Pre-Heat oven to 350°.
Prepare the three 9 inch cake pans by spraying with cooking spray and lining with parchment paper.
Bring ½ Cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once water comes to a boil turn off the heat and add 4oz bar of German’s Sweet Chocolate bar to the water and gently stir to melt. Set melted chocolate aside for a later step
Sift together 2 ¼ Cups cake flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream 1 cup (two sticks) of butter, 2 cups sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together until the butter is soft and sugar is well integrated.
Separate eggs. Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Add egg yolks 1 at a time. Beat mixture well each time.
Pour melted chocolate and buttermilk in slowly and mix until smooth.
Next, add sifted dry ingredients a little at a time and mix on medium speed. Make sure to scrape down the bowl to ensure the flour is fully mixed.
Beat egg whites on high until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold into cake batter.
Divide the batter evenly over the three pans. Use a spatula to push batter out to the edges of the pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Remove cakes from the oven and let sit in the pan for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Let cakes cool and assemble cakes. (German Chocolate Cake Frosting recipe below)
Place a spoonful of frosting on the center of a cake plate and set the first 9 inch round in the center of the plate.
Spoon ⅓ of the frosting into the center of the cake and use a knife or spatula to spread to the edge of the cake.
Repeat this process until all the layers are stacked neatly atop each other with a generous layer of frosting on each.