German Chocolate Sheet Cake

German Chocolate Sheet Cake has been a favorite dessert in my family for as long as I can remember. My dad requests it for every birthday and my grandmother’s famous recipe is safely stowed in every family member’s recipe box. Because my dad’s side of the family does in fact hail from Germany, I never questioned the assumption that German Chocolate Cake was, well… German. So, you can imagine my surprise when I learned that was not the case!

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
½ cup butter (1 stick)
½ cup shortening
4 oz German baking chocolate
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
FROSTING
12 oz can evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
¾ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
1 ½ cups pecans, roughly chopped
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
How To Make German Chocolate Sheet Cake