German Chocolate Cake With Coconut-Pecan Cajeta Frosting
Recipe source : Foodnetwork.com
Before I start with the cake a fair warning to all. This cake is not for the faint hearted. It is not quick and easy. It is not simple. Period!
This cake has many layers and has lots of elements. You will have to multi task. Keep an eye on the oven, whip the caramel, chop the chocolate, everything goes on simultaneously. So make sure the house is empty and you do not have kids or dog or husband demanding your attention. Even with all your concentration something will start to go wrong.
Also it will take a lot of your time. Since there are two cakes involved you will spend 1 and half hours baking the cakes. The Cajeta takes about an hour to make. Then cooling the Cajeta to room temperature. Even after the cake is assembled and ready it is advisable to keep it overnight.
So why make it? Coz you love to bake. And coz you love a challenge. And coz this cake is so gonna be worth all the pain.
So first of all make a meticulous list of ingredients and make sure you have everything handy before starting the cake.
I have basically followed the recipe except in a few places where I felt it was not working out for me. So feel free to make any changes you want because that is how we learn and evolve.
I was initially stumped with the Cajeta bit in the title. Google baba ki jai! I found out what it actually means. Cajeta is a sweet, Mexican caramel sauce made by reducing goat’s milk and sugar. Interesting!!
Ingredients
For the cake
180 gms unsalted butter
2 ¼ cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 cup+2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 ½ cup light muscovado sugar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups strongly brewed black coffee
1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius. Grease and line two 9” cake tins.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Melt the butter in a pan. Whisk in the cocoa powder, mix well and cook for a minute. Add the two sugars, black coffee and vanilla essence. Whisk till the sugars dissolve. Take off the heat and cool. Add the buttermilk and eggs, one at a time. Whisk till smooth. Now add the dry ingredients and mix well. Divide the batter into the two pans. Bake at 160 degrees for about 55-60 minutes. Cool the cakes completely.
For the Cajeta frosting
1 ¾ cup whole milk
1 ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup goat’s milk ( I used normal milk)
¾ cup+1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans ( I used walnuts)
1 ¼ cups shredded sweetened coconut
Combine milk, coconut milk and goat’s milk and warm it.
Combine sugar and ¼ cup water and keep on high heat till it turns amber brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Now gently add the milk. Be very careful as the milk will froth and can scald you. Add the vanilla essence and corn syrup and mix well. Keep on medium flame and reduce it to half till it becomes caramel like. This will take about an hour. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add the walnuts/pecans and shredded coconut. Let it sit till it reaches room temperature.
For the ganache
250 gms chocolate, chopped
1 small packet Amul cream
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Take off the heat. Whisk it well and add the cream. whisk till smooth and glossy.
Assembling the cake
Slice both the cakes in half. Now you have 4 layers of cake. Sandwich the cakes with the Cajeta frosting. pour ganache on top and sides of the cake and smoothen it out. Sprinkle some desiccated coconut on top. Keep the cake overnight before cutting it.
Recipe source : Foodnetwork.com
Before I start with the cake a fair warning to all. This cake is not for the faint hearted. It is not quick and easy. It is not simple. Period!
This cake has many layers and has lots of elements. You will have to multi task. Keep an eye on the oven, whip the caramel, chop the chocolate, everything goes on simultaneously. So make sure the house is empty and you do not have kids or dog or husband demanding your attention. Even with all your concentration something will start to go wrong.
Also it will take a lot of your time. Since there are two cakes involved you will spend 1 and half hours baking the cakes. The Cajeta takes about an hour to make. Then cooling the Cajeta to room temperature. Even after the cake is assembled and ready it is advisable to keep it overnight.
So why make it? Coz you love to bake. And coz you love a challenge. And coz this cake is so gonna be worth all the pain.
So first of all make a meticulous list of ingredients and make sure you have everything handy before starting the cake.
I have basically followed the recipe except in a few places where I felt it was not working out for me. So feel free to make any changes you want because that is how we learn and evolve.
I was initially stumped with the Cajeta bit in the title. Google baba ki jai! I found out what it actually means. Cajeta is a sweet, Mexican caramel sauce made by reducing goat’s milk and sugar. Interesting!!
Ingredients
For the cake
180 gms unsalted butter
2 ¼ cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 cup+2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 ½ cup light muscovado sugar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups strongly brewed black coffee
1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius. Grease and line two 9” cake tins.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Melt the butter in a pan. Whisk in the cocoa powder, mix well and cook for a minute. Add the two sugars, black coffee and vanilla essence. Whisk till the sugars dissolve. Take off the heat and cool. Add the buttermilk and eggs, one at a time. Whisk till smooth. Now add the dry ingredients and mix well. Divide the batter into the two pans. Bake at 160 degrees for about 55-60 minutes. Cool the cakes completely.
For the Cajeta frosting
1 ¾ cup whole milk
1 ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup goat’s milk ( I used normal milk)
¾ cup+1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans ( I used walnuts)
1 ¼ cups shredded sweetened coconut
Combine milk, coconut milk and goat’s milk and warm it.
Combine sugar and ¼ cup water and keep on high heat till it turns amber brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Now gently add the milk. Be very careful as the milk will froth and can scald you. Add the vanilla essence and corn syrup and mix well. Keep on medium flame and reduce it to half till it becomes caramel like. This will take about an hour. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add the walnuts/pecans and shredded coconut. Let it sit till it reaches room temperature.
For the ganache
250 gms chocolate, chopped
1 small packet Amul cream
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Take off the heat. Whisk it well and add the cream. whisk till smooth and glossy.
Assembling the cake
Slice both the cakes in half. Now you have 4 layers of cake. Sandwich the cakes with the Cajeta frosting. pour ganache on top and sides of the cake and smoothen it out. Sprinkle some desiccated coconut on top. Keep the cake overnight before cutting it.
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