German Chocolate Cake Recipe

For cake, heat the water and chocolate in heavy saucepan until melted; cool. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to butter/chocolate mixture. Beat until batter is smooth. In separate bowl, whip 4 egg whites until stiff; fold into batter. Pour batter into three 9-inch cake pans lined with waxed paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from pans; cool on wire racks. For frosting, mix sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks in 1-qt. saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread. Spread frosting over tops of each cake layer. For icing, melt in saucepan the shortening and chocolate. While warm, drizzle icing down sides of cake.