German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake
ドイツのチョコレート・ケーキ
For the Christmas cooking classI wanted to make a cake that was both satisfying and also devilishly demonic in calories. The cake that came to mind was a household favorite of mine, the German Chocolate cake. My mother would often make this cake anytime of the year, not especially for Christmas. The funny thing is the name aroused doubt amongst my German friends, who told me they had never heard of such a cake- or couldn't even imagine any Germans craving coconut! The name come from an unusual story...
German Chocolate Cake is an American creation that contains the key ingredients of sweet baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans. This cake was not brought to the American Midwest by German immigrants. The cake took its name from an American with the last name of "German."
1852 - Sam German created the mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852. The company name the chocolate in his honor - "Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate." In most recipes and products today, the apostrophe and the "s" have been dropped, thus giving the false hint as for the chocolate's origin. 1957 -The first published recipe for German's chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 and came from a Texas homemaker. The cake quickly gained popularity and its recipe together with the mouth-watering photos were spread all over the country. America fell in love with German Chocolate cake.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe
One big, tall 9-inch cake; about 16 servings
For the cake:
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped6 tablespoons water8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar4 large eggs, separated2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:1 cup heavy cream1 cup sugar3 large egg yolks3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces½ teaspoon salt1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted
For the syrup:1 cup water¾ cup sugar2 tablespoons dark rum
For the chocolate icing:8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped2 tablespoons light corn syrup1 ½ ounces unsalted butter1 cup heavy cream

1. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.
6. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

7. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there's no trace of egg white visible.
8. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake layers completely.
While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.

To make the icing:
1. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.
2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil.

Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature

To make the filling:
1. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.
2. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)
3. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)
To make the syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To assemble the cake:
Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.
Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.
Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

The cake can be stored in a cool place for up to a week. It goes well with a hot cup of coffee and be sure not to skimp on the icing- the more the better!