A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever!

Ingredients:

For the Cake
• 2 ounces dark chocolate
• 2 ounces milk chocolate
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup organic sugar
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain milk kefir, sub buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Filling
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted
For the Chocolate Icing
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream

Method:

For the Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.
3. In a double boiler, melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the organic sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.
7. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of organic sugar until stiff.
8. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.
9. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside and allow the cakes to cool completely.
10. While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling and icing.
For the Filling
11. Mix the cream, coconut palm sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.
12. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)
13. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)
For the Icing
14. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the honey and 1 ½ ounces of butter.
15. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.
16. Once the icing has come to room temperature, add the icing to the bowl of an electric mixer. Over high speed, whip until the icing becomes light and fluffy making sure to not overwhip.
To Assemble the Cake
17. Remove the cake layers from the pans. Place one layer on a large plate or cake stand. Spread 1/2 of the filling on top of the cake and top with the second cake layer.
18. Spread the remaining filling on top of the cake and finish by icing the sides.

Notes