Always a favorite, this version of German Chocolate Cake has some rum and a buttercream frosting with toasted coconut added to the top.
German Chocolate Cake has always been my first choice for a birthday cake since I was a young girl and certainly something that fits perfectly in the ‘comfort food’ family. I made the birthday cakes in our family from the time I was about ten years old, and that included my own, and I admit my efforts utilized a box cake mix with coordinated frosting.
That was before icings were pre-made and packaged in cans; they used to be a blend of dry ingredients that you mixed with butter and milk and it made a decent frosting.
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But I’ve NEVER liked the stuff in a can; I’m just certain there is no butter in there but something hydrogenated or de-hydrogenated or whatever but I just don’t like it. When the dry product was no more, I decided to do it the old fashioned way and went looking for a recipe for both the cake and the yummy frosting.
That first effort at locating a recipe was interesting; I suppose like many I had always assumed this cake was a tried and true confection brought to this country by German immigrants; you know, my people. To say the story was a surprise would be an understatement.
Not so much German as simply a cake named after the chocolate bar used in a recipe that was created by an American baker. I had always associated lederhosen but bobby socks would have been more appropriate!
Ah well…despite the letdown that it was not from the country of my great-grandparents origin, I still loved the cake and German’s Sweet Chocolate (now owned by Baker’s) would remain part of the recipe…some things are sacred!
I’ve made this in times past by simply following the recipe on the German’s Sweet Chocolate Bar but this time around I wanted to change it up a bit and I’m betting it’s no surprise to anyone that I would be adding a bit of booze. The resulting German Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting and a Rum Glaze is simply divine.
I can hear Emeril Lagasse now, excitedly yelling how I ‘took it up a notch!’
I do think the end result is even better. Not big changes but just enough to amplify the flavors. I have been adding espresso powder to chocolate cakes for years; it elevates the flavor of chocolate without making the cake taste like coffee so that was a given. I also wanted something a bit more unique than the bazillion versions of the same thing scattered over the Internet so I decided to add some rum. There is rum in each component; complimenting but not taking over either.
The Rum Buttercream? If I’m honest, it was meant for decorative purposes only…do you know how hard it is to try and make a German Chocolate Cake look pretty? Spreading more of the coconut pecan frosting on the sides didn’t appeal to me; this cake seems to be the original of the ‘no frosting on the sides’ rustic look we see more and more of today and I saw no reason not to keep that.
Drizzling chocolate seemed to be just messy and not enough contrast to really make it more attractive. The idea of buttercream came to me only after the cake was done and cooling and I had been adding rum to all of the separate components…you know, one of those, “Hmm,. maybe a rum buttercream would work?”
I was after a color contrast as much as anything but it’s a nice little flavor surprise too and I know I won’t make a German Chocolate Cake again without it. Ever. You can consider it optional but also…try it once, it won’t be optional for you either!
This might be my idea of a comfort food but after eating more than I should; can’t say I’m that comfortable…what comfort foods do you love, and can’t help yourself from taking ‘just one more bite?’ 🙂
More German Chocolate Favorites
PIN IT! ‘German Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting’
German Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting
A luscious German chocolate cake with layers of cake and coconut frosting topped with a rum buttercream.
For the Cake
¼ cup cocoa½ cup water1 tablespoon instant espresso4 large eggs separated2 cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda¼ teaspoon salt1 cup butter softened2 cups sugar1 teaspoon vanilla2 tablespoons dark rum1 cup buttermilk
For the Rum Syrup
1 cup water1 cup sugar2 tablespoons dark rum
For the Coconut Pecan Frosting
1 ½ cups heavy cream1 ½ cups sugar4 egg yolks slightly beaten¾ cup butter1 ½ teaspoons vanilla1 tablespoon dark rum2 cups shredded coconut1 ½ cups chopped pecans
For the Rum Buttercream
½ cup of salted butter1 ½ teaspoons vanilla4 cups powdered sugar1 tablespoon rum3 to 4 tablespoons half and half
For Garnish
¼ cup toasted coconut optional
To Make the Cake
Heat oven to 350°F
Cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with parchment; butter sides of pans and parchment and dust with cocoa.
Warm chocolate and water in a small pan on medium heat until chocolate is melted; stirring constantly. Add instant espresso and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each.
Blend in melted chocolate, vanilla and rum.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
Fold in egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small knife around cakes in pans.
Cool cakes in pans 15 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely (See Notes).
Make the Coconut Pecan Frosting
Combine heavy cream, sugar, slightly beaten egg yolks, butter, vanilla and rum in saucepan.
Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat.
Stir in shredded coconut and chopped pecans.
Cool until thick enough to spread.
Make the Rum Buttercream
Cream the butter in a mixer until fluffy using the paddle attachment.
Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Add the rum and half and half and mix until smooth and spreadable (you might need to add more cream to get to the perfect consistency for you).
To Assemble
Put the first cake layer on a plate and brush with 1/4 cup syrup. Top with 1/3 of of the Coconut Frosting. Repeat for the next two layers; leaving a one inch edge on the outside of the top layer un-frosted.
Pipe the Rum Buttercream around the outside edge of the top layer. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
This cake has the most delicate crumb; use caution when removing the cake layers from the pans to keep them from breaking apart. Allow to cool completely before assembly and use the same caution. I simply used a large spatula to help me support each layer as I put it on the plate.
Nutrition Facts
German Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
