From my cookbook…Diane Giustozzi’s Improved German’s Chocolate Cake
My birthday is November 10, and German’s Chocolate Cake is my all-time favorite!
There are over 300 recipes in my recently published cookbook, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Click on the link in Note 1 to get your own copy). Even in these inflationary times, we can prepare delicious meals for our family and do so in a way that does not break the budget. And it’s all in the cookbook!
Childhood memories
My mother was a wonderful cook and we always had great food to eat. She was also a great baker, and because my dad had a sweet tooth, we always had delicious desserts in the house, and that included her making German’s chocolate cake for me every year on my birthday. As I note in the recipe below, my wife Diane, who is a wonderful baker, helped me clean up my mother’s original handwritten recipe, and then she decided to improve upon it. Yes, I know that is a dangerous statement, but this cake knocks it out of the park! If you want to, go ahead and make both recipes (both are in my cookbook) and see what you think! Either way, I know you will enjoy this delicious dessert!
Diane Giustozzi’s Improved German’s Chocolate Cake
I’ve mentioned before that Diane is the baker in the family and when she bakes something, it is so good! Her pie crust is the best ever, and that’s just a start. In this recipe, she helped me improve an old favorite.
My mom used to make a delicious German’s chocolate cake (see Jewel Giustozzi’s German’s Chocolate Cake recipe in my cookbook) for me when I was a child every year on my birthday. I had acquired the recipe from her a long time ago and wanted to recreate it for my cookbook. While I really liked Mom’s cake, it did tend to be a little dry, at least for me. Like many recipes written down all those years ago (early 1960s, I guess), many of the women who cooked and baked did not provide us with all the information we need to obtain a consistent outcome. Frankly, many of them cooked from memory and feel. I’ve found this to be true time and again as I attempt to cook these old recipes. So, it’s no different with this recipe. While Diane was able to recreate the exact same taste I remember as a child, using tips and techniques she learned over the years, she wanted to do a little something to produce a moister cake. She spent a lot of time on research, including looking at Samuel German’s original recipe from 1852! Here are the results, and you will love this cake! Now you will have to bake them both!
So, this is her version, adapting from Jewel’s recipe, the actual Samuel German recipe, and many others I read or watched videos about in my research. The cake is a little darker than my mom’s, but excellent!
Ingredients:
For the cake
2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for pan dusting)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown Sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (best quality you can get)
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups butter
4 oz. Baker’s bittersweet chocolate
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, avocado, canola, etc.)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup brewed coffee
½ cup simple syrup (optional)
Butter or shortening to prepare pans
For the filling (Note 1)
4 large eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups pecans (finely chopped and toasted)
For the chocolate frosting
1 1/2 cups butter (softened)
1 cup cocoa
4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the cake: Prepare two 9” cake pans. Use butter or shortening and grease the bottom and sides of the pans and add a piece of cut parchment paper to the bottom Add flour (or cocoa, if you prefer) and pat bottom until bottom and sides are coated with the flour or cocoa. Discard any extra flour or cocoa.
In a large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients. Using a hand mixer (Note 1), mix until incorporated. Make a well in the center and add all liquid ingredients except eggs. Using a hand mixer, mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time and continuing to mix until well incorporated.
Divide the batter equally into two prepared pans using a measuring cup or scales. Bake for 30 minutes and begin checking. When toothpick comes out clean the cakes are done. It took me 37 minutes last time I baked them. Remove cakes from oven.
Using a plastic knife, run around the edges of the pan to help cakes release. Flip pans on wire racks and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn over on wire rack and allow to cool completely. At this point, you can stop and wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap to use later. Continue with the assembly process.
Drizzle the simple syrup equally over each cake. This is optional, but delicious!
Prepare the filling (Note 2): While the cakes bake, prepare the filling. Add the evaporated milk, sugar egg yolks, butter and vanilla on low heat and cook until it is thick, 10-15 minutes. Start heat on low and, if necessary, turn up higher. You don’t want to scorch the milk or other ingredients so take your time on this step.
When thickened, remove from heat. Using a large silicone spatula, fold in the coconut and continue to mix until well incorporated. Let cool. Add pecans and mix well to combine.
Assemble the cake: Using a sharp, thin knife, cut each cake in half horizontally such that you have four equal sized cakes. If either or both cakes became deformed during baking, cut off any parts that rose.
Place one of the cake bottoms on a tall cake container. Add ¼ of the filling. Repeat with the three other cakes. You may want to refrigerate the cake for a while to allow things to firm up before adding the frosting, it will be easier and won’t be as messy.
Prepare the frosting: Beat butter, cream cheese and vanilla together. With mixer running, add dry ingredients. Slowly add milk until well incorporated. Spread over sides of cake. I like my cake better after it has been refrigerated, but hey, who can resist a freshly baked cake like this?
Notes
Diane likes using a hand mixer as opposed to a stand mixer.
You may want to double the filling recipe for an extra rich cake. Yes, it’s a lot!
Diane’s German’s Chocolate Cake
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What’s in it for me?
Good eats, that’s what!
Call to Action
Show someone how much you love them by preparing a delicious meal for them. Later, enjoy the time and money you save by relishing your leftovers, either for lunch at work or dinner at home. Take comfort in knowing you are eating healthy food you prepared. All because you made a good decision to follow the recipes and tips in the cookbook I developed just for you.
Besides getting a copy of the cookbook for yourself, it makes an excellent gift for those you love and care for, especially for those with a young family who are looking to save time and money in the kitchen. And learn a few things in the process! What a great idea!
Recommended Resources
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi (Note 1).
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Notes
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Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