Do you like surprises? Then you’ll love my German Chocolate Cupcakes made with my Fillable Cupcake Pan from Germany. This pan is inspiring all my baking lately! There’s an indentation in the pan that allows you to fill the baked cupcake with anything your heart desires. My heart had a craving for German Chocolate Cake so I adapted the recipe to cupcakes! Delicious! Bite size cakes that are full of flavor, chocolate and frosting, LOTS of Coconut Pecan frosting, and you don’t have to feel too guilty eating them because there are relatively small. UNLESS, of course, if you eat MORE THAN ONE! Bite into that rich chocolatey pecan coconut goodness and you’ll be in heaven. (Angels singing….)

All bakers make mistakes. Sometimes that’s how we learn a lesson or develop an entirely new recipe. My mistake for these cupcakes was that I thought I could save time, use a cake mix and splurge on the homemade frosting and chocolate…NOOOOOO. The cake mix I used was NOT GOOD! In the past, I have made Almond Cake with my own cake mix which is delicious so I thought, what could go wrong using a commercial cake mix from the grocery store? NOPE! Don’t do it! Take the time to make a chocolate cake from scratch. It’s worth the effort and definitely worth the taste!

I had some leftover batter so I filled a regular lined cupcake pan and when they were baked and cooled, I carved out a cavity in the center of each cupcake with a melon baller, filled it with the chocolate ganache and a huge dollop of coconut pecan frosting on top of that. It’s a smaller cupcake and totally delicious! See the picture below. Doesn’t that just cry…EAT ME!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s really fun and easy when you use my Fillable Cupcake Pan! What could be better than cupcakes filled with surprises inside!

German Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Coconut Pecan Frosting and dipped in Chocolate Ganache

• 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• Melt chocolate and water in a small pan over heat. Let cool.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

1.Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.

3. Add melted chocolate and water and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt; add to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and folk into the cake batter.

Fill the buttered and floured Pipka’s Fillable Cupcake Pan about 2/3 full, tapping the batter around the center of the indentation. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire cooling rack for 8 minutes, then carefully turn the pan over and gently release the cupcakes.

When the cupcakes are cool, dip the top edge into the Chocolate Ganache and let set. Then add the Coconut Pecan Frosting into the indentaion and over the entire cupcake. Top with a whole toasted pecan, if desired.

NOTE: This recipe makes is quite large so you’ll have batter left over. You can make more cupcakes or fill 2 small cake tins to make a regular German Chocolate Cake.

Chocolate Ganache:

In a small glass bowl, add 1 cup milk chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons heavy cream. Microwave at 10 second increments, stirring each time, and continue until chocolate starts to look soft. Take the bowl out of the microwave and continue to stir until the rest of the chocolate is melted.

The Best Ever Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
•  3 large egg yolks
• 1 can 8 oz. can of evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon Pipka’s Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans ( Place pecans on a foil lined baking sheet. Toast in a 350 oven for about 5-6 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop pecans.)

Place the butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, evaporated milk and Pipka’s Pure Vanilla Extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring until sugar is melted and sauce thickens. Add the shredded coconut and pecans and mix together well. Let cool slightly before frosting the cupcakes.

Here is the Pipka Fillable Cupcake Pan that I import from Germany. As you can see, the batter will go around the rise in the middle of each cupcake. Tap the batter down with a spoon or spatula so you don’t get any air holes in the cupcake. Be sure to butter and flour the pan well before filling with batter. This will guarantee that the cupcakes will drop out of the pan easily after they have baked and cooled for 6-8 minutes.