Careys German Decadent Chocolate Cake
BEWARE, this recipe is truly decadent. I make it a couple of times a year for special occasions. The finished product is moist and addicting. Yummy! I know it seems like a long process, but it is WELL worth the effort.
BEWARE, this recipe is truly decadent. I make it a couple of times a year for special occasions. The finished product is moist and addicting. Yummy! I know it seems like a long process, but it is WELL worth the effort.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ********* frosting **********
- 18 ounces evaporated milk (1 1/2 cans)
- 2 1/8 cups raw sugar
- 6 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
- 5 cups flaked coconut
- 2 1/4 cups pecans coarsely chopped
- *********** cake **********
- 4 ounces germans sweet chocolate
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour sifted
- 2 cups raw sugar
- 4 eggs separated
- Carbohydrate 87.12057125 g
- Cholesterol 955.3875 mg
- Fat 62.16868 g
- Fiber 5.45485933244228 g
- Protein 20.81039 g
- Saturated Fat 29.1350323125 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (311g)
- Sodium 429.08484375 mg
- Sugar 81.6657119175577 g
- Trans Fat 3.91623537499999 g
- Calories 964 calories
Step-by-step
- FROSTING:.
- Place flaked coconut in two bowls, equally.
- Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in large saucepan. Cook on medium heat approximately 12 minutes until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly (just as mixture starts to boil). Remove from heat.
- Add flaked coconut (from ONE bowl) and pecans; mix well. Let sit for 2-3 hours (overnight is okay) to achieve a "raw honey"-like texture. Frost as directed below.
- Note: Reserve the remaining coconut for finishing the cake.
- CAKE:.
- Line bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper (cut 3 sheets of waxed paper from box; place all 3 on bottom of cake pan; take back side of butter knife and rub around the edge of the pan creating a crease; cut out circles on crease); butter sides of pan.
- Microwave chocolate and water in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Beat egg whites (4) with whisk attachment in mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove to separate bowl.
- In mixer, combine butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture (if hot, it will "cook" the eggs) and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt. add buttermilk slowly, beating until well blended. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans, making sure batter is evenly distributed (batter is SLIGHTLY thicker in middle than around sides).
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean (do NOT over-bake, as this will result in a dry cake). Immediately run spatula between cakes and sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove cake layers from pans. Remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks.
- Take sharp serrated knife and gently go around top of each cake, cutting away excess cake so that it has a flat top. Place one cake UPSIDE DOWN on a 9" cake round.
- Spread coconut-pecan filling and frosting between layers and onto top of cake. Taking your hand, scoop up some frosting and press into side of cake until covered (this is the messy part!). Then take some of the extra coconut and secure the frosting by pressing it into the sides of the cake (you will probably have extra coconut). Pat around cake twice until you receive a nice finished product. Transfer cake (with cake round) onto a pretty round plate, if desired.
- Garnish suggestions: Use whole pecans and coconut on top. Coconut curls may be created by shaving a strip of coconut, cutting it into 1/4" slices then securing it around a straw with butcher's twine (or other type of thick string) until dry.
- Serving Suggestion: Place mini chocolate morsels around cake. Serve with natural vanilla ice cream.
Whipping egg whites separately and folding them into the batter at the final stage is the primary mechanical defense against density in this recipe. Trapped air expands inside the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, lifting the heavy whole wheat flour and cocoa solids into a light crumb. Monitor the bake time closely between 20 and 30 minutes, withdrawing the pans the exact moment a wooden toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Over-baking dries out the crumb structure irreversibly by evaporating moisture bound by the buttermilk and butter emulsion. While the cake bakes, the cooked milk, sugar, and egg yolk mixture requires continuous stirring over medium heat for approximately 12 minutes until it thickens into a golden base. Allowing this frosting to rest for two to three hours before assembly is mandatory because the starch and dairy proteins need that window to cool and thicken into a honey-like viscosity capable of supporting heavy flakes of coconut and coarsely chopped pecans without sliding off the vertical layers. Precise temperature control when combining the melted German sweet chocolate with the butter and egg yolks prevents premature protein coagulation.
