“Absolutely best chocolate cake you have ever made” resonated around the birthday celebration table for my son. For his birthday every year, I have the pleasure of making my youngest Son’s favorite desert – German Chocolate Cake. This year, he has gone gluten-free, so I was forced to experiment with a different recipe. The whole family said it was their favorite chocolate cake – Hands down – that I’ve ever made – woohoo! Perhaps it helps that it is a German “Dark” Chocolate cake 🙂
Dark German Chocolate Cake (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
Cake
- 4½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 cups GF flour (includes xanthan)
- 1¾ cups cocoa powder
- 3½ tsp baking powder
- 3½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp salt
- 5 large eggs
- 2¼ cups half and half
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1⅛ cups vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups intensely hot water
Coconut Pecan Filling and Topping
- 2½ cups sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- 1⅓ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Grease and flour 3- 9” round cake pans.
- Blend together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (I use a whisk)
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients an mix at low speed for 5 minutes.
- Slowly pour the hot water into the batter, continuing to mix.
- Divide batter between the 3 pans and bake until the center feels firm to the touch (I use a spoon), about 30 - 35 minutes.
- Layers can cool in pans, be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Filling and Topping
- Pour sugar into the middle of a deep heavy pan. Pour the water around the edge of the pan. Gently stir to moisten the sugar.
- Bring to a full boil (using high heat), and cook with out stirring, swirling the pan occasionally to even out the color, until it reaches a medium caramel color - 5 - 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use a long-handled spoon to slowly and carefully stir in the cream - being cautious of splattering. Stir in the nuts and coconut. Keep warm.
- Place one layer - rounded side down on cake platter, top with 1/3 filling. Repeat with layer #2, Place top layer - rounded side up and top with remainder filling. Sides of cake will remain uncovered.
