German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 4 oz sweet baking chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup water
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or 2 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk Coconut-Pecan Filling and Topping (below)

Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans with shortening. Line the bottoms with parchment paper or waxed paper, then apply another layer of grease.
2. 2Warm the chopped sweet baking chocolate and water in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture frequently until the chocolate melts completely, then set it aside to cool.
3. 3Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, use an electric mixer on high speed to cream the sugar and softened butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. 4Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Lower the mixer speed and blend in the cooled melted chocolate and vanilla extract.
5. 5Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Keep the mixer on low speed and beat just until the batter is smooth after each addition.
6. 6Clean and dry the mixer attachments thoroughly. Beat the egg whites in a small bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, refrigerating any pans that do not fit in the oven for a second batch.
7. 7Bake 8-inch pans for 35 to 40 minutes, or 9-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire cooling racks.
8. 8Peel off the parchment or waxed paper from the bottom of each cake layer. Allow the cakes to cool completely for about 1 hour before frosting.

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