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5 from 3 votes

Classic German Chocolate Cake

An old fashioned recipe using German's Sweet Chocolate in this moist cake.
Prep Time30 minutes
Active Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: comfort food, from scratch, old fashioned, traditional, vintage
Yield: 36 cupcakes
Calories: 144kcal
Author: Sweet Ordeal

Materials

The chocolate:

  • 4 oz. German's Sweet Chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup boiling water, (or brewed coffee)
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cake batter:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, (or 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour)
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup buttermilk, (or sour milk - see Notes below)
  • 4 large egg whites

Instructions

The chocolate:

  • In small bowl, pour boiling water over chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and melted. Stir in vanilla and set aside.

Cake batter:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in center of oven.
  • Spray non-stick spray in baking pans or dish. Batter makes enough for either 3 - 8" rounds, 3 - 9" rounds, a 13 x 9" baking dish, 36 cupcakes, or 2 - 8" squares.
  • In medium bowl, blend flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in 1 egg yolk at a time. Stir in chocolate.
  • Starting with flour mixture, alternate flour and buttermilk in batches. (Four parts flour mixture to 3 parts buttermilk.) Batter will be thick.
  • In separate clean bowl, beat egg whites with clean beaters on low for about a minute. Increase speed to medium for about 5 - 10 minutes as whites begin to stiffen up.
  • Fold egg whites into cake batter in 2 batches. Divide evenly into prepared pans.
  • Bake 30 - 35 min. for 9" rounds, 35 - 40 min. for 8" rounds, 45 - 50 min. for 13 x 9" dish, 25 - 30 min. for cupcakes, and 45 - 50 min. for 8" squares.
  • Allow cake to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Typically served with coconut pecan frosting. For 3-layered cake, you may need extra frosting. Enjoy!

Notes

For sour milk, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.
Cakes release easily with a coffee filter in the bottom of the pan sprayed with non-stick spray.
Store at room temperature for 2 - 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg