Comments on: German Chocolate Cake

By: David Leite

David Leite — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:42:04 +0000

Sameera, most cakes can be made into cupcakes. Mini-cupcakes, I don’t know. You’d have to experiment, remember that the cooking time will be considerably less.

By: Sameera

Sameera — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:49:16 +0000

Would I be able to make these into mini-cupcakes? Thanks :)

By: John Yap

John Yap — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 02:18:00 +0000

The cake tasted great. It had just the right sweetness. I normally don’t like brown sugar in a chocolate cake, but it blended well with the filling. I was unsure, however, about what “slightly thick” meant when making the filling. I correctly guessed that the refrigeration would thicken it, but I should have thickened it a little bit more during the cooking process. Nonetheless, the filling turned out fine. Finally, I think icing the sides (with chocolate?) would help make it more presentable. But it still gets 4 forks from me!

By: Regina Hayden, LC Recipe Tester

Regina Hayden, LC Recipe Tester — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:26:14 +0000

Sandra, also consider these possibilities:

Aeration: The recipe calls for room temperature butter; however, butter aerates best at a slightly cool temperature, about 65°F (18°C)–soft enough to cream but not so soft it has begun to melt. Your butter-sugar mixture should resemble whipped cream. Mixing together the wet and dry ingredients creates more air pockets into the batter. Too much or too little aeration can affect the final texture of your cake.

Altitude: The recipe may need to be adjusted if you live at a high altitude. The low air pressure in mountain areas can cause your batter to lose moisture and produce a dry cake.

By: Sue Epstein, LC Recipe Tester

Sue Epstein, LC Recipe Tester — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:19:28 +0000

It’s very possible that your oven temperature wasn’t correct and the cake overbaked. Even if the dial on the oven gives you a temperature reading, it may not be accurate. Try keeping an oven thermometer in your oven to get a more accurate reading. (My repairman told me that most ovens are off at least 25 degrees from what the dial shows.)

By: Cindi Kruth, LC Recipe Tester

Cindi Kruth, LC Recipe Tester — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:51:12 +0000

Sandra, it could be your oven. If the temperature was too high, the cake could dry out. Do you use convection? The extra air circulation can also dry out cake layers.

The brown sugar, butter, and sour cream all contribute to moistness. The flour and cocoa mainly contribute starch (as well as a little protein and fat) so if your measurements were slightly heavy that could dry the cake too. That is why professional bakers always weigh ingredients.

The other main variable is the chocolate. Brands vary in the amount of cocoa solids and fat which can, in fact, make a rather large difference in your baking results. For instance, I love Valrhona 70% chocolate in mousse for its intense flavor, but have found the same Valrhona makes a dry cake. You might want to try Ghirardelli since that was mentioned as a chocolate that worked well with this recipe.

By: sandra

sandra — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:19:39 +0000

I made this recipe exactly as the recipe called for and found the cake to be very dry. I keep wondering what could I have done wrong because everyone said it was moist. It has butter and sour cream so it should have had enough to make it moist. But it was so dry it was crumbly. Did anyone else find this problem. Maybe its my oven???

By: John Yap

John Yap — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 23:16:40 +0000

By: Snow Dao

Snow Dao — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 23:16:19 +0000

The cake was moist and scrumptious and the icing was just the way I like it, not too sweet. Just perfect!

By: Testers' Choice

Testers' Choice — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 23:14:37 +0000

[Robin Rice-Foster] I loved the texture and the moistness of the cake. I found it to be sweet, but not too sweet. I’m not a huge German chocolate cake fan, but I’d most definitely make this one again for the holiday seasons: When I think of German chocolate cake, I think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I treated myself to an extra slice with a large glass of milk.