Dinda Sheeva Great Chocolate Cakes|Recipes Collection: German Chocolate Cakes

Saturday, May 31, 2008

German Chocolate Cakes

I made this for a birthday cake, although I think it would also make an excellent groom's cake. This was my first attempt at a basket weave cake and I was pretty happy with the results. I kept two bags of ganache going so I could trade off as it became too soft to pipe. Next time I try this, I will buy an extra basket tip so I won't have to keep trading out the tip. I put a bit of amaretto in the ganache, which turned out to be a nice complement to the pecans in the filling.

Cake components:

Chocolate Cake
Two 1.5 inch layers of chocolate butter cake made with Dutch-process cocoa, water, cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, eggs, vanilla, and butter.

German Chocolate Filing
Made with sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, butter, vanilla, toasted pecans, and coconut.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
Made with dark chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and Disaronno (amaretto).

Ancestral Memory - Michael Lewis Miller - German Chocolate Cake (sliced)
German Chocolate Cake, part of Michael Lewis Miller's installation for the exhibition Ancestral Memory at the El Camino College Art Gallery. During the run of the exhibition this table will display handmade cakes every day, and viewers are welcome to help themselves.

This table is also the table that we are going to use in a new project, the Portable Potluck Project, which will debut in the Pine Grove at Barnsdall Park on March 23.