German Chocolate Cake

Hurricane Irene came and stomped through Virginia this weekend which put a slight damper on my baking adventures. I had planned on making a carrot cake AND German chocolate cupcakes for our Sunday night dinner. However, I was only able to produce the carrot cake in time. My cupcakes were put on the back burner (which was off since we had no power) while I tried, with little luck, to keep my 2 year old occupied in the dark. Luckily, our power came back on after only a day so we were back on our normal schedule pretty quick.

Now you would think this post would be about the Carrot Cake, but it's not. It's about the German Chocolate cupcakes that I made last night. I decided to make them because my office just got power and I knew people would be looking for a reason to stay in the office (instead of running out and playing hookie like we had been for the past two days). I figured cupcakes would do the trick, and they did!


Both of these recipes are from Country Living, a magazine I don't look at often, but one that has awesome recipes and pictures of living rooms that I would die to call my own. I had made the icing before, but had put it on a dark chocolate cake, to which my mom said 'it just doesn't taste right'. So this time a made a traditional German chocolate cake and my mom gave her approval. Since these were such a big hit I already have another recipe from the magazine that I'm planning on trying soon!

German Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Country Living)

1/2 cup boiling water
4 oz German chocolate, chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 cupcake tins with liners (24 cupcakes).

2. In a small bowl combine the German chocolate and hot water, mixing until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside to cool. In another bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the chocolate mixture and the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour, beat after each addition.

4. In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. Fold the egg white into the cake batter in two additions. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling up 3/4 of the way. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Note: Do not open the oven before halfway through the baking process or your cupcakes will sink in the center!

Coconut Pecan Icing (adapted from Country Living)

1 cup sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1. Place the flaked coconut and the chopped pecans onto a baking sheet. Set your oven rack to the top and turn the broiler on high. Put the baking sheet on the top rack and WATCH IT LIKE A HAWK. Take it out every 15-20 seconds so you can flip the coconut around so it all gets browned. This process should take about 2-4 minutes depending on how hot your broiler is. Once the mixture is a nice golden brown color, take it out and place it in a large bowl.

2. In a medium sauce pan combine the sugar, milk, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla. Cook on medium heat until thickened (10-15 minutes), whisking every so often. Once thickened pour the mixture over the coconut/pecans and mix until combined. Then let cool. The icing MUST be completely cool before you can ice your cupcakes or else it will ooze off the sides.

3. Once cool, take a small cookie scoop and scoop the icing onto the cupcakes making a little mound on each. You can top the icing with a drizzle of chocolate for a special touch. ENJOY!