German Chocolate Cake Frosting II

I made this recipe,but I added about a tablespoon/table spoon in a half of cornstarch mixed with the evaporated milk,to thicken since some people said it was a little runny.I chopped up my pecans,(only about a half cup or less)about a 1/4 cup of lightly roasted coconut.I finished making the frosting then let it sit for about an hour,it thicken up nicely but not too thick to spread.I frosted it on a nicely refrigerated german chocolate cake and it spread magnificiently.I sell cakes/pies/cookies and food and this cake was gone in 2 minutes or less I kid u not.It was a huge huge huge hit.Also to note,I never liked the frosting on the german chocolate cakes before,due to too much coconut too sweet etc... but this I added to my own liking on the coconut and pecans.It also tasted sweet when I tried it(which made me skeptical)but when it was on the cake the cake isnt that sweet mixed with the frosting it was perfect just perfect I tell u.An A+++++++++++++++++if not better.Thank you thank you thank you.

This came out wonderfully, very rich and sweet though, so don't feel the need to really glob it on your cake, just a thin layer is good enough! As far as those reviewers suggesting to add cornstarch, I've got to say 3/4 of the way through cooking I was tempted to throw it out and start again with cornstarch as it was still really thin. But then I just decided that the problem was that on low heat it would take forever to caramalize the sugars enough to thicken the milk. So I just turned up the heat, started stirring like mad, and it did thicken beautifully. I would think that if you did this AND added cornstarch your resulting frosting would be the consistancy of rubber boots, so if you're too scared to turn up the heat, do the cornstarch, if you're no stranger to candy making, by all means leave the cornstarch out and crank the heat up after all the ingredients have gotten warm on low.

How good is this recipe, it's easy to make and delicious. The reviewer that suggested adding cornstarch to the evaporated milk was right on target. I turned out beautifully. I also toasted the pecans and coconut.

This frosting was fabulous!! I did not alter any of the ingredients listed. I agree with other reviewers, it does NOT need cornstarch. Based on other reviews, I added all ingredients, except the vanilla and nuts, into saucepan and cooked over 2-3 level heat for about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally (while it was warming, I toasted the coconut and pecans in the oven 5 min at 350). Once the butter was thoroughly melted and the mixture was smooth, I turned up the heat to between 6-7 and continued to cook for another 6-7 minutes until the mixture started to boil. After it started to boil, I continued to cook, stirring constantly, for another 6-7 minutes. At the end of the 6-7 minutes, the mixture should just be getting into the soft candy stage (higher than 200 deg). If you are unfamiliar with this, it will seem like the mixture is starting to pull away from the edges of the pan and the bubbles will start making a popping noise more than a rolling boil type sound. Once it reaches this stage, I cooked for about 2 more minutes then removed from heat. I added the vanilla and mixed to blend then added the toasted cooconut and pecans. I left the mixture in the sauce pan on the back of the stove as I made the cake. By the time the cake was cooled, the frosting was a perfect consistency and was the exact amount needed for a 13x9 cake. Turned out magnificient, looked great and tasted even better. Thanks Carol!!

This was very good! I also took other reviewers advice and added 1 Tbsp of cornstarch to the evaporated milk. When it was not thickening I brought it to a boil and immediately removed it from the heat and kept stirring it and that did the trick.

This icing was wonderful! I made a chocolate bundt cake, and poured icing on top. It made a beautiful cake. I received great reviews from my guests! I did add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to evaporated milk, and used real butter rather than margarine. I will definitely be using this recipe again!

Wow! I made this frosting with Dark Chocolate Cake II for my husband's birthday and it was fantastic! I did use 1 TBSP of cornstarch to help thicken and it came out perfect. I will be using this recipe again and again! UPDATE: I made this frosting again and used walnuts instead of pecans and I ran out of eggs so I used an egg beater in place of one of the egg yolks. It still turned out excellent! This frosting has instantly become a favorite!!!

This German Chocolate Cake Frosting II is the best I've ever tasted and my guests feel the same way. Toasting the coconut and pecan chips first gives it the taste that stands out. Thanks for a great recipe. I'll definitely be making this again.

