For as long as I can remember, German chocolate sheet cake has been a family favorite dessert. Every family member has a recipe box that carefully contains my grandmother’s renowned recipe, which my dad asks for on his birthday. I never gave much thought to the notion that German Chocolate Cake was, well, German, since my dad’s side of the family is really German. You can thus imagine how shocked I was to find it was untrue!
Two cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate powder and 2 cups white sugar
One cup water, one stick of butter, one-half cup shortening
German baking chocolate, 4 oz.
Half a cup of buttermilk
One tsp baking soda
Half a teaspoon of salt
two eggs
One tsp vanilla
FROSTING
Can of 12-ounce evaporated milk
three yolks from eggs
Half a cup of butter
One cup of sugar
Half a cup of brown sugar
a half-cup of grated coconut
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans
A quarter-tsp vanilla
German Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
Grease a sheet pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large basin.
Add the water, butter, shortening, and chocolate to a small saucepan. Heat to a boil on a medium setting. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and well blended.
Add the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, salt, and vanilla, stirring in between each addition.
Pour batter onto the sheet pan that has been ready, and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Before icing, let cool.
FROSTING
Place the butter, sugars, egg yolks, and milk in a medium-sized pot and heat. After bringing the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Take off the heat.
Add vanilla, pecans, and coconut and stir.
Spread the icing over the cake after letting it cool somewhat.
After 1 to 2 hours of chilling, serve.