GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 0.8 tsp baking soda 
• 0.8 cup butter softened
• 0.8 cup buttermilk 
• 2 cups cake flour sifted
• 3  eggs separated
• 4 oz baker's german's chocolate sweet
• 0.3 tsp salt 
• 1.3 cups sugar 
• 0.8 tsp vanilla 
• 0.3 cup water boiling

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• blender
• toothpicks
• spatula

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. Spray 3 (9-inch) round pans with cooking spray; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
3. Add boiling water to chocolate in small bowl; stir until chocolate is completely melted.
4. Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside.
5. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks, 1 at a time.
6. Add melted chocolate and vanilla; mix well. Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Gently stir in egg whites until well blended.
7. Pour into prepared pans.
8. Bake 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run spatula around cakes. Cool in pans 15 min.
9. Remove cakes from pans to wire racks; remove waxed paper. Cool cakes completely. Meanwhile, prepare Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting.
10. Stack cakes on plate, filling layers and spreading top of cake with frosting. (Note: Nutrition is for both cake and frosting.)