German Chocolate Mini Cakes

By kelsa94

Ingredients

• 3/4 3/4 1/2 6 (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter*
• 1 3/4 1 3/4 1/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) Baker's Special sugar or granulated sugar
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 2 2 teaspoons espresso powder
• 2 2 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 2 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 2 1/2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 3/4 1/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) Dutch-process cocoa
• 4 4 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cool water
• to 1/4 use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Icing
• 1 1 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
• Topping
• 6 6 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup (2 ounces) half and half or milk
• 1 1 1/2 cup (7 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 1 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 1/8 1/8 teaspoon pecan flavor or pralines & cream flavor, optional
• 1 1 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) shredded or flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted*
• 1 1 3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) chopped pecans, toasted*
• ether evenly.

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

To make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, espresso powder, baking powder, and vanilla till very smooth and creamy, beating for 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl after you’ve added the first 2 eggs. Stir in the cocoa. Add one-third of the flour to the creamed mixture, then add half the water, another third of the flour, the remaining water, and the remaining flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally throughout this process. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven. Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then run a table knife all around the sides of the pan to loosen the edges. Use a spatula to gently lift the cake free of the pan all around the edges; you’re going to turn it out of the pan, hopefully without sticking. Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a cookie sheet, put the sheet, parchment-side down, atop the cake pan, pick up the cake pan/cookie sheet, and turn the whole thing over. The cake should settle down atop the cookie sheet. Lift off the pan, and allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Use a 2 ¾" to 3" round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 12 circles out of the cake. Or use whatever shape cutter you want: hearts or scalloped flower shapes are nice, too. Whatever you use, it should be around 3" in diameter. Carefully transfer the cakes to a cooling rack, right side up, and allow them to cool. As for the leftover scraps, snack on them (baker’s privilege!), or stir into instant pudding for an easy dessert. You’ll have about 4 to 5 cups of coarse cake chunks, just in case you have a recipe calling for that amount.

To make the icing: Heat the chocolate chips and cream till the cream is very hot; this is easily done in the microwave. Remove from the heat, and stir till the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth. Don’t panic; it’ll look very sloppy at first, but keep stirring and it’ll become a smooth, rich glaze.

Working with one cake at a time, grasp it in the center with thumb and forefinger, and roll it through the chocolate like a wheel, to coat the sides. Place the coated cake onto a piece of parchment paper, to catch any drips. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

To make the topping: Combine the butter, salt, half and half, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the flavors, coconut, and pecans. Spoon the topping evenly atop the cakes; you’ll use about 2 1/2 tablespoons for each. A tablespoon cookie scoop is perfect for this task.

Yield: 12 servings