Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Epicurious Food - (Gourmet & Bon Appetit
Magazine) website.

Recipe from Chef Mary Laulis, "Bridge Street Bakery,"
Waitsfield, Vermont.

The chef uses Valrhona cocoa powder in her cake, but
other Dutch-process cocoa powders work equally well.
The filling is made from sweetened condensed milk that
is cooked in a water bath in the over until it
caramelizes. While the milk is baking, you can prepare
your glaze.

For cake layers

1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling

7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut
4 oz. coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze

2-1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 oz. fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Special equipment: 3 (9-inch) round cake pans

Make cake layers:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. and oil cake pans. Line
bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper.
Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk,
vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl
until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour
mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then
beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and
beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin).
Divide batter among cake pans (about 1-1/2 cups per
pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven,
switching position of pans and rotating them 180
degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes
out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin
knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto
racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and
cool layers completely.

Make filling:

Reduce oven temperature to 325 Degrees F.

Spread coconut in large shallow baking pan and pecans
in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and
coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until
golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Increase oven temperature to 425 Degrees F.

Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate
and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water
bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking
pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake
milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more.
Remove pie plate from water bath.

Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm,
covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking:

Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from
heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until
chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl,
reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in
pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until
thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake:

Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to
catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling
by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread
with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and
spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top
with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze
evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved
glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy
and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over
top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack
gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake
to a plate.

Cooks' notes:

.Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to
room temperature before serving.

.For easier handling when assembling cake, place
bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable
bottom of a tart or cake pan.

Make 12 servings.

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Bridge Street Bakery, Waitsfield, VT