Delicious! I used two whole eggs (just tempered them with the hot milk and sugar), toasted the nuts and added just a pinch of salt. This thickened up beautifully but it was my first time so it might have been luck. Thanks for the recipe.

Even though I didn't have all the ingredients,and had to wing it, this recipe is a great basic icing!! I'm only 20 and just starting to really get into cooking, but this was super easy!! It's also a very forgiving recipe, I was halfway through making the icing and realized I had forgotten the butter. I added it midway through and it turned out great anyway. The cake was extremely moist, oozy even. A+++++++++++++++

You will never find a better recipe than this!! I could just sit and eat the frosting alone....... yummm thanks for sharing

This is grans recipe, without the teaspoon of water (not needed) along with another 1/3 cup coconut and use BUTTER instead of margarine. Needs no extra thickeners when using butter. Needs to boil over medium heat about 12 minutes.

I have made this recipe maybe 25 times in the past year. I have made more than 25 German Chocolate cakes, most for our church dinners and a few for my family. To be honest, I started out making the cakes from scratch, but with this frosting, no one notices the cake. So now I use boxed cakes but get RAVE reviews for any cake that has this frosting on it! I make the recipe exactly as written and just have patience waiting for the frosting to thicken. I do not add any thickening agent: if you are willing to wait, it WILL thicken up and you will be rewarded with an out-of this-world flavor. I attend a church with many amazing bakers and cooks but my German chocolate cake has gone over so well, it was even mentioned in the pastor's homily. Trust me: it's not my cake, it's this icing that people remember. Carol, you have made my cakes a hit! Blessings to you!

I made a couple changes and this came out INCREDIBLE! First I baked cupcakes using a box of german chocolate cake; and I also made a 1/2 batch of the Rich Chocolate Frosting (also from this site). These three components went very well together, balanced out the sweetess. I did NOT find this mixture too sweet when balanced this way. I took most of everyone's comments and came up with the following adjustments to this recipe: I added 1 T cornstarch to the milk; I did 1/2 C white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar; I used unsalted butter instead of margarine; and I used 1 1/2 C flaked coconut and 1 1/4 C pecans - this gave it a thicker consistency. I also toasted the coconut and pecans lightly and let them cool before adding it to the mix. I cooked it a while to get it pretty thick. And finally, I let it cool about 15 mins before using. These adjustments yielded a 5-star recipe that everyone raved about at the Oktoberfest party I brought them to. Will definitely keep this and make it again.

This was realy realy good!

This is a great recipe for a very fancy frosting. The directions should state cook stirring constantly until thick, I cooked this for at least 10-15 min. Don't give up it will thicken. Remove right away when it does because it can get too thick. If your familiar with making candy you will understand the concept better. Enjoy!

This is a delicious recipe! Next time, I'll keep a few things in mind. This recipe makes enough frosting for a 9x13. If you want to frost and fill a tiered cake you'll need to double the recipe. I like big chunks of nuts, however, they kept falling off the side of the cake. Next time I'll chop them finer. After I leveled the cakes, I used the dome-tops and made a trifle by layering cake, frosting and whipped topping. Pudding and toffee pieces would be a good addition too. Two desserts from one baking -- gotta love that! My hubby enjoyed the trifle so much he went back for seconds. My friend will love her tiered birthday cake decorated with Dove chocolate pieces! Thanks for sharing a great recipe! Update: I cooked the sugar mixture to 200 degrees. Toasted pecans in the microwave by putting them on a plate and stirring every two minutes until they smelled toasty - about six minutes. I might try chopping the coconut, as the shreds "pulled down" the frosting on the sides.

I have been making german chocolate icing for years but this one is the best one I have made. I took the advise of others and added the cornstarch and toasted the coconut. It made such a difference! Loved it!

To those having a problem with the frosting being too thin...make sure you are using 1 cup...not 1 can of evaporated milk. I made that mistake the first time I made this but I've never had a problem since I figured out what I did wrong.

This frosting tasted delicious!! HOWEVER...it was SOOO RUNNY!! I followed the directions just as the cook wrote out.....and at the end I realized I had forgotten to add the cornstarch as everyone else had suggested......So I added it to the mixture....and it did not help at all.....I added more and more...until finally I realized it was not helping and altering the texture of the it.... So there must be a trick or something with activation when you mix the cornstarch with the evaporated milk...b/c it didnt work when it was all over and done with....I would try this again, because the flavor was excellent like I said...there was a heavy topping of coconut/pecan ingredients, and beneath that was all the liquid... It was a waste, we didnt even use it...HOWEVER, the chocolate cake recipe I used was "Too Much Chocolate Cake" and it was heavenly...mmm...i'll be making that cake again for the 4th of July coming up. I just cant figure out why the cook would give a recipe that wouldnt come out right... The miserable part was that it wasted my time, and money... the other recipe I made was baklava and it turned out great lol, better luck next time "?"

As I was cooking this I got a little bit worried. It seemed to be really thin, but I didn't have any cornstarch to use as some people had suggested. So I turned up the heat and cooked it and cooked it, and it thickened up really nicely. After stirring in the nuts and coconut I was happy. I put it on some brownies for my boyfriend's birthday. Excellent! :]

This was great!I went exactly by the recipe.I did use walnut since I didn't have pecans. It did seem a little thin after I added the coconut & walnuts.After it cooled a bit it was fine.I poured it over a warm sheet cake it was awesome with a little whipped cream on top of eat piece.

Great Recipe - FAULTY DIRECTIONS! In some of the other recipes someone suggested using cornstarch cause the frosting was thin and drippy. Yuck! Do not use cornstarch! The problem is the level of heat. You must get the sugar to carmelize--so the mixture thickens properly. Bring the: evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine and vanilla mixture to a boil...or almost boil. You can start on low heat, but unless you want to stir all day...bring the heat up until you start to see it boil. Yes, stirring constantly. Don't leave the stove! Then poor your mixture over the pecans and coconut, mix well. Cool thoroughly before using! Oh, btw, a 12 oz can of evaporated milk is a cup and half. Maybe that is why some people said this frosting was runny? Unless you buy 8 oz cans of evaporated milk, you'll have leftover evaporated milk. The other change I made was I added more pecans and more coconut. (I added these after I made the frosting per the measurements stated in the recipe). After testing, I wanted more coconut and pecans. The other change was: real butter, not margarine. Ask any cardiologist which is worse for your health...butter or margarine.

Although it seemed that I had to cook the frosting quite awhile it was well worth the time spent it ia absolutely the best frosting I have ever made.

I made this recipe, doubled so that I may coat the inner layers of 3 - double layer 8"cakes...It appears to be JUST enough... I read the reviews before I made it and WITHOUT Cornstarch it came out thick and perfect...I was worried about it being too thin and about adding cornstarch just in case I got a pasty flavor. I followed the recipe to a 'T'. The only thing that changes was the cooking method. Added all ingredients to the sauce pot, set to low (2-3) and stirred to blend every minute or so. 5 minutes later when all ingrediants were warm I increased the temperature to a boil (6-7) It came to a boil very quickly so don't leave it, stir!!!! approx. 3 minutes later I turned it off, added the coconut and pecans (untoasted) and stirred. let it cool on the stove, already thickened and placed the whole pot into the fridge. Taste was perfect, plenty sweet and in my opinion better and worth the 8minutes it took on the stove. A pretty simple no fuss recipe...WILL MAKE AGAIN. NO need to alter!

This frosting was so good. The only issue I had was that I didn't make enough. Next time I will double it.

I just made this about an hour ago and it is yummy! I altered the recipe to my liking. I used half brown sugar and 1/2 regular sugar. I also altered the recipe to be able to use the whole 12 oz can of evaporated milk. So: 12 oz evaporated milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup white sugar, 4 egg yolks, 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, and 2 cups of flaked coconut. It was enough to fill my chocolate cupcakes with some of the frosting for filling and I made a chocolate shelled border and topped with remaining coconut pecan frosting!!! Posted up a pic, you will not be disappointed so delicious!!! Happy Baking Everyone!!! :)

Excellent. The only thing I changed was I toasted the coconut & pecans. Oh it was sooo good!

The frosting tasted extraordinary, I'm only giving it 4 stars because it is tricky to get it to behave. The first time I made it I followed the reviews advice and added cornstarch, I then turned up the heat, stirring constantly, cooled it, and it turned out perfectly, the second time I tried it without the turning up the heat as high and the frosting did not solidfy at all, but it ended up being even more delicious then the first time. I ended scooping out the coconut/peacans and spreading it around the top of the layers, and then pouring the syrup all over the cake. I let it sit in the fridge for a while, took it out, and used a paper towel to wip up the excess liquid that had leaked out of the cake, and then I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave in a plastic bag, cut off the corner of the bag, and drizzled chocolate all over the top, and using a knife, spread the chocolate all over the sides. The effect was incredibly, the chocolate locked the moisture in the cake and it tasted even better than the first time, you can see pictures of this second attempt under my photos. also I suggest toasting the peacans and coconut before hand

I made this frosting for a Duncan Hines German Chocolate boxed cake mix instead of a homemade cake in order to save time and it was very good. The frosting helped make the cake look like it was from scratch. I did not have margarine, so I used butter instead and did need to add corn starch to thicken it up a little. I had left over frosting, so I put it in a container to use later. The ABSOLUTE BEST way to eat this cake/frosting is to cut a thick slice, add additional frosting mix and microwave for about 30 seconds!!! I would have rated this frosting/cake combo 4 stars, but after tasting the warmed frosting and cake I'd give it 6 stars if I could!!

Great frosting for brownies! I cut the recipe in half and I used it to frost both an 8 x 8 and 13 x 9 inch pan of brownies and it was a perfect amount. I used sweetened condensed milk in place of the evaporated milk and sugar but I found it a little runny before I started frosting so I added more coconut and some powdered sugar to thicken it up a bit. It had a bit of a milky taste while it was still warm but once it cooled it was fantastic. I've been keeping my brownies (with this icing on them) in the freezer and eating them frozen and they taste even better.

I took two of other reviewers ideas and this came out perfect. First, I turned up the heat and stirred like crazy,no cornstarch and it was perfect! I only added 1/2 cup of pecans and 1/2 cup of coconut and again that was perfect for both me and my husband! Thanks for a grat recipe! I'll be making this again!

I thought this was WAY too sweet. So, I ended up adding 2 squared of Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. It made it taste much better, but in turn, changed the consistancy to something like pudding. Not to bad over the chocolate pound cake I served it with, but I was expecting something better. Sorry :(

This was my first try with making German chocolate cake and homemade frosting and I got so many compliments on this. People kept asking if I made it or if I got it from a bakery!

This is delicious. I made it exactly the way the recipe says. It takes some time for it to thicken but it was perfect.

Awesome frosting! I didn't have a problem with it setting up. I used real butter instead of margarine, so that might have made a difference. I only added 1/2 c of coconut and I thought that was plenty. I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 c of white sugar.

Although I do not personally eat German Chocolate Cake because I am not a fan of coconut, this got gobbled up. I got rave reviews and it was super easy to make. I used a box cake mix and everyone said the icing was perfect so no one even knew I used a box cake!

This was an excellent recipe. After reading the reviews and the comments about the frosting not setting up I tried adding 1/2 of the butter the recipe called for. It turned out EXCELLENT! Thickened nicely, flavor was superb!

Excellent, just the way it is. I also use this, minus the coconut, on caramel breakfast rolls. YUMMY

Very pleased with the turn out and will use again. I did not have the evaporated milk, so i used what I did have on hand and altered it a bit,(1/2 can of sweet condensed milk and 1/2 can of whole milk). Due to using the sweet condensed milk I also used 1/4 less sugar. It turned out great. My husband took it to work for one of his employees birthday. There was none left over for him to bring me home a peice.

Everyone loved it!

Takes a long time to cook and thicken - I like the original GC frosting better. Also, this does not make enough frosting. The original recipe from Bakers Chocolate is much better, IMO - same ingredients, but proportioned differently and it works a lot better to thicken.

This frosting was BOMB! LOved it! My husband is a German Chocolate Cake Fanatic and this frosting blew him away! I did NOT add cornstarch.. the recipe was right on! Patience is a virtue.. Stir continuously and after about 7 minutes it will happen. Then, stir really fast. I toasted the coconut and the pecans before adding them, which added to the wonderful flavors.. Will definitely make again.. THank you!

Excellent. I only changed the margarine to butter and kept everything else the same. I think butter is needed for a better taste. I did cook it for 20 minutes and let it set for another 15 before frosting the cake as another reviewer suggested and it was perfectly delicious.

No cornstarch here... melted/ blended all ingredients over low heat... Slowly added heat until mixture started to carmelize.. goldened nicely, thickened nicely.. husband ate it out of the pan.. had to make a second batch... Use good coconut!! Great recipe!! Thank you

This turned out perfect without any additional ingredients (i.e. cornstarch). You have to simmer, stirring constantly, until everything is combined and smooth. At that point (roughly 5 minutes), turn the heat up until you get a hard boil. You will want to make sure you are stirring because the egg could still scramble. I advise boiling until you see the mixture change texture - it's hard to explain but once you see it, you'll know. Very similiar to candy making which is essentially what you are doing here (I won't bore you with all the science-y stuff), but trust me, if you boil it hard you will not need the cornstarch. Mine changed after about 9 minutes of constant boiling but it all depends on temperatures. I'd also advise unsweetened coconut be used as it can be a touch too saccharine with the sweetened.

Admittedly this is not the best looking cake out there, but I cannot tell you how delicious and perfect the icing was to my German chocolate cake. Everyone made me swear I actually made it and didn't buy it because it was that good. I used butter since I didn't have margarine and it took 20 minutes of constant stirring before it thickened up but well worth the effort.

Great frosting. Make sure to mix it well because i had to remove a few clumps of the egg yolk.

This is the greatest recipe! I changed a couple of things: I used 1/2 c. of white sugar AND 1/2 c. dark brown sugar instead of plain white sugar. I also added an additional 1/2 c. of coconut. Instead of traditional German chocolate cake mix, I used a DEVIL's food...This sucker flew within the hour!

tastes just like home. We loved it.

This is so insanely good! I never liked German Chocolate Cake until now. If it weren't piggish, I would eat the frosting alone with a spoon. I wish I could give it 6 stars. YUM!

This is a delicious icing recipe. I used butter and roasted the coconut flakes and pecans at 350 for about 5 minutes. I cooked and constantly until it reached 190 degrees. It made for some good eating on my birthday : )

This turned out great. I took some of the advice from the reviews and used half a cup of white sugar and a half a cup of brown sugar and added a Tbl.sp.of corn starch to the milk. It thinkened nicely, got thicker as it cooled. Easy. Thanks.

This recipe tastes good, but it takes forever to thicken enough to be able to spread on a cake. I added the cornstarch based on another review, but that didn't seem to help thicken the mixture. Even after 30 min., still not thick enough to spread.

Thanks to "Dana" for the detailed review on how to thicken it over higher heat. Use low heat until all is well blended, increase heat to boil 7 min until bubbles change to pop and pulls from edges, boil 2 more mins. No cornstarch needed. Delish. Perfect for a 9x13.

in a word.... fabulious! thank you for a wonderful recipe

I was prepared after reading other reviews. I cut this in half to use with homemade brownies. I included cornstarch, switched to brown sugar and toasted the coconut but not the pecans. I would just warn everyone to use UNSWEETENED coconut. With the brown sugar the flavor is caramel-like and it has the darker more appetizing brown color.

I followed the recipe exactly, using one cup of evap. milk (not 1 can) and this frosting came out perfectly! It thickened quick & nice when you turn up the heat and stir like mad per other reviewers. This frosting was out of this world! Thank You!

AWESOME!! Do not add any cornstarch...make it exactly as written and it thickens beautifully!!!

Dynamite frosting! I paired this with the Dark Chocolate Cake II from this website and it was pure decadence. Definitely add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to the milk - thickens it up beautifully and quickly - about 8-10 min and it's done. I decreased the sugar to 2/3 cups - was plenty sweet in addition to the sweet coconut and used butter instead of margarine. So easy and yields gourmet results. Will make again and again. **update** save any extra to put on warm buttermilk pancakes instead of butter---soooo good! will taste like something from a B&B.

I made this tonight and the only thing is I didn't think it was getting thick enough but I used some corn starch like some other people suggested and it got to the consistency I was looking for. It is really tasty and makes the cake look really beautiful.

This frosting is amazing! I had been searching for a good frosting recipe that isn't icing sugar based because I have a lot of diabetics in my family, and this fit the bill. Instead of using 1 cup of white sugar I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar Splenda. I was worried about how well it would thicken up with the smaller amount of sugar, so I cooked it on medium heat and added 1 tbsp cornstarch for good measure. It turned out great! Will definitely make this again!

The frosting is tedious, but in the end it is TO DIE FOR!

Off the chain!

I bumped the heat up to medium to get it to thicken, and probably stirred constantly for at least 20 minutes, but it was SO worth it. YUMMMMM.....

OH MY!!!! This and the German Chocolate Cake III will keep me in good with my Dad for years. He said that he hadn't tasted German Chocolate Cake that good since Germany (35 years!!!) Thanks So Much!!!!!

This recipe got rave reviews from our birthday boy and his guests! Although I substituted the evaporated milk for sweetened condensed milk because I had read the issues with the texture and know that condensed milk is thicker. Since I used a full cup of sweetened condensed milk I opted to use only half a cup of sugar (i also prefer the molasses flavor of light brown sugar so substituted that for white sugar). I needed no thickening agent and it turned out amazing!!! THANKS FOR THE RECIPE!

Fabulous! Created thick and delicious frosting, not runny like some others.

Comes out better than the stuff in the jar that just sits on the shelves, that's for sure! I like toasting the pecans first before adding to the saucepan. Gives it a very distinct flavor. I also made sure they were unsalted pecans and then added 1/2 tsp salt to the mix. Substituted the margarine for butter. I also made this traditional recipe using hazelnuts. It was sooooo good!

very good

This is a great, classic recipe, worthy of the best German Chocolate cake. Or try it on the "Brownies to Die For" recipe on this site. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

Everyone loved this. I took the advice of someone else and instead of adding cornstarch I put the heat on high and mixed for a bit to thicken it up. Other than that, I followed it exactly.

very good.. no need for the cornstarch!! just be patient.. I think corn starch would have ruined any frosting that wasnt eaten immediately.

First time making this instead of buying it in the store - superb! i added the cornstarch just because i tend to listen to reviewers. I also used a whole 7 oz bag of coconut too and probably more than a cup of pecans. Yummy in my tummy! I'll try not to use all of this on the cake so I can eat it out of the fridge :o)

1. Make chocolate cupcakes 2. Frost with Nutella. 3. Pile on German Chocolate Cake Frosting. The hazelnut flavor in the Nutella works great with the pecans in this frosting! So good!

This has a wonderful taste! I had to increase (medium low the temperature of my stove and cook for quite some time to get it thick. I slathered it on brownies after it cooled for a bit.

Excellent recipe and easy to make. I cooked mine over medium heat, since it wasn't thickening, and I also doubled the coconut. It turned out great.

This tasted great, but I felt the directions are a bit unclear...how thick is thick? I removed the mixture from the heat as soon as it got thick, but then it never completely set up. It was definitely runny, even after letting it cool completely. I'm wondering if I had kept it on the stove a little bit longer if it would have gotten thicker...I'm not sure. I poured it on the cake, anyway but had to keep it refrigerated.

Wouldn't change a thing! I cooked it for about 15 minutes on low-medium and though it didn't thicken up too much, the consistency was great. You want it to run over the cake, soaking it a bit rather than just sitting there, not moving. It is delicious and rich!

Excellent recipe. I used walnuts instead of pecan, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I will use this recipe again.

Added 1tbs cornstarch to the milk before starting the heat, turned out great. You must remember that it takes a while to thicken, just like gravy.

I only had a 5oz. can of evaporated milk on hand so I added enough half and half to finish out the cup needed. I also used brown sugar and added a pinch of salt. Tasted and looked better than store bought. The cake did not last long, family inhaled it. I will make this frosting again. Excellent!!!!

At a authentic German festival I tasted a frosting that was fantastic. This basic recipe, add the 1 1/2 TBSP of corn starch to the sugar before adding it to the pan, the key ingredient was adding 2 TBSP of dark rum at the end with the coconut and pecans. FANTASTIC flavor- No disappointment!

Despite suggestions to add cornstarch, I did not. Instead, I pulled out a book and let it cook on low stirring constantly for about 45 minutes, added the pecans and coconut, and put it on. It came out the perfect thickness! Easy to do despite the time, and tastes great =]

Followed recipe exactly as written - Perfection!!! Hard to stop eating while icing the cake. Make this once and you will never buy a store brand again.

This frosting was awesome. It cooked up just fine for me. For those that think this is turning out runny, try cooking at higher heat while constantly stirring... this thickened for me in about 15, maybe 20 minutes. And also, you can add more coconut to thicken it. I had never tried to make this icing and it is just so much easier than I had thought it would be. Don't be intimidated, it really is simple and tastes GREAT!!!

SO good! I used butter instead of margarine (I never buy margarine so I had to )and it turned out so good!

I made this on Christmas and everyone loved it!! I did not add cornstarch, but I did turn the heat up after about 10 minutes to help it thicken. After I added the coconut, it ended up being the perfect consistency. I will never try another German chocolate cake frosting; this one was perfect.

This is seriously delicious. i used the "black magic cake" recipe also found on this website to go with it. I found that the frosting thickens on its own if you simmer if for a bit and then even more so when it cools. Also, i used unsweetened coconut flakes and i thought it was perfect. i think sweetened coconut flakes would have made it too sweet.

This is my VERY favorite cake frosting. Could eat the whole pot without a cake.!!! I never add cornstarch, just trun up thr heat and stir, it will thicken up. Toast the coconut and pecans for more flavor!! This is the best!YUM!!!

Loved it, it did take 35 minutes of me constantly stirring on medium heat for it to thicken up perfectly but it was well worth it.

I made this - used unsweetened coconut flakes and butter instead of margarine. It came out perfect. It didn't say how long to cook - just until thick - which took a while... maybe 10 minutes? Simply perfect.

I used a can of coconut milk instead of the evaporated milk, and substituted 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar along with a 1/4 sugar, and omitted the margarine. I had to reduce and watch constantly for a half hour, but it was worth it, especially if you love coconut and want to use a healthier fat. This turned out great!!!! (I couldn't stop eating it from the bowl, lol)

Great taste! I brought this right up to a boil to thicken it, and I did not have pecans and it was still delicious. Thanks for this recipe!!

needed the corn starch to thicken

I followed the instructions exactly but it did come out very runny. I'm giving it 4 stars because the taste was great and I think it has potential. Next time, I think I will allow the liquids to come to a boil for a bit allowing it to thicken, like others suggested. Then I will probably also wait for it to cool before frosting (so that it's warm, but not still hot). Also, my brother ate it and suggested grounding the nuts finer and using less nuts and more coconut. I think this would make it easier to spread.

Unbelievable. Could have eaten entire pan of frosting alone! I put this on top of the "too much chocolate cake"-minus-the-chocolate-chips. Wow. I toasted the pecans and coconut. I used fat free evaporated milk and the 1 to 1-1/2 tbsp of corn starch like suggested. It set up perfectly right around 5-7 minutes as I was stirring in the boiling pan. (stir--it will start burning the bottom fast) Will make again and again and again. 5/10/10 Did it again but didn't have evap milk--just had fat free sweetened condensed milk. I omitted the sugar and used my condensed milk. Worked GREAT!

Super flavor! I made a box cake mix and topped it with this yummy creation for a fire-company picnic. The fireman gobbled it up quickly and it was the first dessert to disappear! One hint - I did use butter and halved the amount. I also let it cook on the stove a while longer to achieve the gooey effect.

completely awesome - will definitely make again. was not runny at all after adding the coconut flakes; the icing will thicken and harden after being poured on the cake.