Chocolate...The German Kind

I mentioned a German Chocolate cake {made from scratch} HERE. So, as promised here are the details!

This cake is my Mom's most favorite cake. Especially to indulge in for birthday celebrations. This year was no exception, but I wanted to kick it up a notch.

In past years, the cakes {while VERY tasty} looked something like this.

And this...

Yes, those are matches! {candles were unavailable}

Most German Chocolate cakes {made the old-fashioned way} are not meant to have icing on the sides. It is my inference that this is why most recipes for the pecan, coconut frosting never make enough to ice the entire cake, sides included.

I recently saw a German Chocolate cake with ganache frosting on the sides that inspired me to try something new!

I used this recipe from The Nibble for the cake and pecan coconut frosting and this recipe from David Lebovitz for the chocolate frosting. The cake is VERY dense and yummy! The chocolate frosting instructions do not mention whipping the mixture once cooled. If it is not whipped, it is way to runny to decorate your cake. I beat the chocolate icing mixture for 5-10 minutes after it had cooled to room temperature. After studying this cake border how-to video, I added a shell border using chocolate frosting.

And here is the final result! Much better than past years, but still room for improvement. It was delicious!