German Chocolate Dream Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Line a 15"x10" pan with wax paper.
• Wisk together cocoa, sugar and boiling water.
• Cool to lukewarm.
• Prepare cake mix to pkg. directions, using the water and adding the cocoa mixture.
• Spread batter evenly in the pan.
• Bake 20 minutes or till top looks dry.
• Invert onto large rack.
• Remove pan and wax paper and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, dissolve coffee in milk.
• Add whip topping& pudding mixes.
• Beat on low speed till moistened, then high speed till soft peaks form.
• Chill 5 minutes.
• Cut cake crosswise into thirds, cover each with topping, then stack.
• (I'll probably skip the stacking and just frost& serve) Chill for 2 hours.

Steps:

• Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate until completely chilled., Grease and flour three 8-in. round baking pans; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, mayonnaise and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small heavy saucepan, heat the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread. , To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with a third of the filling. Repeat layers twice. Beat chilled cream mixture until soft peaks form. Spread over sides of cake. Drizzle fudge topping over cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• For the cajeta filling/frosting:
• Bring the milk, coconut milk and goat's milk to a simmer over low heat in a small saucepan. Keep warm while you prepare the caramel.
• Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook (do not stir) until it becomes a deep amber brown color. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth; add the vanilla seeds and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is reduced by half and is the consistency of a caramel sauce, about 55 minutes.
• Once the sauce is reduced, remove from the heat and whisk in the cold butter, vanilla extract, salt and rum and whisk until combined. Transfer the sauce to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and coconut. Let the frosting cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally before frosting the cake.
• For the ganache:
• Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl, add the hot cream and the corn syrup and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake.
• For the chocolate cake:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth and just combined. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 42 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the baking rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting. Slice each cake in half horizontally. Put 1 cake layer on a cake round or platter and spread 1/3 of the frosting evenly over the top, repeat to make 3 layers and top with the remaining cake layer, top side up. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
• For the coconut whipped cream:
• Combine the heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, rum and vanilla in a stand mixer and mix until soft peaks form. Slice the cake, top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with some of the toasted coconut.

Steps:

• For the French toast: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment paper and spray again. Press 4 slices of the bread into each cake pan to form 1 even layer.
• In a blender, combine the cream, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and eggs and blend until smooth. Pour half of the custard between the 2 cake pans to cover the first layer of bread. Sprinkle half of the chocolate over each. Press 4 slices of the bread into each cake pan to form a second even layer. Divide the remaining custard between the cake pans over the second layer of bread. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard.
• Bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pans until slightly warm, then remove the cakes from the pans.
• For the frosting: In a medium pot, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, salt and yolks and whisk until blended. Add the butter and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 cups of the coconut and 1 cup of the pecans. Let cool until slightly warm.
• Put one layer of the French toast cake on a serving plate. Spread half of the frosting over the cake. Sprinkle on half of the remaining chocolate. Place the second layer of cake on top and spread with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle on the remaining coconut, pecans and chocolate.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Grease and line with parchment paper a 10-inch/25 cm cake pan, with quite high sides.
• Boil a full kettle of water and set aside. Have a roasting pan at the ready that will accommodate the cake pan comfortably.
• Put the Cognac or rum, espresso, chocolate and vanilla into a saucepan and melt over a bain-marie.
• Break the eggs into a large glass or metal bowl with the sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of warm water, and beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and has the consistency of whipped cream. This will take about 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream into peaks.
• Partially fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Add the whipped heavy cream and continue folding the mixtures until evenly combined. Pour into the cake pan. Set the cake pan into the roasting pan, and slide it into the oven. Now, pour the hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
• Bake until set, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, open the door and let the cake sit for 15 minutes to sink evenly back into the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit 30 minutes in the water bath. Remove from the bath and flip the cake onto a platter. Press gold leaf, if using, on the top to decorate. Serve with sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with oil and dust with flour. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
• Microwave the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl on high power for 45 seconds; remove and stir. Microwave again at high power in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate has melted completely; set aside.
• Beat the granulated sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the milk, adding the flour in three additions and the milk in two, starting and ending with the flour, until just incorporated. Add half the milk, and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk, making sure not to overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, run a thin spatula around the edges and then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. (They will have a sugary "crust" on the top. This is from the melted chocolate and is not a problem. It will soften once the cake is assembled or if the layers are baked the day before.)
• For the filling: While the cakes cool, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake, tossing once, until toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Finely chop. Whisk together the milk and egg yolks in a medium saucepan until smooth. Add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 6 minutes. (It will be similar to the thickness of eggnog.) Pour the mixture into a large bowl. (Don't worry if it seems thin. The coconut and nuts will bind it.) Stir in the coconut and pecans; set aside to cool.
• For the frosting: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat 1 cup of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling, and pour over the chocolate. Let stand a few minutes, and then whisk until smooth; let stand at room temperature (or put in the refrigerator if your kitchen is hot) until thick but not set, 20 minutes to 1 hour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cream to the chocolate mixture, and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 1 minute (do not overbeat, or it will become hard and grainy). The frosting should hold medium peaks and will continue to firm up a bit as it stands. Spoon about 1 cup frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
• To assemble: Put one cake layer right-side up on a serving plate, and top with half the filling. Top with the second cake layer and the remaining filling, spreading it to about 1/2 inch from the edge. Frost the sides, and decorate around the top edge of the cake with the frosting in the pastry bag.
• Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight. Unwrap and serve.

