Inside out German chocolate Cake - modified from Gourmet Magazine March 2000

Ok, I would love to take credit for this. But I am spending some time playing with others recipes then I can figure out what I don't like about them and change them. To be fair this is a pretty damn good cake to start with, personally I would make a few changes next time. For starters too much glaze. To help make the cake a bit more even and off set the sweetness I would use my milk chocolate buttercream to crumb coat and even out the layers, your playing with coconut and pecans layers aren't super straight. Then chill and pour the glaze over the buttercream to give the smooth appearance that makes this a unique version of the German Chocolate cake. Secondly I would incorporate "German" chocolate into the mix as I feel I am betraying the true German chocolate cake by not adding what makes it a German Chocolate cake. The recipe calls for baking condensed  milk, essentially turning it into dolce de leche, sabe yourself a step buy Nestle Dolce De Leche in the can. Looks just like a can of condensed milk but you can find in on the Hispanic foods isle. Just open it spoon into a saucepan and warm until its easily stirrable and spreadable. Aside from that I think it could use some fancy decorations, but lets face it you care about the taste not pretty swirls on top. So next time I'll make pretty rosettes with the rest of the buttercream, sprinkle some toasted coconut and place a few pecan halves on top and call it good! I did add about 3 oz more coconut than was called for but, I love coconut! OH almost forgot I swapped the chocolate in the glaze with milk chocolate, just to make it a little more of what everyone is used to! Well I hope you all enjoy :)

  

  For cake layers
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Special equipment: 3 (9-inch) round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.
Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.
Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking:
Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake:
Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.