German Chocolate Cake for a 60th Birthday

My husband turned 60 this week, and his all time favorite cake is German Chocolate.
I've never like coconut, but this recipe from Cooks Illustrated is the BEST German Chocolate cake... guaranteed.

I absolutely love Cooks Illustrated!!! I am recipe follower and need play by play instructions.  Cooks Illustrated has tested many variations of a recipe and explains why their method works, with detailed explanations.  It makes a basic cook, like me, pull off some pretty amazing recipes, as if I was a guest chef on a food network cooking show.

If you go to their test kitchen website here, you can subscribe to an annual $35 membership for access to unlimited recipes.  I highly recommend joining, like I did, as you will use it often.

Their German Chocolate Cake recipe I made for the birthday boy is below .... Enjoy!!

And a Happy 60th Birthday to the love of my life!!

My husband's high school graduation picture, when he was 18 years old.