Chocolate Layer Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours 40 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
German Chocolate-Style Layer Cake
¼ cup natural cocoa powder 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee⅓ cup boiling water 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅓ cup plain yogurt, nonfat, or buttermilk12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table saltCoconut-Pecan Filling
4 egg yolks 1 cup granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups pecans, toasted7 ounces (198 grams) sweetened flaked coconut, about 2 cups lightly packedBefore You Begin
Buttermilk gives this cake a pleasantly mild chocolate flavor with a very light, soft texture. The pecan and coconut filling -- inspired by German chocolate cake -- provides textural contrast.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla and yogurt or buttermilk.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Mix egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; beat in butter, then gradually beat in heavy cream and vanilla. Pour into medium, nonreactive saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is puffy and just begins to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir in pecans and coconut. Halve each cake round crosswise. Place one of the cake bottoms on a serving plate. Spread about 1 cup filling over cake half. Place another halved cake round over filling. Repeat the stacking and spreading process with remaining filling and cake, ending with a final layer of filling. Serve.
for the cake
for the filling
Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours 40 minutes coolingYield
Serves 12Ingredients
German Chocolate-Style Layer Cake
¼ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
⅓ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup plain yogurt, nonfat, or buttermilk
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Coconut-Pecan Filling
4 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted
7 ounces (198 grams) sweetened flaked coconut, about 2 cups lightly packed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
German Chocolate-Style Layer Cake
¼ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
⅓ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup plain yogurt, nonfat, or buttermilk
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Coconut-Pecan Filling
4 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted
7 ounces (198 grams) sweetened flaked coconut, about 2 cups lightly packed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
German Chocolate-Style Layer Cake
¼ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
⅓ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅓ cup plain yogurt, nonfat, or buttermilk
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Coconut-Pecan Filling
4 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted
7 ounces (198 grams) sweetened flaked coconut, about 2 cups lightly packed
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
While developing our chocolate layer cake recipe we found very little difference between cakes baked with standard American cocoa and “Dutched” cocoa. We chose water over milk or buttermilk to moisten our cake batter, discovering that cakes made with dairy had a more muted chocolate flavor.
Before You Begin
Buttermilk gives this cake a pleasantly mild chocolate flavor with a very light, soft texture. The pecan and coconut filling -- inspired by German chocolate cake -- provides textural contrast.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in vanilla and yogurt or buttermilk.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Mix egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; beat in butter, then gradually beat in heavy cream and vanilla. Pour into medium, nonreactive saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is puffy and just begins to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour mixture into a medium bowl and cool to room temperature. Stir in pecans and coconut. Halve each cake round crosswise. Place one of the cake bottoms on a serving plate. Spread about 1 cup filling over cake half. Place another halved cake round over filling. Repeat the stacking and spreading process with remaining filling and cake, ending with a final layer of filling. Serve.
for the cake
for the filling
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