German Chocolate Cake

I hope you’re ready for a very celebratory cake! Moist, rich chocolate cake filled and topped with a coconut pecan custard that’s all kinds of amazing. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of coconut, I think you’ll love this cake! Called ‘German’, not for the country, but for a chocolate maker called Samuel German (more on that later), this cake has a thousand different versions and I’m excited to add yet another into the mix. It is deeply satisfying, full of all kinds of wondrous textures and I really hope you love it as much as I do!

I recently tried a slice of this cake at Magnolia Bakery in Bangalore, and before that, had only seen it online on food blogs and Instagram. I didn’t know what to expect but I was blown away by all of the lovely flavours and the crunch from the pecans. It seemed easy enough to recreate at home but what I didn’t realise is there is no longer any one way of making it. The cake, originally called ‘German’s Chocolate Cake’ after the chocolate maker I mentioned above, eventually got renamed to ‘German Chocolate Cake’ after a recipe for it printed in an American newspaper in the 1950s became popular (the chocolate itself was created by Samuel German way back in 1852!), leading to confusion caused by the name itself. Now that the origin of the name is clearer, it’s time to talk about what this cake is made of!

Surprisingly, though baking chocolate is so integral to the story of this cake, many recipes make it using just cocoa. The more I deep-dived into versions of this cake, the more I realised everyone seems to be using their favourite kind of chocolate cake as the base. Some are light and spongey, some are dense and rich with a lot of chocolate, some are sort of in the middle. And that’s where I am too. I decided on a less intense version of my dense chocolate loaf cake batter, reducing the chocolate by half, making a couple of other small changes along the way, leading to a cake that is definitely chocolatey, still very soft, not super firm or dense, and that goes beautifully with that rich filling.

And now let’s talk about the filling. Traditionally, it starts with an egg-based custard made with evaporated milk, sugar, butter and all the good stuff. I liked Smitten Kitchen’s version that uses cream and milk, which are more commonly found in Indian kitchens and shops. The thing is, I’m not a fan of making custards with eggs because sometimes there’s an eggy aftertaste despite adding vanilla and other flavourings. I thought about maybe thickening it with just cornflour, much like in this chocolate pudding, which was also a filling for this Chocolate Blackout Cake. Since the concept is the same, I did a little hunting for vegan recipes for German Chocolate Cake and yay, it was absolutely doable! I scaled up Smitten Kitchen’s filling proportions, adjusted the sugar, left the eggs out entirely, made sure to toast the coconut and the pecans for more flavour and crunch and omg, yum. The filling is DELICIOUS! It’s certainly sweet, and made me more grateful for picking the cake batter I did because it’s not super sweet and goes beautifully with the filling.

Altogether, the cake not only looked like the one I ate at Magnolia Bakery, but tasted like it too! In fact, this version is richer and more chocolatey and I obviously love that. It tastes best at room temperature, once both the cake and the filling have softened a bit, but make sure you start this cake the day before you want to serve it, because it does need some chilling time. It’s pretty straightforward and very very enjoyable to make!

It is somehow simple but indulgent at once and I hope you’ll try this soon 🙂

German Chocolate Cake

Moist, rich chocolate cake filled with an easy toasted coconut and pecan custard

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 100 gms dark chocolate, finely chopped (70% to 75%)
• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
• 2 tbsps cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter
• 200 gms butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup soft brown sugar (215 gms)
• 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 gms)
• 1/4 cup thick yoghurt or curd, at room temperature (55 gms)
• 2 eggs at room temperature (see notes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4th cup freshly boiled water (190 ml)

