German Chocolate Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting

For the Cake:
-4 oz Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, broken into squares
-1/2 cup water
-2 cups all purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
-1 cup butter, softened (two sticks)
-2 cups sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 cup buttermilk

For the Frosting:
-1 1/2 cans evaporated milk
-6 egg yolks
-2 cups sugar
-1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-4 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
-2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour 3 9x2 inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with wax paper.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate with the water, stirring to melt the chocolate, and blend well. Set aside and cool for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, the baking soda, and the salt. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, about 1 minute.
6. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the egg yolks, beating until well combined.
8. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract.
9. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with he buttermilk, beating after each addition, until smooth.
10. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on the high speed of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter.
11. Divide batter among the prepared pans.
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake, as this cake has a different, lighter texture than most.
13. Let cake cool in pans for 10 minutes.
14. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
15. In a large saucepan, beat together the evaporated milk and the egg yolks.
16. Stir in the sugar, the butter , and the vanilla extract.
17. Stir over medium heat about 15-18 minutes or until thickened and bubbly and golden in color. Remove from heat.
18. Stir in the coconut and pecans.
19. Transfer to a large bowl and cool until room temperature and of good spreading consistency (about 2 hours.)
20. When cake has cooled, spread frosting between layers and over top of cake.


SO GOOD! This cake has a really light and fluffy texture, and the nuts in the frosting go perfectly with it! Looking at these pictures just makes me want to make it again!

5 minute chocolate mug cake

So tonight, I really needed to bake. It was a case of literally, "Bake it or Break It". I wasn't my usual happy self, and I knew that baking would fix that right up.

The only problem was, there wasn't that many ingredients in my cupboard, and I didn't want to stand over a stove melting butter or chocolate and the like.

Plus, my grandparents had a roast lamb in the oven, so that was out of action.

Enter, the 5 minute chocolate mug cake. Throw all the ingredients into a mug, and chuck it into the microwave. Genius.

I sourced the original recipe here. I didn't have chocolate chips, so I just left those out.

Despite the lack of chocolate chip-ness, the cake-in-a-mug was good. Oh my goodness, it was good. But it needed a little something else.

So I melted 6 squares of cooking chocolate (left over from making cupcakes on the weekend), added about 10 grams of butter and microwaved the lot for about 20 seconds.

Poured on top of the mug cake, and I nearly had a chocolate coma. It was that amazing.

Do yourself a favour and make yourself one. With the cake still warm from the microwave, mixed in with the warm chocolate sauce, this is the perfect chocolate pick-me-up. You'll thank me!