Do your family members each request a different “cake” for their birthday celebrations?
We did.
Four, out of our five membered family had summer birthdays, and three of them requested the same chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing. Served with homemade vanilla ice cream, it was always delicious.
Then it was my turn to choose my own cake.
I was now “old enough” apparently to have an opinion, and a choice to make. I certainly did not want chocolate cake, because I had just been deemed worthy of making a decision on my own, I wasn’t going to waste the moment!
“Everyone has chocolate so I want something different.”
Strawberry shortcake was suggested as a nice “summer” dessert, I wasn’t having it. I felt strawberry shortcake was soggy, and not “too” special.
“Pumpkin cake”, was my decision.
Pumpkins are for Fall, was everyone’s reply.
Didn’t matter. I loved cream cheese icing; it was that simple.
I’ve had that cake every year since.
What’s your favorite cake?
Now, is that the same as your “birthday cake”?
Today is my father’s birthday, though he’s no longer here to celebrate with us.
His cake was a Spice cake, which I’ve never been able to find the recipe for, so I would make him a German Chocolate cake, again, because the icing is killer good!
That, Dad and I agreed on, every year.
German Sweet Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 3 9" cake pans line bottoms with parchment paper
- 1 mixer hand held
- 1 oven
- 1 stove top pan
- 1 mixing bowl, measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
cake
- 1 4 oz. pkg. Baker's Germans' Sweet Chocolate
- 1/2 C. boiling water
- 1 C. butter or margarine
- 2 C. sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla, pure
- 2 C. unsifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 C. buttermilk
- 4 egg whites stiffly beaten
Coconut-Pecan Frosting
- 1 C. evaporated milk
- 1 C. sugar
- 3 egg yolks slightly beaten
- 1/2 C. butter or margarine
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla Cook and stir 12 minutes until slightly thickened, Add…
- 1 1/3 C. Baker's Angel Flake Coconut
- 1 C. pecans chopped, cool until thick enough to spread, beating occasionally. Makes 2 1/2 Cups
Instructions
cake
- Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each one. Blend in vanilla and chocolate.
- Sift flour with soda and salt. add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate mixture, beating after each addition until smooth.
- Fold in beaten whites. Pour into 3 9" cake pans lined with paper on bottoms only.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Cool. Frost tops only.
Frosting
- Combine 1 C. evaporated milk, 1 C. sugar, 3 slightly beaten egg yolks, 1/2 C. butter or margarine and 1 tsp. vanilla.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes.
- Add 1 1/3 cups of Baker's Angel Flake coconut and 1 C. chopped pecans. Cool until thick enough to spread, beating occasionally. Makes 2 1/2 cups icing, frost tops only.
I hope you enjoy this cake, and your birthday traditions as much as I did, especially with my father.
note: leftover pieces, if there are any, are good individually wrapped and frozen.
Happy Birthday, enjoy your special day, and this awesome cake!
Let me know if you try it, well worth the effort, I promise!
xx,
