German Chocolate Cake in a Jar

Step 1

Chocolate Cake Layer Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 11x17-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Stir in boiling water—the batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. German Chocolate Frosting Layer

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, combine evaporated milk and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Whisk together egg yolks and water in a small bowl. Whisking quickly, add 1/4 cup heated evaporated milk into the eggs to temper them. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan. Stir in margarine and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 240°F, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in pecans and coconut. Allow to cool. Creamy Chocolate Frosting Layer In a large mixing bowl, combine margarine, cocoa, dessert whip, vanilla, and corn syrup. Using a mixer, cream together until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar, and mix until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thick, add more dessert whip; 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (Wilton 1M). To Assemble Jars: Using a circle cutter, or the mouth of a glass: cut out 16 circles of cake from the chocolate cake. Press a circle of cake into the bottom of a mason jar. Drop in a heaping teaspoonful of German Chocolate Cake Frosting. Flatten with a spoon. Pipe a swirl of Creamy Chocolate Frosting in a circle on top. Add another circle of chocolate cake. Place another spoonful of German Chocolate Cake Frosting on top of that. Finish with a swirl of Creamy Chocolate Frosting. *Pareve Evaporated Milk

Step 3

Many special desserts call for evaporated milk—which isn’t available pareve and is hard to find chalav yisrael. To create your own, pour 2 cups soy milk or rice milk into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and immediately lower heat to low. Keep heat on low for approximately 2 hours, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup. The milk should boil, and it should be lightly steaming.