German Chocolate Cake {with Coconut Pecan Frosting}

Happy Chocolate Cake Day! Celebrate by turning your ordinary chocolate cake into a fabulous German Chocolate Cake with this heavenly coconut pecan frosting. And believe me it’s easier than you think!

You see, I was just going to make a chocolate cake with my favorite buttercream frosting,however my husband stated, “how about a German Chocolate Cake?” Well, this usually would not be on the top of my list to make, but I decided to treat my husband by making one of his favorite cakes.

First, you start by making a basic chocolate layer cake, you can make one from scratch or from a packaged mix. I used a box mix and substituted almond milk for the water and melted butter for the oil and added a bit of vanilla. Then you’ll make the sweet coconut pecan frosting. This amazingly only takes a few ingredients and about 15 minutes to cook, and the outcome is pure coconut pecan perfection.

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

For the Chocolate Cake:

1 box Pillsbury Chocolate Cake Mix
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. With a hand-held mixer, beat on medium-speed for 2 minutes. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for about 15 minutes then remove and place on wire rack and cool completely.

For the Coconut Pecan Frosting
(recipe adapted from A Southern Fairytale)

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
4 egg yolks
1- 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1- 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter
3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1- 1/2 cups chopped pecans

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add egg yolks, milk and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Then add the butter and sugar and whisk until combined. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until mixture turns golden brown and becomes thick. Stir the mixture constantly. Remove from the heat and add the coconut and pecans and mix until well incorporated. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool completely before frosting your cake. Note, this will take about 1 hour, or so.

Once the frosting is completely cool, put one layer of your cake on a serving tray or cake stand. Put 1/2 of the Coconut Pecan Frosting on the top. With a spatula, gently spread the frosting to the edges of the cake layer. Put the second layer on top and add the remaining Coconut Pecan Frosting and spread to the edge of the cake.

Truth be told, this was my fist attempt at making a German Chocolate Cake, and it turned out amazing! The moist chocolate cake smothered in rich, gooey coconut pecan frosting will make your heart skip a beat. Not only was it good, my husband loved it! How did I know this. Well, he is kind of my “goodness gauge”. If he goes for seconds you know you’ve got a winner. But if he goes for thirds or fourths, or eventually eats the entire thing, well, you really know it’s great! And well, yes he pretty much ate the whole thing!