German Chocolate Cake

In addition to Christmas, we celebrate a birthday during the last week of December.  This cake is the one the December Birthday Boy requests most often, probably because he knows his sister can’t stand coconut.

The cake is the same chocolate cake I make for most occasions.  The “germans” make it a rich, caramel-coconut-pecan extravaganza.  It’s really very easy and it’s probably the easiest cake there is when it comes to frosting it and putting it together.

• Evaporated Milk, one 12 ounce can
• Egg Yolks, 5
• White Sugar, 1 1/2 cups
• Butter, 3/4 cup
• Pecan Pieces, 1 1/2 to 2 cups
• Shredded Sweetened Coconut, 1 1/2 to 2 cupsSeparate the eggs. Discard the whites or save them for another use.Combine the evaporated milk, yolks and sugar in a heavy medium-size saucepan.  Stir in the sugar and whisk it together until well-blended.Add the butter.Heat over medium heat, stirring almost continually, until the mixture comes to a slow boil.  Continue cooking until it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat and cool for 15 to 20 minutes.Add pecans.Add coconut.Stir it all together, adding more coconut or pecans as needed until it’s nice and thick.Dump about half of it onto the first layer of the cake and spread it to the edges.  The foil strips under the edges of the cake keep the plate clean.Add the second cake layer and press it down very gently.Spread the remaining frosting over the top layer. It’s impossible to do the sides and it doesn’t matter.  That’s why this cake is so easy to put together!Remove the foil and serve.  It’s good anytime but it’s even better if it’s still slightly warm.

Tagged as: cake, chocolate, coconut, pecan