Hey Tatertots and Jello fans – I’m Kelsey from Poofy Cheeks and today’s topic is chocolate! I am not a big chocolate person but put the word ‘German’ in front of it, coconut pecan icing ON it and I am THERE! Growing up my grandma would make my dad a homemade German Chocolate Cake (his favorite dessert) for his birthday every year. When we moved to Florida I took on the task of making it since my grandma still lives in Illinois (I’m originally from Rochelle, IL). This is the first year I didn’t make it for his birthday. His birthday is December 21st and the Christmas season was more hectic than usual. I have to admit half the reason I make the cake is because it is my favorite too so with that in mind I still needed my yearly German Chocolate fix!
While making a homemade cake isn’t that much more work than a boxed cake mix I had a different idea in mind. I wanted to make a German Chocolate Trifle by combining elements from my grandma’s German Chocolate Cake recipe and my mom’s famous chocolate trifle recipe. The end result was pure perfection!
- Boxed German Chocolate Cake – (make cake according to box directions)
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (7 ounce) bag shredded soconut
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
- Bake your cake according to the box directions. Allow cake to cool completely.
- For the coconut pecan icing beat egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Once mixed add in sugar and butter.
- Cook the icing mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken (about 10 minutes).
- Remove the icing from the heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Allow icing to cool completely.
- Make pudding by mixing the box of pudding mix with 1 cup of milk in a medium bowl. Whisk mixture until pudding starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl use your hands to crumble in half of the cake. Layer all of the pudding over the cake using a spatula to spread it around evenly. Layer the rest of the cake and then pour the icing over the top.
- Refrigerate the trifle up to four hours or overnight. Store covered in the refrigerator.
My notes-
*To keep things rolling I usually make the cake and while it is baking I mix up the icing. When the icing and cake are cool I quickly mix up the pudding and then layer it together.
*Instead of layering it in one large bowl you can use mason jars instead. It makes about 20 (8 ounce) jars.
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Thanks Kelsey! That looks amazing! I love a new twist on old family favorite recipes too! Kelsey is such an awesome contributor. Here are a few more of her ideas I think you’ll love:
Her recipe for Homemade Tiramisu looks amazing, doesn’t it?
And, you won’t believe how awesome her Two Toned Vintage Desk turned out!
And, I love these cute Frozen Olaf Printable Valentines! Such a cute idea!
Make sure you visit Poofy Cheeks and
- Boxed German Chocolate Cake – (make cake according to box directions)
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (7 ounce) bag shredded soconut
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Bake your cake according to the box directions. Allow cake to cool completely.
- For the coconut pecan icing beat egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Once mixed add in sugar and butter.
- Cook the icing mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken (about 10 minutes).
- Remove the icing from the heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Allow icing to cool completely.
- Make pudding by mixing the box of pudding mix with 1 cup of milk in a medium bowl. Whisk mixture until pudding starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl use your hands to crumble in half of the cake. Layer all of the pudding over the cake using a spatula to spread it around evenly. Layer the rest of the cake and then pour the icing over the top.
- Refrigerate the trifle up to four hours or overnight. Store covered in the refrigerator.
Oh wow!! I came to look at this fabulous looking recipe and saw that you were from Rochelle! I’m from Stillman Valley so were kinda “neighbors”! 🙂 As a matter of fact, my dad use to work in Rochelle. Small world! Can’t wait to give this a try! My husband and I are both German chocolate fanatics so I’m sure this will be a homer. Thanks for sharing!