German Chocolate Cake with Mixed Nut Filling

Just in time for Oktoberfest - German Chocolate Cake with Caramel Nut Filling!

I have a soft spot in my heart for German culture.  Rewind to 1998; I was a freshman in high school and I had to choose which language I wanted to take.  My high school offered Spanish, French, German, and Latin.  Only the super smart people took Latin; everyone else pretty much took Spanish and French.  Of course, I had to choose German, just to be different.  My grandfather, a WWII vet, was upset that I was taking German.  He said, and I quote, "Why wouldn't you take Spanish?  They say in the year 2525, Spanish will be the most widely spoken language in the USA."  Very true, Pap-pap.  But I've never been one to do the sensible thing.

God bless him.  I hope he's looking down from heaven, shaking his head at this post.  I'm not sure what he would think of blogging.  Surprisingly, he was one of the first people in my family to get a computer, but alas - he only played solitaire on it, haha.

I digress.

In high school, I took three years of German and two semesters in college; I even thought about minoring in it!  But it wasn't meant to be.  I've always wanted to be fluent in another language and German is my best bet.  Recently, we purchased the Rosetta Stone for German - hubby and I are learning and relearning!

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

One thing that I can assure you: this chocolate cake is out of this world!  The cake flour - which you can make on your own without having to purchase it, thanks to Google - makes it fluffy, while it's so delightful and moist.

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Pretty Bee

1 1/2 c. cake flour
1 c. organic sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa powder)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder, aluminum-free
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/3 c. coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. vinegar
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. dark spiced rum, like Kraken

For the filling:
1 c. raw mixed nuts
3/4 c. coconut sugar
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. dark spiced rum, like Kraken
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the icing:
1/2 c. organic non-hydrogenated shortening, like Spectrum
2 c. vegan powdered sugar, plus more as needed
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. water, plus more as needed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a cake tin with organic shortening or coconut oil.  

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Combine the materials and make a well in the middle of the bowl.

Have the liquid ingredients measured and ready to go before you start to pour.  Pour both the water/rum and vinegar/oil into the well.  Stir well.

This recipe make one 8 inch cake; I made two 4-5 inch cakes.  Pour the batter into the cake tin(s).  Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool completely.

In the mean time, pulse the nuts in a food processor to desired size.  Set aside.  In a small saucepan, combine the filling ingredients (except for the rum) and bring them to a boil.  After, lower the heat and simmer until the mixture coats a spoon.  Stir in the processed nuts.

If you made the 8 inch cake, you can split it in half to add the nut layer; if you made two smaller cakes, spoon the nut mixture into the middle.  Smooth it out.  Put the top part of the cake on the nut layer.

To make the icing: combine the icing ingredients together with a mixer or your spatula.  If it is too stiff, add a little water; if it seems too runny, add a little more powdered sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time.  

The nice thing about this cake is that you can ice it as messy as you want - you can cover it with toasted coconut!

Yum!  Enjoy it!

Cheers,
-Aileen

This post is affiliated with Vegan Mofo.  Check out #VeganMoFo on social media for ideas and recipes during the month of September.