Easy Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

                 3/4 cup evaporated milk                                  

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

                    1/2 cup granulated sugar                                

1/2 cup butter or margarine

                                   1 teaspoon vanilla                                             

  3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

                        1 1/3 cups shredded coconut                          

  1 cup chopped pecans

Combine milk, sugars, butter and vanilla in a sauce pan. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. (Mixture may appear curdled.) Quickly stir a small amount of hot mixture into the egg yolks; then pour that mixture back into sauce pan. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add coconut and pecans. Cool to spreading consistency, stirring occasionally.

*Cookbooks tell you to frost between the layers and on the top of a German chocolate cake, but not on its sides. Mom always frosted the sides (it’s a little tricky) to keep the cake moist.