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German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Caramel Frosting

Source of Recipe

From "The Foster's Market Cookbook" by Sara Foster


Recipe Introduction

"This traditional layer cake — with its delightfully gooey frosting — is a great addition to casual buffets, potlucks, tailgates, and picnics."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 3 ½ cups sugar
â—¦ 4 large eggs
â—¦ 1 cup hot water
â—¦ 1 cup milk
â—¦ 1 cup canola or safflower oil
â—¦ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 recipe Coconut-Pecan Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and stir to mix. Set aside. Combine the sugar, eggs, water, milk, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl and whisk until well blended. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, about one-quarter at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl and blending well after each addition.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake 50 to 55 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool the cakes 10 to 15 minutes in the pans. Remove from the pans and continue to cool on a baking rack.

Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a long, serrated knife to slice off the top rounded portion of each cake to make a flat, even surface. Cut each layer in half horizontally through the center to make 4 layers. Discard the trimmings.

Place the first layer on a cake plate, cut side down, and top with one-quarter of the frosting. Repeat with the remaining three layers. At Foster's, we don't frost the sides of the cake; we love the way the frosting oozes down the sides, creating a homey, casual look.

Makes one 9-inch (four-layer) cake,
Serves 12 to 16



Coconut-Pecan Caramel Frosting:

â—¦ 3 cups sugar
â—¦ 3 cups heavy cream
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
â—¦ 3 cups (8 ounces) sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
â—¦ 4 cups coarsely chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Place the sugar in a very large, dry skillet over medium heat. (Be sure to use a large skillet. Otherwise, the hot, syrupy mixture may boil over when you add the cream in Step 3.)

Without stirring, let the mixture melt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until it turns amber in color. (If the mixture begins to turn dark around the edges, do not stir, but shake or rotate the pan so the mixture cooks evenly. Stirring will cause the mixture to be lumpy.)

Slowly and carefully stir in the cream and vanilla and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and all the lumps dissolve. Mix the coconut and pecans together in a large bowl. Add the cream mixture and stir to mix. Cool to room temperature before frosting the cake. (Do not refrigerate the frosting; it will become too hard to work with.)

Makes about 6 cups frosting