• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Line the bottom of three 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray them with baking spray to prevent sticking.
• In a small saucepan, combine the water and Baker's German sweet chocolate. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla until well combined.
• Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter, mixing until smooth after each addition.
• In another bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake the cakes for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before removing them from the pans and transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

• In a large saucepan, combine the evaporated milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning.
• Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. This may take about 12 minutes.
• Once the mixture has thickened to a spreadable consistency, remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Stir in the sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans. Adjust the amount of coconut and pecans according to your preference for texture and taste.
• Once the cakes have cooled completely, layer them with the German Chocolate Coconut-Pecan frosting, spreading it evenly between each layer and on the top of the cake.