My Hawiian German's Chocolate Cake

Do you know that out of the twenty-something cookbooks I own (yes, I’m an addict and I admit it) only one cookbook contained a recipe for German Chocolate cake? I thought it was a classic!
And did you know that it is German’s cake, not German cake, as in not a cultural identity but a singular person?
Bakers’ German’s Chocolate was introduced in the early 1900s and the recipe for German’s Chocolate Cake was a promotion to use their brand of chocolate.

In all honesty, the only reason I called this Hawaiian was because I used macadamia nuts instead of pecans. The only reason I did that was because pecans were more expensive than the Hawaiian grown macadamia nuts. So yeah, there’s not much difference from a traditional recipe. I could have called this recipe German’s Chocolate Cake Inspired By The Outrageous Price Of Pecans... but I thought it overly dramatic.
Another difference from a traditional recipe is the frosting. In addition to the traditional frosting, which consists of a caramel, coconut, pecan mixture, I topped the cake with a chocolate ganache for extra flavor and richness. It also helps keep the cake from drying out.
I have included a basic chocolate cake recipe with macadamia nuts substituted instead of pecans in the frosting and the chocolate ganache recipe I used.

Sabre’s “Hawaiian” German Chocolate Cake
I cheated and used a boxed chocolate cake mix (really). You can use a boxed cake mix or you can make your own. if you feel like making your own, here is a basic recipe.

Cake
Makes one 13” x 9” or two 8” round cakes
2 c. cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
5 tbsp. boiling water
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs. 1/2 milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.
Sift together into a medium bowl flour, baking powder, and salt.
Melt the unsweetened chocolate over low heat, in a double boiler, or in a microwave. Add the boiling water to the chocolate.
Cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts alternatively with the milk. Flavor with vanilla.
Pour into cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Filling
2 eggs
10 oz. condense milk
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. toasted macadamia nuts, chopped
2 c. toasted coconut

Beat together eggs, condensed milk, and sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat together over low heat. Bring to a slow boil and allow to cook until thickened and caramel-like. Stir in toasted nuts and coconut. Use in between and on top of cake layers.

Chocolate Ganache
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 c. heavy whipping cream

In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium low heat until hot but not boiling. Pour in chocolate and let sit for a few minutes. Stir gently until well combined. Used while warm to frost cake or dip stuffed cupcakes in for easy frosting. Cover entire cake, filling and all with this ganache while still warm. Allow plenty of time to set up or place in the refrigerator to set.