The trouble with German chocolate cake
I’m thinking it was more the recipe than anything, but seriously, this cake was traumatizing. It’s a German chocolate cake, right? So why didn’t I need to use…German chocolate????? Not an ounce. After researching the origins of the cake on Wikipedia, I’m even more baffled - the name of the cake CAME FROM the name of the Baker’s brand chocolate (which used to be German’s chocolate but has since dropped the possessive).
Anyway, that alone should have been sign enough for me to find a new recipe. Then, I notice that the “frosting” is definitely not a frosting - it’s a ganache plus corn syrup. Sure, the corn syrup was supposed to be a thickening agent, but a whole lot of thickening needs to happen to take ganache to icing, much less frosting. But, the recipe image showed successful piping, so I figured it had to be right. Should have gone with my gut. It was NOT right. Yummy, yes. Attractive, not so much.
Add to that the fact that I’ve never made a custard, and never toasted coconut or pecans before, and you’ve got one unsure baker on your hands. In the end, however, the cake was super tasty and my mom was thrilled with it. She even took it to work today and her coworkers loved it, too.
No making fun of me! Here are the pictures:
See where I dropped some chocolate?
The chocolate was so thin, I couldn't use my edger
The custard filling turned out pretty well
The rum syrup on each layer, under the filling, made it so moist
Ultimately, I’m really happy I experimented with such a complex recipe (cake, filling, syrup and *ahem* “frosting”). New techniques are always good to learn, and now I know what to look for in the next German chocolate cake recipe I find - and how to change it to make it even better. I need an icing, not a ganache. Maybe I could just chill the ganache and it would become thick enough for this. Or add more corn syrup? Definitely going to use German chocolate next time, and add more chocolate chunks to decorate the top - maybe even maraschino cherries. Yep, I’ve got a game plan. But next on the list isn’t GCC Take 2…it’s cookies ‘n cream cupcakes!
I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when I bake something that’s not for me or my friends! Must.eat.cake.
SassyCakes, out! (BTW - this is me making fun of Ryan Seacrest. I hate that guy.)
Tags: german chocolate cake