German Chocolate Cake
from The Bon Appetit Cookbook, edited by Barbara Fairchild, © 2006
CAKE
½ cup water
1 4-ounce package sweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
pinch cream of tartar
FROSTING
1 ½ cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½-inch sides. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Bring ½ cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter un large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla; mix until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating well after each addition. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter in two additions.
Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks. Remove parchment; cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store at room temperature.)
FOR FROSTING
Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan and whisk until blended. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens to consistency of caramel sauce and coats spoon, about 10 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and pecans/macadamia nuts. Let frosting stand at room temperature until cool and spreadable, about 1 ½ hours. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)