German Chocolate Cake in a Jar
Cakes in jars are the perfect dessert to bring outdoors or to bring over other people's homes. They are very sturdy, they can be sealed and they are easy to transport. Make your favorite cake recipes and assemble them in a jar. Pint-sized jars should serve 2 people and half-pints would be better for individual servings.
- 8 ServingsServings
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Layer
- 2 cup sugar
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pareve milk or creamer
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
German Chocolate Frosting Layer
- 1 cup evaporate milk *(see recipe below)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon water
- ½ cup margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup flaked coconut
Creamy Chocolate Frosting Layer
- 6 tablespoon margarine
- ¾ cup cocoa
- ½ cup non-dairy whip topping plus more to adjust consistency
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon clear corn syrup
- 2¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Chocolate Cake Layer
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 11x17-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Stir in boiling water—the batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
German Chocolate Frosting Layer
- 1. In a medium saucepan, combine evaporated milk and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
- Whisk together egg yolks and water in a small bowl. Whisking quickly, add 1/4 cup heated evaporated milk into the eggs to temper them. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan. Stir in margarine and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240°F, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans and coconut. Allow to cool.
Creamy Chocolate Frosting Layer
- In a large mixing bowl, combine margarine, cocoa, dessert whip, vanilla, and corn syrup. Using a mixer, cream together until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar, and mix until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thick, add more dessert whip; 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (Wilton 1M).
To Assemble Jars:
- Using a circle cutter, or the mouth of a glass: cut out 16 circles of cake from the chocolate cake. Press a circle of cake into the bottom of a mason jar. Drop in a heaping teaspoonful of German Chocolate Cake Frosting. Flatten with a spoon. Pipe a swirl of Creamy Chocolate Frosting in a circle on top. Add another circle of chocolate cake. Place another spoonful of German Chocolate Cake Frosting on top of that. Finish with a swirl of Creamy Chocolate Frosting.
*Pareve Evaporated Milk
Many special desserts call for evaporated milk—which isn’t available pareve and is hard to find chalav yisrael. To create your own, pour 2 cups soy milk or rice milk into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and immediately lower heat to low. Keep heat on low for approximately 2 hours, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup. The milk should boil, and it should be lightly steaming.
