Willard Family German Chocolate Cake

Willard Family German Chocolate Cake
Now listen, if you ain’t had a real German chocolate cake, you’re in for a treat. This ain’t no boxed mix—this is the kind of cake that takes love, time, and a whole lotta patience.
Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1 (4 oz) package sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces
½ cup boiling water
1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
For the Coconut-Pecan Frosting:
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
¼ cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ⅓ cups sweetened flake coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate – Stir the chocolate into the boiling water until melted. Set aside to cool.
Mix the batter – Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla, and the melted chocolate mixture.
Combine dry ingredients – Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt, then add it to the wet ingredients, alternating with buttermilk until smooth.
Whip the egg whites – Beat until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter. Don’t skip this step—it makes the cake light and airy!
Bake for 35–40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before frosting.
Make the frosting – In a saucepan, combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine, and vanilla. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly until thickened (about 12 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Let cool before spreading.
Assemble the cake – Stack those layers up, spreading that rich coconut-pecan frosting between each one. No extra decorations needed—this cake speaks for itself.