German Chocolate Cake Squares

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
  • Serves: 12,Yield: 113x9x2
  • About This Recipe

    “I made this cake for my husband last night, who absolutely loves German Chocolate Cake. He said this is the best cake he has ever tasted! This recipe came from the November, 1997 issue of Bon Appetit.”

    Ingredients

    For The Cake

  • 1/2 cupwater
  • 6ouncesBaker’s German’s chocolate, chopped
  • 2 1/4 cupsall-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsbaking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoonsalt
  • 2cupssugar
  • 1cupunsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4largeeggs, separated
  • 2teaspoonsvanilla extract
  • 1cupbuttermilk
  • 1cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips
  • For the Frosting

  • 1 (12ounce) cans evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cupssugar
  • 3/4 cupunsalted butter
  • 5largeegg yolks
  • 1/4 teaspoonalmond extract
  • 1 (7ounce) packages sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 1/2 cupscoarsely chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Directions

  • Make Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.
  • Bring water to a simmer in small saucepan.
  • Reduce heat to low.
  • Add chopped chocolate; whisk until smooth.
  • Cool.
  • Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.
  • Using elelctric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended.
  • Beat in yolks one at a time.
  • Beat in cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla.
  • Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.
  • Using clean, dry beaters, beat whites in another bowl until stiff but not dry.
  • Fold into batter in 2 additions.
  • Pour batter into prepared dish.
  • Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
  • Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.
  • Cool cake in pan on rack.
  • Make Frosting: Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy saucepan.
  • Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture simmers, thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 18 minutes.
  • Mix in coconut and pecans.
  • Spread warm frosting over cake.
  • Immediately sprinkle 1/4 cup chocolate chips over.
  • Let stand until frosting sets, about 2 hours.
  • Cut cake into squares and serve.
  • Reviews

  • “This isn’t a cake for the calorie conscious but it is decadent.The cake is moist and flavorful, and of course, the traditional german chocolate frosting is wonderful.I liked the addition of chocolate chips to the top of the cake (some dropped and floated in the cake when baked) and on top of the frosting.This cake looks very pretty with all the texture to the frosting and the chocolate chips sprinkled across the top.The directions were easy to follow though I may have cooked my frosting longer than directed as I was afraid the frosting would be too thin.I can’t wait until I have an opportunity to bring a cake to something as I’d imagine this cake would go over very well (and quickly too).Definetly a keeper!!”

  • “This recipe is a definate keeper…. very rich and dense.I even forgot to put the vanilla in, and was so flavorful.Will make this one again and again… I didn’t add the chocolate chips to the frosting, instead melted them and drizzled over.Also dipped some whole pecans halfway into chocolate for decoration……..ANOTHER great recipe Bev…:)”

  • “Very good cake! It was so moist and delicious. It takes a little time to prepare, but well worth the effort. It is definitely a keeper! Thanks!”

  • “I liked this, but I had some disappointments.The cake was moist and perhaps too dense– I suspect Troy overmixed the batter, but I was trying not backseat cook 😉 — but not chocolatey enough for my tastes.The frosting tasted good, but I suspect 18 minutes was way to long to cook it.I swear I *saw* the doneness test of thickening at like 5 minutes, but I kept going and saw the mixture deflate and then start to separate into tiny tiny curds and get a bit watery.Further cooking did not cook off the water or quite bring it back together.After cooling and applying ot the cake, it still tasted wonderful, but I really think I might have missed the perfect sugar moment. This has happened to me before with another recipe and this type of frosting, so next time I will trust the doneness test instead of the time and see if I can get it right.I also did not care for the chocolate chips either on top of the frosting or the cake.They did not seem to melt at all, and I didn’t care for the big chocolatey chunks in the bites.Still, overall taste is good.”

  • “I’m a German Chocolate Cake purist, so the chocolate chips seemed like heresy to me, but I did it anyway. They added a nice chunkiness to the cake which was nice. But putting them on the icing was a little much for me. But then again, I’m a purist here. The cake was very moist and I’m still enjoying it over 2 days later.The instructions are very well-written making it easy to follow.”

  • “This is the best ever! I am in a german class at school and i made it and everybody LOVED it! Thanks for the good grade and recipe! “

  • “My daughter wanted me to make this for her B-Day cake. It was everything the comments above said that it would be. So rich though that you just need about the size of a piece of fudge,because it is so sweet!”

  • “I have several family members who LOVE German Chocolate Cake and this was a HUGE hit.I don’t really care for it and I loved it! Thanks!Excellent taste!”

  • “I gave this delicious cake stars even though I didn’t add the chocolate chips because it was mouthwatering, made alot, and the instructions were easy to follow.I made this early this morning to celebrate my baby’s 1st bday, she enjoyed watching me make it and eat it.Everyone at the party thought it was great too.Thank you!”

  • “First off, it is very good.I made it for my father-in-laws birthday.If I make it again I would cut way back on the sugar.It was to sweet to eat really.It also took quiet a while to make.It was good though :)Just needs some tweeks.”

  • “Purely delicious!”

  • “I took this cake to dinner with friends.What a big hit!I pulled it out after 45 min, because it was looking like it was overbaking, only to find out it could have done with the additinoal 4 min.That’s okay though, as it still was very moist and tasty, with just a bit of a browny texture.Very tasty.I will definately be making this one again!”

  • “I followed the directions to a “T” and it was fabulous.Made it for my son’s 27th birthday (German choc. cake is his favorite) and he deemed it wonderful. Certainly something for special occasions and in moderation, but oh so heavenly!”

  • “I only used the cake-part of the recipe & was dissapointed because it didn’t rise as much as I would have liked.Overall the flavor was good though”

  • “This cake is amazing. I don’t consider myself a cake person but this one has me converted. I left out the chocolate chips in the frosting cause and I don’t really think it needs it because its so good without them. Just a warning, not a cake for beginner bakers.”

  • “This was so good it is insane.My family couldn’t stop saying “OMG!” as they took one bite after another.We have had many German Chocolate Cakes, from scratch and mix, and this is by far the best we have ever tasted.”

  • “Maded these for an Easter birthday party…they turned out great.”

  • “Absolutely delicious! I made this for a friend’s birthday, and it was an overwhelming hit! Everyone said it was the best German Chocolate Cake they’d ever had.It’s very moist and rich, with a medium texture — a little more dense than a typical cake, but not as chewy or heavy as a brownie. Instead of adding the chocolate chips before baking and then again before frosting, I put them on top of the cake as soon as it came out of the oven, then spread them into a thin layer of chocolate on top of the cake when they started to melt.Like some other reviewers, I had a hard time telling when the frosting was done, as it passed the “finger on the back of the spoon” test long before I thought it was thick enough to be done. Also, I expected it to brown a a bit, but the color stayed a kind of dark yellow. I ended up cooking it for about 25 minutes, but it came out just perfect in the end.”

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