     2012 promises to be quite the year - a year of new beginnings, a year of challenges and changes. It seems quite fitting that, according to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.  The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac and is considered the ultimate symbol signifying success and happiness - sounds like a great year to embark upon Un Voyage Culinaire! In honor of this auspicious year, I've decided to bake - so, I've declared 2012 "The Year of the Cake". I'm going to celebrate this year of change, success and happiness by baking a new and different cake every month. After all, dragons are good - but cakes are irresistable.
     It was very fitting that my dear niece Amanda was here in Atlanta this week to kick off the Year of the Cake. She helped pick the recipe, shop for ingredients and bake the January offering. Of course, there was much debate - the selection of the inaugural cake was not a task to be taken lightly - it had to be a challenging recipe that would stretch my baking skills but also please the disparate yet discriminating palates of my husband and my houseguests. After much scouring of cookbooks, websites and blogs, we narrowed it down to a short list of 3-4 options, then finally settled on a German Chocolate Cake that promised to stretch my culinary skills but still provide a homey and approachable treat. (Note - recipe found in Cook's Illustrated and given below)
     What could be better than starting out this exciting year - the Year of the Cake - doing what I love most with one of the people that I love the most? As you can see from the pictures below, Mandy and I had a great time creating the first cake of the year together.  And, I must admit - I think we did a great job!  The cake was very tasty - the chocolate layers were moist, with just the right amount of chocolate taste to balance the sweet and chewy frosting - this is a recipe I would definitely recommend.  All in all, I would consider January's cake to be a successful kick off for the Year of the Cake.

So, while 2012 promises to be a very exciting year, make no mistake, it also promises to be a very busy year. First - I need to figure out exactly what I am going to do with my life - where will I go to culinary school and what degree will I pursue? will I work while I am in school and, if so, what exactly will I do? Second - I clearly need to spend some time polishing my blogging skills. And, finally, I need to carve out time to find 11 new recipes and bake 11 more yummy cakes! It will be a challenge, but one I am looking forward to!

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Filling

Serves 12 to 16. Published January 1, 2005.

Why this recipe works:

We wanted a streamlined German chocolate cake recipe that would be less sweet and more chocolaty than the original. After testing, we discovered that the texture of the cake actually improved when we used whole eggs instead of laboriously separating the eggs, beating the whites, and folding them into the batter. We enhanced the chocolate flavor with a combination of cocoa powder and high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. Finally, we adjusted the level and proportions of the sugar (both brown and white) and butter in the cake and filling, and toasted the pecans, for a German chocolate cake that was easier to make and had better texture and flavor than the original.

When you assemble the cake, the filling should be cool or cold (or room temperature, at the very warmest). To be time-efficient, first make the filling, then use the refrigeration time to prepare, bake, and cool the cakes. The toasted pecans are stirred into the filling just before assembly to keep them from becoming soft and soggy.

Ingredients

Filling
4 egg yolks
1can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
1cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1/4cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
6tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces
1/8teaspoon table salt
2teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3cups sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces)
1 1/2cups finely chopped pecans (6 1/2 ounces), toasted on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until fragrant and browned, about 8 minutes
Cake
4ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
1/4cup Dutch-processed cocoa , sifted
1/2cup boiling water
2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for dusting cake pans
3/4teaspoon baking soda
12tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
2/3cup packed light brown sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
3/4teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs , room temperature
1teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4cup sour cream , room temperature

Instructions

1. FOR THE FILLING: Whisk yolks in medium saucepan; gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is boiling, frothy, and slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Pecans are stirred in just before cake assembly.)
2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate and cocoa in small bowl; pour boiling water over and let stand to melt chocolate, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; set aside until cooled to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, spray two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Sift flour and baking soda into medium bowl or onto sheet of parchment or waxed paper.
4. In bowl of standing mixer, beat butter, sugars, and salt at medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula halfway through. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl halfway through. Beat in vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer running at low speed, add chocolate, then increase speed to medium and beat until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl once (batter may appear broken). With mixer running at low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and beating in each addition until barely combined. After final flour addition, beat on low until just combined, then stir batter by hand with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to ensure that batter is homogenous (batter will be thick). Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; spread batter to edges of pans with rubber spatula and smooth surfaces.
5. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard paper rounds. Cool cakes to room temperature before filling, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Stir toasted pecans into chilled filling. Set one cake on serving platter or cardboard round cut slightly smaller than cake, and second cake on work surface (or leave on wire rack). With serrated knife held so that blade is parallel with work surface, use sawing motion to cut each cake into two even layers. Starting with first cake, carefully lift off top layer and set aside. Using icing spatula, distribute about 1 cup filling evenly on cake, spreading filling to very edge of cake and leveling surface. Carefully place upper cake layer on top of filling; repeat using remaining filling and cake layers. If necessary, dust crumbs off platter; serve or refrigerate cake, covered loosely with foil, up to 4 hours (if refrigerated longer than 2 hours, let cake stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving).