Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes

The Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes Problem

Most people who try Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes at home end up with cakes that are either too dense or way too sweet, and honestly the problem usually comes down to one thing — the frosting ratio. The original recipe calls for a cooked coconut-pecan filling that weighs more than the cake itself by the time you are done, and if you skimp on the cake batter or over-mix it, the whole thing collapses under its own weight. I learned this the hard way about three years ago when I tried to batch them for a church fundraiser. I doubled the recipe without adjusting the bake time, loaded twelve cupcake liners into two pans, and slid them into the oven at 350. When I pulled them out, the centers were still raw and the tops had cracked open like they were trying to escape. I ended up throwing away four dozen cupcakes because the internal temperature never climbed above 198°F when the target is closer to 205 to 210 for a proper crumb. The fix was simple — I dropped the oven temp to 325 and baked them longer, about 22 minutes instead of 18, and used an instant-read thermometer to check each one. That's how you know they are done instead of guessing by touch.

What Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes Actually Are

Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes are a smaller, portion-controlled version of the classic German chocolate cake that originated in Texas in the 1950s. The Stewart brand angle is basically just that they use a specific ratio of dark chocolate to sweetened condensed milk in the frosting, which makes it taste less cloying than the standard box-mix version. The cake base is a butter cake with buttermilk and cocoa powder, and the frosting is a stovetop custard made from egg yolks, coconut, pecans, and evaporated milk. That's it. Nothing fancy. The tricky part is getting the frosting to set properly. If you pull it off the heat too early it will run right through the cupcake and pool at the bottom of the wrapper. I usually cook my frosting to 180°F on the thermometer, which takes about 12 minutes of steady stirring over medium heat. After that I let it cool in the fridge for 20 minutes before spreading it. Cold frosting on a warm cupcake is a disaster, so you need to make sure the cakes are completely cool too.

How to Make Them Without Losing Your Mind

Start with the cake batter. Cream together one cup of softened butter and one and a half cups of granulated sugar until it looks pale and fluffy, which should take about four minutes with a hand mixer. Add four eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate each one before adding the next. If you add them too fast the batter will curdle and you will spend ten minutes trying to fix it. I always take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes before I start because cold eggs in warm butter is a recipe for a grainy texture. Combine two cups of all-purpose flour, half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, one teaspoon of baking soda, and one teaspoon of salt in a separate bowl. Whisk that together first so you don't get clumps of baking soda in your finished cupcakes. Then alternate adding the dry ingredients and one cup of buttermilk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Overmixing at this stage develops gluten and makes the cupcakes tough, so stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. For the frosting, whisk three egg yolks with one cup of sugar in a medium saucepan. Add one cup of evaporated milk and two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once it starts to thicken and coat the back of the spoon, which takes about eight minutes, stir in one cup of shredded coconut and three-quarters of a cup of chopped pecans. Remove from heat and let it cool completely before applying.

Fill your cupcake liners about two-thirds full — not more, or they will overflow and make a mess in your oven. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once they are fully cooled, pipe or spoon the frosting on top. One batch of batter makes about 18 standard cupcakes, and the frosting recipe above will generously frost all of them with a little left over for dipping your finger in.

Things Nobody Tells You

The biggest mistake people make is using a box mix as a shortcut. It works in a pinch but the texture is completely different. Box mix cupcakes are denser and sweeter, and they absorb the coconut-pecan frosting like a sponge instead of supporting it. If you use a box mix, cut the sugar in the frosting recipe by half or it will be cloying on top of already-sweet cake. I tried this once when I was short on time and honestly it was fine for casual eating but not something I would serve to anyone who knows what a real German chocolate cupcake tastes like. Another thing — the frosting will continue to firm up as it sits. If you make these a day ahead, store them in an airtight container in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before serving. Cold Stewart German Chocolate Cupcakes straight from the fridge taste like butter and regret because the butter in the frosting has re-solidified. Let them sit out for about 30 minutes and the texture opens back up. If you want to try a shortcut for the frosting, you can substitute one jar of store-bought coconut-pecan pie filling for the homemade version. It is not the same quality but it cuts the active cooking time from 20 minutes down to three minutes and the result is close enough for most people who are not picking apart every bite. I do this when I am making a large batch for a crowd and honestly nobody can tell the difference unless they specifically compare side by side.

One more thing about storage. These cupcakes last about four days at room temperature or five days in the fridge. After that the coconut in the frosting starts to go rancid and the pecans lose their crunch. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to two months, just wrap them tightly in plastic and foil. Thaw overnight in the fridge and frost when ready to serve. Do not freeze frosted cupcakes unless you want a wet mess — the moisture from the frosting separates during freezing and you get a greasy layer on top of a soggy cake when you thaw them.