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-18-inch jelly-roll pan; line with parchment paper, letting it come up the short sides by about 2 inches. Brush the paper with oil or melted butter and lightly dust with flour.
• For the filling, whisk the evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks and the cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, the coconut and pecans. Set aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the cocoa and chocolate in another bowl. Add the hot coffee to the cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth; stir in the buttermilk and the remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla.
• Using a mixer, beat the softened butter and the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar in a large bowl on high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; add the 3 whole eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just blended; if necessary, fold the batter together with a rubber spatula.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed lightly, about 16 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan.
• Run a knife around the edge and slide the cake with its paper onto a work surface. Spread the coconut filling evenly over the cake. Roll the cake from one of the short ends, pulling it away from the parchment into a tight cylinder; transfer to a platter. Cool completely and dust with the confectioners' sugar or cocoa.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cake mix, 1-1/4 cups water, oil and eggs in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour evenly into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool completely.
• Mix frosting, coconut, pecans and caramel topping. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with half of the frosting mixture. Top with 1/2 cup of the cookies; press gently into frosting. Cover with remaining cake layer. Repeat layers of frosting mixture and chopped cookies.

Steps:

• NOTE: The jelly topping is optional, and many people don't like it because it is rather flavorless. It helps to fix the berries in place and keep them fresh longer. You can leave it completely or use a store-bought raspberry jelly, heated until liquid and pour this over fruit.
• Grease round 11 in (28 cm) form and dust with flour or fine dry breadcrumbs.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (180 C).
• Separate eggs. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
• In a large bowl beat egg yolks with water until foamy and light in color. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Beat until sugar is dissolved and batter is increased in volume.
• Mix flour and cornstarch, sift over egg yolks. Give egg whites on flour.
• With a rubber spatula carefully fold egg whites and flour into egg yolks just until blended.
• Pour batter in form and bake in the lower third of the oven for 18-22 minutes until golden yellow. Let rest in the turned-off oven for another 15 minutes.
• Remove cake from form and let cool completely. You can prepare ahead until this step and keep well wrapped cake for a day or freeze.
• For jelly (optional, see note on top), soak gelatin in 2 Tbs cold water for 10 minutes. Heat over low heat until liquid. Add 2 Tbs sugar and rest of water and heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool until it is just pourable (20-30 minutes).
• For topping, whip the cream with 1 Tbs sugar until stiff*(for stabilizing cream, see note at the bottom). Put 1/4 of cream aside for decoration and spread rest evenly on cake.
• Arrange raspberries on top of cream. Pour jelly over fruit. Let jelly set for 30 minutes. Garnish cake with leftover whipped cream.
• Serve immediately, cut into 12 wedges.
• NOTE: If you can't serve it right away stabilize cream before assembling the cake:.
• Soak 1 teaspoon gelatin 10 minutes in 2 Tbs cold water. Heat until just dissolved. Let cool until barely warm. Stir in about 1/4 cup whipped cream. Fold this quickly but carefully into the rest of the cream (volume will deflate somewhat).

Steps:

• For cake: Put oven on to 350°. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.
• In a large bowl, mix together first five (dry) ingredients. Make well in bowl for wet ingredients.
• In a separate medium bowl, mix together oil, milk and eggs. Pour into the well in dry ingredients.
• As you begin to beat the batter, add the cup of hot coffee. Beat until well mixed then for two minutes on high.
• Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick placed in center comes out dry.
• Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and continue to cool on racks until completely cooled. Finish by icing with Ganache and filling that follows:.
• FILLING: In a medium size saucepan, combine sugar, cream, egg yolks, butter and vanilla.
• Cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes until thickened, stirring continuously.
• Add coconut and chopped pecans and mix well to incorporate.
• Remove saucepan from heat and beat with a whisk until frosting is of spreading consistency.
• Place the first layer of cake on a large plate.
• Spread filling over and then place the second layer of cake on top.
• Again, spread over with filling and continue with the third layer.
• Complete spreading the filling over the entire layered caked until all filling is used.
• GANACHE: In a medium size saucepan, combine butter and cream and bring to a simmer on medium heat about 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Chop chocolate and place in a separate bowl.
• Pour hot butter/cream sauce over chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
• Spread ganache over cake and down the sides using a spatula or an icing spreader until all ganache is used.
• Sprinkle top and sides with chopped pecans.
• Place cake in refrigerator until ganache is set.

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan combine the first 5 ingredients over medium heat and stir until thickened, around 12-15 min.
• Add the coconut and pecans, beat until thick enough to spread.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch square pans or 3 8-inch round pans. Line bottom of pans with wax paper.
• Pour boiling water on chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted; cool. Mix sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs yolk, one at a time. Beat in chocolate and vanilla on low speed.
• Mix in flour, baking soda and salt alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until batter is smooth. Fold in egg whites.
• Divide batter among pans. Bake square pans 40-45 minutes or round pans 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick in center. Cool and top with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.
• Coconut Pecan Frosting: Mix sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolks in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 12 minutes. Take off heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Beat until spreading consistency. Allow to cool & thicken before icing cake.