German Chocolate Cake
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German Chocolate Cake is a rich and indulgent dessert with layers of moist chocolate cake and a luscious coconut pecan frosting! The combination of sweet, gooey coconut pecan filling and decadent chocolate cake layers make this a gorgeous chocolate cake perfect for any special occasion.
Try my Zucchini Chocolate Cake, Best Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Tres Leches Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, and German Chocolate Cookie Balls next.
Why This Recipe Works
Chocolate Coconut Perfection: German chocolate cake is a classic dessert made with the perfect combination of rich chocolate, sweet coconut and nutty pecans! A simple chocolate cake is paired with a deliciously sweet homemade coconut pecan frosting that is impossible to resist. This is one of the best cake combinations out there, and anyone can learn to make it from scratch!
Rustic Yet Impressive: The rustic look of this cake is intentional. It keeps things easy, without the need to frost the sides of the cake. But it also shows off those gorgeous layers of moist chocolate cake with the creamy and nutty filling in between! Whoever you serve this traditional german chocolate cake is definitely going to be impressed!
Ingredients
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great here!
- Oil: Use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil.
- Milk: You can use any milk you have on hand, I used 2%!
- Coconut Rum: You can add a bit of coconut rum, like Malibu rum, for a hint of extra flavor. This is optional if you prefer not to use alcohol!
- Pecans: Add some chopped pecans, too, for that classic German chocolate cake flavor!
Here’s How to Make It
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 F and prep two 8 inch cake tins with cooking spray and baking parchment. (not pictured)
- Measure Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside. (photo 2)
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In another bowl or large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and the eggs until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and whisk until you have a thick batter. (photos 1 & 3-4)
- Add Water: Add the boiling water and whisk into the cake batter before dividing it between the two tins. Use a pair of kitchen scales if you have them to get even layers. (photos 5-7)
- Bake: Gently lift each tin a few inches off the countertop and drop them back down a few times to know out any air bubbles before baking for 30 minutes, or until the cakes are set and the tip of a sharp knife or a cocktail skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. (photo 8)
- Make the Frosting: While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the frosting. First, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium high heat until it is nutty and brown. Remove from the heat to cool. (photo 9)
- Combine Egg Yolks with Sugar: In another, much larger saucepan, add the egg yolks and gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Then whisk in the sugars, heavy cream, salt and cooled brown butter. (photos 10-14)
- Slowly Cook: Set the pan over a medium heat and cook, whisking almost constantly once the mixture has started to warm until it has thickened, and you’ve started to see a few bubbles. It is ready if it coats the back of a spoon, but whatever you do, don’t let it boil! This will cause the eggs to scramble. (not pictured)
- Remove from Heat: Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and coconut rum, if using. Switch to a spatula and fold in the coconut and chopped pecans. Set aside- it will thicken once it has cooled. (photo 15)
- Frost: Once the cakes have reached room temperature and the frosting has thickened, using a large bread knife or a cake leveler, split each layer in two, and sandwich each together with 1/4 of the frosting, leaving the remaining frosting to decorate the top of the cake. (photo 16)
Expert Tips
- If you also want a chocolate frosting in addition to the coconut frosting, you can double this chocolate ganache recipe and use it to decorate the cake!
- When making the coconut frosting, make sure to constantly whisk the mixture as it is heating up, and don’t ever let it fully come to a boil! This is the secret to creating a silky soft frosting. If you don’t whisk constantly or if you let it come to a boil, the mixture could curdle!
- The higher quality the cocoa powder, the better! In order to get a deep chocolate color and flavor, you should use a high quality cocoa powder!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can make the coconut pecan frosting up to 2-3 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. You can also make the chocolate cake layers ahead of time! After cooling, wrap them well in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for up to one day ahead. After taking them out of the fridge, you can split each layer in two with a sharp bread knife and assemble. Alternatively, you can freeze the cake layers for up to 3 months.
You can store any assembled and leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days!
More Cake Recipes to Try
- Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
- Raspberry Almond Cake
- Easy Carrot Cake
- Oatmeal Cake with Vanilla Sauce
- Zucchini Sheet Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting
- Red Velvet Cake
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup oil
- ½ tbsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup boiling water
For the Pecan Coconut Frosting
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup 2% milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp coconut rum, optional
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 ½ cups toasted pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prep two 8 inch cake tins with cooking spray and baking parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- In another bowl or a large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and the eggs until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and whisk until you have a thick batter.
- Add the boiling water and whisk into the cake batter before dividing it between the two tins – use a pair of kitchen scales if you have them to get even layers.
- Gently lift each tin a few inches off the countertop and drop them back down a few times to knock out any air bubbles before baking for 30 minutes, or until the cakes are set and the tip of a sharp knife or a cocktail skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- While you are baking and cooling the cakes, make the frosting. First, melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium high heat until it is nutty and brown. Remove from the heat to cool.
- In another, much larger saucepan, add the egg yolks and gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Then whisk in the sugars, heavy cream, salt, and cooled brown butter.
- Set the pan over a medium heat and cook, whisking almost constantly once the mixture has started to warm until it has thickened, and you’ve started to see a few bubbles. It is ready if it coats the back of a spoon, but whatever you do don’t let it boil!
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and coconut rum, if using. Switch to a spatula, and fold in the coconut and chopped pecans. Set aside – it will thicken once it has cooled.
- Once the cakes have reached room temperature and the frosting has thickened, using a large bread knife or a cake leveller, split each layer in two, and sandwich each together with 1/4 of the frosting, leaving the remaining frosting to decorate the top of the cake.
Notes
- This cake will keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, though the cake layers can be baked a day ahead or even frozen for up to 3 months before splitting.
- For a less rustic finish, you can finish the sides of this cake with ganache. (Ganache on cakes makes them look nice and taste great! For an example check out my Cherry Chip Cake.) Make up a double quantity before assembling the cake, and allow it to cool enough to pipe. Pipe a boarder around each layer before adding the coconut pecan frosting as a filling, pipe stars around the top edge before adding the main frosting in the middle, and smooth the sides with the remaining ganache.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
A combination of chocolate and coconut, I love it! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
I made these for my son’s 3rd birthday and they were a huge hit! I used light coconut milk instead of the milk and heavy cream, and they were just wonderful. The cake is light and fluffy yet very moist. And the frosting… yeah, let’s just say there was no frosting left over thanks to me.
Beautifully done. I would have preferred a scratch cake recipe, as I tend to avoid the artificial stuff in mixes, but one occasion won’t kill us haha!
HI! These look fantastic….have you (or anyone) ever made this as a cake as opposed to cupcakes?
Hi Ashlee! I haven’t tried it as a cake but if you do give it a go, let me know how it turns out! I would love to know if this recipe works as a cake as well! 🙂
have you tried using coconut milk instead of regular milk? i was thinking about making these tomorrow and wondered if i could substitute coconut milk for regular milk.
Hi Wendy, I haven’t tried this recipe with coconut milk so I’m not sure how it will work out but if you do give it a try please let me know how it turns out!! 🙂
mmm they look great!
These cupcakes look crazy good, Tiffany! LOVE the photos! Pinned.
These cupcakes look so good and I love your photographs!