"Michael" > wrote in
ups.com:

> Thanks for all the kind comments. The cake was delicious. I saved a
> slice for the daughter and the wife and brought the rest of it into
> work.
> I definitely want to get a rack to cool them on.
>
> A couple of questions have come to mind. First, I bought three 9"
> cake pans. If I had wanted a three-layered cake, would I simply use
> the same recipe and same quantities but just distribute the batter
> over three pans instead of two? I assume that I would definitely
> need to increase the amount of icing to account for the extra layer.

Certainly you can do this, but be aware that the baking time will need to
be adjusted down as the cake layers will cook more quickly. Perhaps a
better option is using 3 8-inch pans in place of 2 9-inch pans.

> My second question concerns a German chocolate cake. Is the
> cake portion of a German chocolate cake usually just a normal
> chocolate cake? I can look at recipes but there are so many ways
> to make a regular chocolate cake that it might be hard for me to
> tell. The reason I ask is that I want to make one and I'm wondering
> if I can use the Hershey's perfectly chocolate cake recipe and just
> locate a recipe for German chocolate icing.

German Chocolate Cake is distinctly different from any other chocolate
cake. Both the recipe and the chocolate are somewhat different, in that
it calls for "German's Sweet Chocolate". This is not a dark chocolate,
but has a very pleasant taste that goes well with the traditional filling.
As a rule, German Chocolate Cakes have filling between the layers and on
top, but the sides are left unfrosted.

Original German Chocolate Cake

(3 layers)

4 oz german sweet chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cream butter and sugar until
fluffy, add egg yolks, vanilla, and chocolate. Add dry
ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Fold in egg whites.
Pour into three 9" pans, lined on bottoms with wax paper.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Frost tops with Coconut Pecan
Frosting, leaving sides unfrosted.


Coconut Pecan Filling and Frosting

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all except coconut and pecans in a saucepan. Cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes.
When mixture thickens, remove from heat. Stir in coconut
and pecans. Cool until spreadable.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.