German Chocolate Layer Cake

Photo by Matt Sechrist

For my dad's birthday I knew I was going to do something either Snickerdoodle or German Chocolate because those are his favorites.  I considered cupcakes or a cake, and ended up choosing the German Chocolate cake because it felt more birthday-ey.  
I've made the German Chocolate cupcakes from Your Cup of Cake, but she uses doctored cake mixes and I really wanted to do something from scratch.  Plus, I don't typically like the light chocolate flavor of German chocolate cakes, so I went with one of my favorite, richly chocolate flavored cake recipes.  I ADORE the coconut/pecan filling from Your Cup of Cake, so I used that as well.  I don't like the canned stuff, but I could eat this with a spoon.  Or my fingers.  Honestly.  I'm disgusting.
I made a 3-layer chocolate cake and used the coconut-pecan filling between each layer.  I frosted the outside of the cake with the chocolate butter cream, and topped it with the coconut-pecan filling and outlined the top with buttercream.
It was very rich, but delicious!  A small slice and a glass of milk is all I could ever ask for.
Happy Birthday, Dad!

Photo by Katie Kay

German Chocolate Layer Cake
CAKE: 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder 1 Tbsp espresso powder 1 1/2 cups boiling water 3/4 cup sour cream 1 Tbsp vanilla 3 sticks butter, softened 2 1/2 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar 3 large eggs 1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp salt
COCONUT-PECAN FILLING: 1 1/2 cup evaporated milk 1 1/2 cups sugar 5 egg yolks, lightly beaten 3/4 cups butter 2 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 1/4 cups chopped pecans 2 1/4 cups flaked coconut
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM: 1 8oz cream cheese, softened 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 6 cups powdered sugar 4 tsp vanilla 2 Tbsp cream
Preheat oven to 350, then grease and flour 3 cake pans.  Combine cocoa powder and espresso in a small bowl.  Add boiling water and whisk gently to combine.  Cool slightly, then whisk in sour cream.  Set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add vanilla, combine.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each one.  Combine flour, soda and salt in a separate bowl.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture.  Add half of cocoa mixture.  Add 1/3 of flour mixture.  Add remaining cocoa, then the remaining flour.  Beat well between each addition.  Pour evenly in cake pans and bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert on baking racks to cool completely.
While cakes are baking, start on the Coconut-Pecan mixture.  In a saucepan, combine evaporated milk, butter, sugar and egg yolks.  Turn heat on medium and stir consistently until thickened and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.  Add pecans and coconut; stir.  Set aside to cool.
To make buttercream, combine butter and cream cheese in a mixer and beat until combined and creamy.  Add cocoa powder, combine well.  Add vanilla, beat well.  Add powdered sugar slowly, beating well.  Add cream as needed.
To assemble the cake, place 1 layer on a cake board.  Pipe a small border around the top edge, then fill with coconut-pecan filling.  Place 2nd cake layer on top, then pipe a small border around the edge, filling with coconut-pecan mixture.  Top with last cake layer.  Frost entire cake with a thin crumb coat of buttercream.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until frosting hardens.
Frost cake with remaining buttercream, reserving some for piping the top border.  Pipe a decorative border around the top perimeter of the cake, and fill with remaining coconut-pecan mixture.  Serve at room temperature.
From Annie's Eats and YourCupofCake