German White Chocolate Cake

Directions

1. CAKE
2. 1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat oven to 350 deg F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of three 8 inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Dust the bottom and sides with flour; tap out the excess.
3. 2. Into a medium bowl, sift the cake flour and the baking soda. Using an electric mixer set at mdeium speed, cream the butter and the sugar in a large bowl till light and fluffy, about 5 min. Beat in one egg yolk at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the melted white chocolate mix and the vanilla. At low speed, blend in the sifted flour mix alternately with the buttermilk; don't overbeat. Mix in the coconut and pecans.
4. 3. Beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form. Blend 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake mix to lighten it; carefully mix in the remaining egg whites. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.
5. 4. Bake till the cake springs back when touched in the center and a cake tester inserted in the center of the pans comes out clean, about 35 to 40 min. Transfer the cakes in the pans to wire racks and cold 10 min. Invert the cakes onto the wire racks, carefully peel off the parchment paper, and cold completely.
6. FOR THE FROSTING:5. In a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the evaporated lowfat milk, sugar, butter, and egg yolks. Simmer for 10 min, stirring constantly. Don't let mix boil fast; lower the heat if necessary.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Plance the saucepan into a bowl filled with ice and stir constantly till the frosting is cold and slightly thickened.
8. 6. Place a cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1/4 of the frosting proportionately over the cake layer, making sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Top with the second layer, and spread with 1/4 of the frosting. Top with the third cake layer. Proportionately frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.