In the kitchen with Nina
German’s Chocolate Cake
Spring has finally arrived in Arkansas’ Ozarks, and we’re
quickly approaching the time of year when the days are longer and the weather
is more enjoyable. One of my favorite things about spring is that it affords us
more time in the day to get our work done, leaving us more time in the evenings
to visit friends and family — or have them come to visit us.
Home cooking never goes out of style around our home, and
dessert is always an important part of the evening. One of my favorite desserts
to make is a German’s Chocolate Cake. This is my own recipe and I have made it
for countless numbers of guests. It is also a favorite of my daughter, Brenda,
and I always made it for her birthday when she was a kid. So if you’re
entertaining this time of year, or have a birthday to host or will be taking
food somewhere for any other occasions, a German’s Chocolate Cake goes great
with a cup of coffee after a nice, home-cooked meal.
This cake does not come from Germany, by the way. It’s name
comes from the type of baking chocolate used to make it. German’s Sweet
Chocolate was invented in England in the 1800s, and became the flavoring agent
in the cake, which appears to have first appeared in the late 1950s. The name
comes from the Englishman who first formulated that type of baking chocolate,
Samuel German.
German’s Chocolate Cake: Filling:
2 cups Sugar 3/4
stick Margarine
1 cup Crisco 1
1/2cups Evaporated Milk
1 cup Buttermilk 3
cups Sugar
4 Egg Yolks (keep egg whites) 3 Egg
Yolks
2 1/2cups Flour 3
tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon Salt 1
cup Chopped Pecans
1 teaspoon Vanilla 1
cup Flaked Coconut
1 teaspoon Soda
1 package German’s Chocolate
Dissolve chocolate in ½ cup boiling water and let
stand.
Cream Crisco and sugar, then add egg
yolks. Dissolve soda in buttermilk, add salt and vanilla then blend into
creamed mixture; add melted chocolate. Beat 4 egg whites and fold into cake
batter.
Spoon batter into 4 greased and floured cake pans or a 13 x
9-inch sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool
before adding filling.
Filling:
Place all ingredients, except pecans
and coconut, together in a heavy saucepan and cook until thickened. Once
thickened, add pecans and coconut. Let filling cool before placing on top or
between cake layers.
Ranger Boats co-founder Nina Wood has compiled some of
her own favorite recipes and recipes from family and friends in a cookbook
titled Nina’s Favorite Recipes. Copies of the book are available for $9.95 plus
$2.50 shipping. To order, call the Forrest L. Wood Outdoor Sports Gallery at
(870) 453-3210 or go to www.flwsportsgallery.com.