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You are here: Home / Topics / Recipes / Naturally Sweetened Sweets and Treats / A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever!

Naturally Sweetened Sweets and Treats Recipes

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

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

If there is one thing that I love about a homemade cake is that no matter what it looks like, it will always, always, bring a smile to someone’s face. A homemade cake has a way of lifting someone’s spirits and making that special person that it was baked for feel loved.

This special cake was for my partner in crime, Gabe. I hate to say it but over the years I’ve been a bit neglectful of my husband. With 3 kids that all have spring birthday’s as well, my energy is usually caught up in planning their cakes and parties. I’ve been letting his special day swing by the wayside, usually running last minute to pick up his favorite German Chocolate Cake at the bakery.

This year I decided to be a bit more intentional and bake Gabe a naturally sweetened version of the best German Chocolate Cake recipe ever! I wanted to let him know that although the kids keep me busy, he’s deserving of a special cake baked at home as well. After all, long after the kids are grown, I’m going to grow old with this man – I better keep him happy, right?

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

Over the years I’ve made a couple different recipes for German Chocolate Cake. I’ve made a naturally sweetened German Chocolate Cake made with coconut flour and I’ve even made a gluten free German Chocolate Pecan Pie. Both recipes are really good; however, I’ve been eyeing this recipe by David Lebovitz for some time. I thought this was the perfect occasion to try it out.

Together with Big Brother, we both went to the kitchen to bake a cake for Dad.

Below is a picture and some words I shared on instagram.

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

“You know, cooking with kids is not always fun. It has to be intentional knowing that whatever you are making will take more time. There will be accidents and not everything will turn out as expected. However, after nearly 8 years of cooking with my son it melts my heart to see him growing up to be a fine little chef. He’s separating eggs in this picture and side by side with me, he pretty much baked this entire cake. He still needs some work to properly fold in our meringue that we whipped together, but all in all he did a great job!”

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

It turned out fantastic. Rich, soft and moist, delicately sweet, with deep caramel undertones in the coconut and pecan filling. Like I mentioned above, I did make some adaptations to the recipe. Most notably, Big Brother and I decided to use coconut palm sugar in the filling to give it more depth and caramel like flavor. We also decided to whip the chocolate ganache to a light and creamy icing perfect for spreading.

Whenever I make and decorate cakes at home, I enjoy to make things look rustic, handmade, and loved. So while Big Brother was at ball practice, I put the cake together and decided to ice the cake roughly allowing the icing to come up over the top to give it that rustic look.

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

Everyone enjoyed it, especially Dad. He was absolutely smitten after eating his favorite dinner of minute steak and potatoes and for dessert, the best German Chocolate Cake ever! It was a good day, indeed.

A Naturally Sweetened Version of the Best German Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever! | myhumblekitchen.com

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

Serving Size: Serves 16

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

The best naturally sweetened German Chocolate Cake Recipe EVER! Rich, soft and moist, delicately sweet, with deep caramel undertones in the coconut and pecan filling.

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.
  11. For the Filling
  12. 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.
  13. 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°.)
  14. 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.)
  15. For the Icing
  16. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the honey and 1 ½ ounces of butter.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. To Assemble the Cake
  20. 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.
  21. Spread the remaining filling on top of the cake and finish by icing the sides.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted by David Lebovitz

3.1
https://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2014/05/naturally-sweetened-version-best-german-chocolate-cake-recipe-ever/
©Copyright, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa

Have you been neglectful of your hubby? Can you share with us some tips to be more intentional to his feelings and his needs. I’d LOVE To hear them!  Also, what is your favorite cake to make? Please share any recipes with us in the comments below 😀


16 Comments

About Diana Bauman

Diana is a mother of three, proud wife, and humbled daughter of God. She finds the most joy meeting with Jesus in her organic gardens. She is completely blessed to be able to call herself a stay at home mom where she home educates her children, joyfully serves her husband, and cooks nourishing, real food, for her family. She loves connecting with people on facebook, google+, pinterest, and instagram.

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Comments

  1. Vickie says

    May 15, 2014 at 10:49 am

    This cake sounds delicious – I have always enjoyed German Chocolate Cake! Thanks for the recipe. BTW – you have a lovely family! 🙂

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 15, 2014 at 11:33 am

      Thanks, Vickie!

      Reply
  2. Alexis says

    May 15, 2014 at 11:21 am

    German chocolate is my absolute favorite!!!!! When u made the filling and icing, was it enough for a thin layer or was there a lot? I’m trying to figure out if I should double that part or not because I like ALOT of icing and filling lol

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 15, 2014 at 11:34 am

      It was definitely a lot 😀

      Reply
      • Alexis says

        May 15, 2014 at 1:02 pm

        Awesome!!!! Thank u so much!!!

        Reply
  3. Jen @ My KItchen Addiction says

    May 15, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    Lovely cake, Diana! I love that you sweetened it naturally… I’ve been trying to work on naturally sweetened versions of a lot of our favorites lately. Plus, the photo of your son in the kitchen baking is so sweet. I look forward to having my own little sous chef in the kitchen with me in a few years.

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 18, 2014 at 7:02 am

      Thanks, Jen! It’s so much fun having a little one in the kitchen with you 😀 You’re going to love it!

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    May 18, 2014 at 12:30 am

    I can’t wait to try out this recipe, thank you for sharing it! If I prefer not to use coconut palm sugar, is there a suitable substitute you recommend?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      May 18, 2014 at 7:01 am

      Stephanie, rapadura (organic whole cane sugar) would be perfect as well!

      Reply
  5. Kristin says

    May 19, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    This cake looks absolutely amazing! Truth be told, I’ve never made a German Chocolate Cake, but I think now is the time. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  6. Anne says

    May 28, 2014 at 6:23 am

    Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great! However, I am not sure how much butter this is: 2 sticks unsalted butter. Could you please tell me how much this is in gramms? Gracias!

    Reply
  7. Flory says

    October 7, 2015 at 4:56 pm

    Is heavy cream healthy?

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      October 12, 2015 at 7:35 am

      Flory, as long as it’s from cows raised on pasture, yes. It’s filled with healthy fats and other essential nutrients.

      Reply
      • Flory says

        October 15, 2015 at 11:27 pm

        Thank you for answer me I also want to ask u how u overcame the anxiety Im passing from the same valley of death like u described in ure post and I’m happy for u that u are free from it now I just need to know how u did it maybe it will help me somehow thank you

        Reply
  8. Amanda R. says

    May 29, 2016 at 7:22 am

    This was FABULOUS! My hubby and dad’s birthdays are a day apart and they both love German chocolate cake. This was their gift and it turned out delicious. I followed the recipe exactly; couldn’t quite get the chocolate frosting to thicken so I chilled it and that worked out well. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Diana Bauman says

      June 9, 2016 at 6:45 am

      I’m glad to hear that, Amanda! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

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My family of 7

I’m Diana – mother of five, proud wife, and daughter to an amazing God. Here you’ll find an encouraging community seeking to nourish our families both physically and spiritually. You’ll find us in our kitchens, gardens, and homeschool rooms pursuing a simple life in food, faith, and family.

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