1 cup of buttercream frosting for piping. Set aside.

Frost the sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream, then pipe a border around the top of the cake.

The cake should be served at room temperature. If you’ve stored it in the fridge (necessary for longer storage), take it out about 60 minutes before serving to let everything soften up.

If you want to take your slices to the next level? Microwave slices for about 10 seconds—just enough to gently warm them. The filling gets even more luscious, the cake even more tender, if you can imagine, and the whole thing tastes 1000x better. It’s pure, fudgy, caramelized magic.