inside out german chocolate cake

* based on a martha stewart recipe

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
3 large eggs, at room temperature

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of two 9" round cake pans with parchment and butter pans. Set aside.

2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into large bowl - set aside. In another bowl, whisk cocoa powder with hot water. Allow to cool to warm, then whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter (with the paddle attachment) on medium until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until pale and fluffy. Lightly whisk the eggs and slowly drizzle them in, making sure to incorporate well. With mixer on medium-low, add dry ingredients in three additions, alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth the top with an off-set spatula. Bake until cakes are puffed up and slightly springy and a tester inserted comes out clean, about 30 - 35 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove from pans and carefully slice both layers into two disks. Put bottom layer of cake on a cooling rack set on top of a cookie sheet. Set three other layers aside. Cover with plastic wrap if not assembling for a few hours.

Coconut-Pecan Filling
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 stick unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
 
1.  Place milk, butter, and vanilla in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined.
 
2.  Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl, and, whisking constantly, add some of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks until combined. Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. 
 
3.  Remove from heat, and stir in coconut and pecans. Cool completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Chocolate ganache icing:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
 
1.  Chop chocolate roughly using a serrated knife; place in a large heat-proof bowl.

2.  Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until well combined and smooth. Let sit at room temperature until cooled and just thickened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, but up to an hour depending on the temperature of the room.
 

assembly:
1. Spread 1/3 of filling over the bottom layer, and invert the second layer onto the top, covering layer with another 1/3 of filling. Repeat with layer three and top with nicest cake layer, leaving the smoothest side up. Press down gently on top layer to evenly distribute filling layers to edges. Using a metal spatula, smooth filling flush with sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to glaze.
 
2. Pour enough ganache glaze over cake to fully coat, shaking pan gently to help spread ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the pan may be melted and strained through a fine sieve and added back to glaze. Pour remaining glaze over torte, allowing excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake pan or run an offset spatula quickly over surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. Carefully slide the cake off of the wire rack and onto serving platter.

notes: