Hi, everyone! Good to be back after my break from all things social media-related for Lent. Hope you’ve all been well and that you enjoyed your Easter! We enjoyed an outdoor Easter lunch and then birthday party desserts for my Dad and sister-in-law who both have birthdays this week. For my Dad’s birthday dessert, I made his favorite German chocolate cupcakes- and that’s the recipe I’m sharing today! They are so good: a light chocolatey cake, not too rich or heavy, with a sweet coconut and pecan custard topping. Here’s the recipe:

Cake Ingredients:

• 4oz German sweet chocolate (Baker’s chocolate has a specific German chocolate bar that I used that you can find in the grocery store, but you could also use semisweet chocolate for a slightly more chocolatey taste)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (I use the dried buttermilk and will explain how that works in the mixing)

Topping Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup evaporated milk (I used 2%)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350F and line 2, 12-cake cupcake tins with cupcake papers. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a large bowl in the microwave until both are completely melted and well mixed.

Add in sugar and stir to combine. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing after each one until fully incorporated. Add vanilla to mixture and beat to combine.

Add in 1/2 cup of the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine. Then, add another 1/2 cup of the flour and beat until mixed, followed by 1/2 cup buttermilk, beating until fully mixed. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk, stirring well after each addition. If you are using dried buttermilk: combine the buttermilk powder with the flour and then use water for your liquid instead of liquid buttermilk. In the end, you should have a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the cupcake tins, filling each well about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. While the cakes are cooling, start the frosting.

For the frosting:

In a medium saucepan, mix together the butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and evaporated milk over medium heat. Stir frequently so that nothing boils and the egg yolks don’t curdle- we don’t want scrambled eggs in our frosting!

Once everything is melted together, keep stirring frequently until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble. Here’s a good test for whether the mixture is thick enough: if you can draw a line across the back of your spatula and the line stays for a few seconds (see below), it’s thick enough.

Now, turn off the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Stir until fully mixed and then leave the mixture to cool about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is thick and easy to spread without running all over the place.

And now, just dollop the frosting on the cupcakes and spread it all around! Super easy, super tasty, and my Dad’s favorite. Happy baking!