For the filling

• 1 and 1/2 cups pecans (150 gms)
• 2 cups grated unsweetened coconut (200 gms; if using frozen coconut, make sure it's thawed first)
• 1 tbsp cornflour or cornstarch
• 1 cup milk (250 ml)
• 1/2 cup cream (125 ml; whipping cream or regular cream)
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature (115 gms)
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
• 1/2 cup light soft brown sugar (105 gms)
• Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• It helps to start this cake one day before you plan to cut into it. I baked the cake in the morning and while it cooled and then chilled overnight (making it easier to slice and assemble), I made the filling, and let that chill overnight as well. The next day, I just had to put it all together and it gives the cake enough time to 'set', and then come back to room temperature before eating for the best texture.
• Make the cake. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (10-second increments, stirring in between) or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, and set aside to cool a little.
• Grease a 9" springform tin and preheat the oven to 175 C.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer till pale and light. Add the yoghurt and beat gently to combine.
• Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating gently after each addition. Now stir in the melted chocolate by hand, taking care not to be too vigorous, and mixing until just incorporated.
• Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt (if using). Fold it all in very gently till only a few streaks of flour remain. Now add the hot water, a little at a time, to prevent any lumps forming, and continue to fold the batter with a silicone spatula. I prefer doing this step by hand as a mixer could cause the hot water to splash here and there and make a mess.
• If you still see lumps (I often do, despite my best efforts), beat with the hand mixer on low speed for a few seconds until smooth. The batter is slightly runny.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. If you feel the top is darkening too fast, cover very loosely with foil and continue baking. Because ovens vary, it's a good idea to check around 45 minutes and then add more baking time as needed, but avoid opening the oven before this.
• Once baked, let the cake cool COMPLETELY at room temperature. Do not attempt to take it out of the tin while it's warm as it's definitely fragile. Once cooled, loosely cover the tin and place it in the fridge to chill overnight (or at least 6 hours) before assembling.
• Make the filling. Preheat the oven to 190 C. Spread the pecans out in a single layer on an un-greased baking tray. Bake for 5 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and when cool, break the pecans up into coarse pieces. Lower the oven temperature to 175 C, then spread the coconut out onto the same tray. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring the coconut at least 4 times as it begins to brown and dry up, so that you make sure it's not sticking and is getting evenly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
• Now in a medium sized saucepan or pot (a deeper one is better as the filling needs some room to simmer), whisk together the cornflour and two tablespoons of the milk, until smooth.
• Pour in the rest of the milk and cream, then add the sugars and butter. Give it a quick whisk to combine, then place on low heat. Use a silicone spatula or a whisk to stir slowly and continuously. Let the butter melt and as the mixture cooks and thicken up, it will begin to simmer. It should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon (see below). The whole thing takes 5 to 7 minutes so make sure you're stirring constantly to prevent burning or sticking. Take the pan off the heat and let the custard cool for about 10 minutes at room temperature where it will continue to thicken. Finally, stir in the toasted pecans and coconut (I reserved 3 tablespoons of the toasted coconut to decorate the top of the cake but it's totally optional.) Let the prepared filling cool for another 30 minutes (it will now be quite thick), then loosely cover and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours).
• The next day, you'll see that the filling has taken on the consistency of cooked oats. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes and it will loosen up enough to be of a spreadable consistency.
• Take the chilled cake out of the fridge. Remove the sides of the springform pan (I assembled the cake on the base of the pan itself, but you can transfer it to a platter if you like). The cake rises quite flat, but if you do have a slight dome, level it off with a sharp knife. Then use a long, serrated knife to slice the cake in two horizontally. I place my hand gently on the top of the cake and rotate it slowly to get an even cut. Lift off the top with a large metal spatula and place on a plate nearby.
• Drop half the filling into the center of the lower half of the cake. Spread it evenly right to the edge of the cake. Gently place the top half over it, and spread the rest of the filling on top as well. Scatter the reserved toasted coconut (optional) on top and if you're feeling enthusiastic, grate a couple of squares of dark chocolate over it as well! This cake is usually left with unfrosted sides but some recipes do add a chocolate buttercream frosting or ganache if you're interested!
• Let the cake sit at room temperature to 'set' for about an hour. If it's very warm where you are, then place it in the fridge to set. I cut the cake while it was at room temperature itself because I like the softer texture, but if you're looking for thinner, very neat slices, then chilling is recommended.
• Store in the fridge at all times, where it will keep for 4 to 5 days, and in the freezer for about a month. Happy baking!

Notes

Shop this recipe: Dark Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Paper, Mixing Bowl, Hand Mixer

*Cake batter based on my dense chocolate loaf. Filling adapted from Smitten Kitchen

*While I do have an eggless version of my dense chocolate loaf, I haven't tried it as a layer cake with this sort of filling. I recommend reading the notes for that recipe before you double the batter to make a layer cake. Keep in mind that the eggless version is a little bit fragile but if you do experiment with it, let me know how it goes! Alternately, this filling should work with whatever your favourite chocolate cake is, with eggs or without!

*Prep time does not include chilling time.

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