German Chocolate Cupcakes

You won’t be able to just eat one of the best German Chocolate Cupcakes. Chocolate cake is topped with a layer of sweet coconut and pecan frosting!

Ugh, the Monday after a holiday week is the worst. Please tell me that I am not the only one dragging. I already burnt my breakfast and almost missed my alarm clock. To make the day a little better, I’m bringing you German chocolate cupcakes. Cupcakes make everything better, right?

German chocolate cake is the cake flavor that people most often request that I make. In fact, I am making another batch for a coworker’s birthday today. It is one of my favorite flavors too. Something about the rich chocolate cake topped with sweet coconut pecan frosting makes me want to eat the entire batch. It is both simple and decadent.

I like to keep these cupcakes as simple as possible. Why over-complicate a good thing? A layer of cake and a layer of frosting combines to create an impressive little dessert. These cakes are perfect for serving for Father’s Day. German chocolate is my dad’s favorite flavor so I plan on making another batch too.

Rich chocolate cake is topped with a layer of sweet coconut and pecan frosting.  If you want to make them extra chocolaty, you can also add a layer of chocolate ganache. Just pour the ganache over the top before you add the additional frosting. To serve them, I like to slice the cake in two layers and spread a layer of the frosting between the layers and on top. They look like mini cakes and feel a little more special!

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

You won't be able to just eat one of the best German Chocolate Cupcakes. Chocolate cake is topped with a layer of sweet coconut and pecan frosting!

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Ingredients 

For the cupcakes:

• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate5 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for dusting2 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk1 cup buttermilk

For the frosting:

• 1 cup heavy cream1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar1 cup sugar
• 3 large egg yolks3 large egg yolks
• 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces6 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped1 1/4 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted, plus more as desired1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted, plus more as desired

Instructions

To make the cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. Melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water; set aside. Whisk together cake flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer set to medium speed, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated; scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the buttermilk, and beating until combined after each addition. Beat in chocolate until combined.
• Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cupcakes onto racks and cool completely.

To make frosting:

• In a medium saucepan combine the cream, sugar, and egg yolks. Put the butter, salt, toasted coconut and pecan pieces in a large bowl; set aside. Heat the cream mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, coats the back of the spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Pour the hot custard through a mesh sieve over the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. Add more coconut to thicken, as desired.

To assemble:

• Cut each cupcake in half horizontally, such that you have a top and bottom layer. Sandwich frosting between the top and bottom cupcake. Top with additional frosting. Serve immediately.

Notes

*To make it easier for serving or transporting, place the individual cakes in cupcake liners after frosting the cakes.

Source: cupcake layer adapted from Martha Stewart, frosting from Spoonful of Flavor

Nutrition

Serving: 0g, Calories: 699kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 165mg, Sodium: 388mg, Potassium: 253mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 45g, Vitamin A: 990IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 1.9mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Author: Spoonful of Flavor

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a review below or share a photo and tag @spoonfulofflavor on Instagram.

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