Description
German chocolate cake from Paula Deen celebrates rich chocolate layers with signature coconut-pecan frosting, creating a classic Southern dessert. Creamy textures and deep flavors make this Paula Deen recipe a memorable sweet indulgence you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large eggs
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 cups (473 ml) all purpose flour
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 ½ cups (357 ml) plus 1 cup (237 ml) boiling heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup (340 g) plus 6 tbsps and ¼ cup, divided and softened butter
- 1 (4 oz/113 g) bar melted and cooled, plus 2 more bars, chopped sweet baking chocolate
- 3 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (400 g) plus 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups toasted and chopped pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsps light corn syrup
- Pecan halves (for garnish)
- Chocolate curls (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preparation: Grease and flour three 23-centimeter cake pans. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
- Creaming: Blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually incorporate eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly between additions.
- Dry Ingredient Mixture: Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Batter Assembly: Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Gently integrate melted chocolate until evenly distributed.
- Baking Process: Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake for 18-22 minutes, verifying doneness with a clean skewer test.
- Cooling Stage: Rest cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks until completely cooled.
- Coconut-Pecan Filling: Combine heavy cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and fold in butter, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans.
- Ganache Preparation: Melt chocolate, butter, and corn syrup. Pour boiling cream over mixture, let sit briefly, then stir until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cake Assembly: Layer cake with coconut-pecan filling between each tier. Freeze assembled layers for 1 hour to set firmly.
- Finishing Touch: Coat entire cake with ganache frosting. Decorate top with remaining coconut-pecan filling, optional pecan halves, and chocolate curls.
- Serving Recommendation: Refrigerate cake, allowing it to reach room temperature before serving to optimize flavor and texture.
Notes
- Precise Ingredient Temperature: Ensure butter, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature for smoother mixing and better cake texture.
- Gentle Mixing Technique: Fold dry ingredients and buttermilk carefully to prevent overmixing, which can result in a dense, tough cake.
- Cooling Critical Step: Allow cake layers to cool completely before frosting to prevent ganache from melting and ensure clean, smooth decoration.
- Filling Consistency Matters: Cook coconut-pecan filling until it thickens enough to coat a spoon, preventing runny or overly liquid filling between cake layers.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 720
- Sugar: 70 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 81 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg