📝 Description
This Old-School German Chocolate Cake is a rich, moist chocolate layer cake topped with a signature sweet coconut-pecan frosting. Despite the name, it’s an American classic known for its deep chocolate flavor and creamy, nutty topping.
🛒 Ingredients
🍫 Chocolate Cake
🌾 2 cups all-purpose flour
🍫 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
🍬 2 cups sugar
🧂 1 tsp baking soda
🧂 1/2 tsp baking powder
🧂 1/2 tsp salt
🥚 2 eggs
🥛 1 cup buttermilk
🛢️ 1/2 cup vegetable oil
🍦 2 tsp vanilla extract
☕ 1 cup hot coffee (or hot water)
🥥 Coconut Pecan Frosting
🥛 1 cup evaporated milk
🍬 3/4 cup sugar
🥚 3 egg yolks
🧈 1/2 cup butter
🥥 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
🌰 1 cup chopped pecans
🍦 1 tsp vanilla extract
👨🍳 Instructions
🍫 Cake
🔥 Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease 2 or 3 cake pans.
🌾 In a bowl, mix flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
🥛 Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
☕ Slowly pour in hot coffee and mix until batter is thin and silky.
🍰 Divide into pans and bake for 30–35 minutes.
❄️ Let cakes cool completely.
🥥 Frosting
🥛 In a saucepan, mix evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, and butter.
🔥 Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened (8–10 min).
🥥 Remove from heat and stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla.
❄️ Let frosting cool until spreadable.
🍰 Assembly
🍫 Layer cake + frosting + cake + frosting.
🥥 Spread frosting on top and let it drip slightly on sides.
🍽️ Chill for 1 hour before slicing.
💡 Notes
☕ Coffee boosts chocolate flavor (doesn’t taste like coffee).
🥥 Use fresh coconut for richer texture.
❄️ Cake tastes even better the next day.
