Chocolate, Pecans and Coconut- OH MY!

Dear Chase:

German Chocolate Cake is an impressive looking cake not to mention one of my favorites. You start off with layers of moist chocolate cake that are stacked, one on top of another, with a sweet and gooey caramel like frosting , rolled with toasted coconut and pecans. This is not your typical chocolate cake with a semi-sweet chocolate frosting that usually covers the entire cake. A German Chocolate Cake leaves its sides bare so you can see both the frosting and the cake. For this particular recipe, I decided to make German Chocolate cupcakes with a decadent coconut, pecan frosting scooped on top. I always like a bit of history or trivia to go along with my desserts so the name "German" Chocolate Cake seems to suggest a tie to Germany but in fact the name refers to the type of chocolate used to make the cake.  Walter Baker & Company employee, Samuel German is the one who developed the chocolate back in 1852.

For this recipe, I did not use the "German" chocolate that is traditionally used for this cake but instead I opted for a less sweet option; unsweetened cocoa powder. I think it tastes much better but let's be honest, the coconut- pecan frosting is what makes this cake or so good!


Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe:

2 C. Flour
2 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs  plus (1) egg yolk 

1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2  C. Heavy Cream

1/2 C. Whole Milk
1 C. Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C. Hot Water

Pecan- Coconut Frosting:

1 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 C. Butter, softened
1/2 C. Sugar
3 Egg Yolks
1 C. Shredded Coconut
1 C. Chopped Pecans

You can't eat just one or at least I didn't, ha! Enjoy!