Mom's German Chocolate Cake

Family Dessert Recipes

1 4oz. pkg German sweet chocolate 1/2 c. boiling water 1 c. butter 2 c. sugar 4 egg yolks, unbeaten 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. buttermilk 4 egg whites, stiff Frosting 1 c. evap. milk 1 c. sugar 3 egg yolks 1/4 lb. butter (1 stick) 1 tsp. vanilla Plus: 1 can coconut, 1 c. chopped nuts

This is an old favorite of ours, a Hostetler Family Recipe. Sticky coconut frosting, light airy chocolate cake. Perfect ending for Easter dinner. Yield: 2 9-inch round layers or 3 8-inch round layers Note: Grandma's recipe calls for canned coconut - perhaps this is a regional favorite; I sure couldn't find it in our grocery store. I used about 2-3 c. shredded coconut. One more note about ingredients - if you don't have buttermilk on hand, clabber regular old milk like you'd use on cereal. Put 1 Tbsp. vinegar in the bottom of the 1 cup measuring cup. Fill it the rest of the way with milk, then set aside until you're ready to use it. Break chocolate into small pieces. Stir together 1/2 c. boiling water and chocolat, stirring until melted, then set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time. Take care when separating your eggs - don't let any yolk get into the whites or the whites wont beat stiff. Add vanilla, chocolate mixture to batter and beat until blended. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to cake batter alternately with buttermilk. Beat smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Line three 8" round or two 9" round pans with waxed paper, then pour batter evenly into pans. Bake at 350°F 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting. Frosting: In a medium saucepan, cook evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, and butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add vanilla, coconut, chopped nuts (I like pecans in this frosting), and beat until of spreadable consistency. Allow to cool. Frost between layers and on top of cake, but not down the sides. (Easter, 2011)

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Tuesday May 11th, 2004 and modified on Tuesday May 3rd, 2011