I baked these German Chocolate Brownies for my Improv Comedy class tonight because I brought my champagne cupcakes to class two weeks ago and my instructor made the comment that German chocolate cake is his weakness.  Which got me thinking about how to make a something in German chocolate miniature.  Since I had already done the cupcake thing for class, and making a full blown cake was out of the question, I started searching around Pinterest for ideas.  The result is a combination of two brownie recipes.

 The funny thing about German chocolate cake is that, contrary to popular belief, it does not originate from Germany.  It is actually an American cake that uses a sweet dark baking chocolate formulated by Sam German for the Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852.  And the name of the cake was originally German's Chocolate Cake, obviously.  Who knows where the apostrophe and "s" went over the years!

 The recipe for the brownies below is an adaptation from this website and the frosting is an adaptation from My Baking Addiction.

 German Chocolate Brownies 

 Ingredients
  • 2 (4-ounce) bars of Baker’s® German’s® Sweet Chocolate
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (regular or unbleached)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13″ baking pan with parchment paper and a light coating of cooking spray
  2. Microwave the chocolate bars and butter in a large microwaveable bowl for 1 to 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove from microwave and stir chocolate and butter together until chocolate is completely melted.  Add sugar to chocolate-butter mixture, blending well; then add eggs and vanilla, blending well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing until just combined.  (You can also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for this, transfering the chocolate/butter into the bowl after it is melted.  Just make sure not to overmix.)
  3. Spread your batter evenly into the prepared 9×13″ pan and bake for 30-36 minutes, or until top middle of brownies is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean–it won’t come out completely clean because of the chopped chocolate in the batter.  Cool brownies completely before adding the frosting…
Coconut Pecan Frosting

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg yolk, beaten
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled (see How To Toast Nuts)
  • 1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, toasted (see How To Toast Coconut)
  1. Toast pecans and coconut 
  2. In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5-7 minutes. 
  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Spread on brownies while still warm.