German Chocolate Cake
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
A decadent German Chocolate Cake Recipe, made an extra moist and fudgy chocolate cake, a rich caramel/coconut frosting, and iced with a sweet and simple chocolate frosting.
German Chocolate Cake
…Or, as I originally wanted to call it, “Not Your Mama’s German Chocolate Cake”.
I’m taking some liberties with the traditional German Chocolate Recipe today. After lots of testing, I wasn’t satisfied with many of the classic versions of this cake. Maybe you’ve tried them before: Chocolate cakes made with melted bars of German chocolate and whipped egg whites. They yield a lighter but more dry and not terribly chocolatey cake.
While I tried to love it, I kept going back to my classic chocolate cake instead. Maybe its my recent intense chocolate cravings (thank you, pregnancy), but I wanted a dense, fudgy cake that actually tasted like chocolate.
While our caramel/coconut layer stays (fairly) true to tradition, this German Chocolate Cake is honestly the most decadent, best version I’ve ever tried. Which, of course it is or I wouldn’t be sharing it with you here today 😉. Let’s get to it.
German Chocolate Cake Frosting
When most people think of German Chocolate Cake, they usually think about the frosting.
Traditional frosting is something of a cross between a frosting, a custard, and a caramel. The base is made primarily with egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar and cooked on the stovetop until thickened. Once cooked, we’ll stir in shredded (sweetened) coconut and toasted pecans.
When making this frosting, it’s so important that you don’t turn up your heat too high or you’ll end up cooking bits of your egg. Also, make sure you let your frosting cool completely before trying to decorate your cake or you’ll likely end up with a runny mess.
This caramel-esque frosting is the only frosting that some German Chocolate Cake recipes use, and if that’s how you want to make yours then go for it.
Personally I wanted a little bit more chocolate (shocking), so I made a simple chocolate frosting to frost the outside of the cake and decorate the top. I also used it as a dam on the first layer of the cake to help hold the coconut frosting inside, making it easier to frost the outside (see below).
Why is it Called German Chocolate Cake?
This cake actually does not come from Germany, it’s considered an American cake. The recipe was named because of the creator of German chocolate, a man named Samual German. However, these days German Chocolate Cake is now generally used to describe any chocolate layer cake frosted with this coconut/caramel frosting. And while I do feel a little guilty about cutting Mr. German’s chocolate out of our recipe today, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the results.
You can read here to find out more about the origins of this not-so-German cake.
Does German Chocolate Cake Need to be Refrigerated?
If you plan to enjoy your German Chocolate Cake within a day or two it will keep just fine at room temperature in an airtight container (so long as you aren’t in a particularly humid climate). You may refrigerate this cake, just be sure to keep in an airtight container (to help keep it from drying out, as refrigerators are notorious for drying out cake!).
This cake will keep for a week in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze German Chocolate Cake?
Yes! this cake can be frozen. It will keep for several months in the freezer, granted it is properly sealed and stored (I would wrap it well with plastic wrap and foil).
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like:
- Coconut Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Marble Cake
- Or check out more of my Cake Recipes
Let’s bake together! Follow me on my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 150 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) neutral cooking oil, I use avocado oil, but canola or vegetable oil would also work
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk¹
- ½ cup (120 ml) very hot or boiling water
Coconut Caramel Filling
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup (236 ml) evaporated milk
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cups (125 g) chopped pecans, preferably toasted
- 2 cups (160 g) sweetened shredded coconut
Chocolate Frosting²
- 1 cup (226 g) salted butter, softened
- 3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons evaporated milk³
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 9" round cake pans by lightly greasing and flouring I also recommend lining the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine flour, sugars, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) and use an electric mixer to stir until well-combined.1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add oil and melted butter and stir well (mixture will be very thick), then stir in eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.½ cup (120 ml) neutral cooking oil, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gradually add buttermilk, stirring until completely combined.1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk¹
- Slowly add hot water (be careful not to splash yourself!), stirring until ingredients are well-combined. Pause occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.½ cup (120 ml) very hot or boiling water
- Evenly divide batter into prepared pans. Transfer to oven and bake on 350F (175C) for 25-30 minutes and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
Coconut Caramel Filling
- Once your cake is in the oven, begin preparing your coconut/caramel filling. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk and whisk until eggs are lightly beaten.4 large egg yolks, 1 cup (236 ml) evaporated milk
- Add butter, sugars, and salt and place saucepan over medium/low heat (keep heat low so you do not cook your eggs!). Stir constantly until mixture is a light golden brown and thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, chopped pecans, and shredded coconut.8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cups (125 g) chopped pecans, 2 cups (160 g) sweetened shredded coconut
- Allow to cool completely before spreading over cake.
Chocolate Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer OR in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa powder until completely combined. Stir in vanilla extract and milk.1 cup (226 g) salted butter, 3 ½ cups (440 g) powdered sugar, ½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons evaporated milk³
Assembly:
- Once your cake layers have cooled and your coconut/caramel filling is no longer warm to the touch, you can assemble your cake!
- Place one cake round on serving tray or cake platter. Use your chocolate frosting to spread or pipe a border around the edge of the cake. Fill the border with half of your coconut/caramel filling.
- Top with second cake round. Frost top and sides of entire cake with remaining chocolate frosting.
- Top off cake with remaining half of coconut/caramel frosting.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
³I recommend evaporated milk because you will likely have some over from your coconut filling if you purchased a 12 oz can. However, regular milk will work just as well!
Storing
Keep at room temperature (granted you are not in a particularly hot/humid climate) in an airtight container for up to three days. It may also be refrigerated (in an airtight container) for up to a week. This may also be frozen, wrap well and freeze for up to several months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
How far in advance can I make the coconut filling? Thank you!
Hi Maria! The coconut filling will be good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 🙂
Excellent cake. It is a bit odd because when I was younger I disliked German Chocolate Cake. Then as I matured I started craving it. I was never a huge fan of coconut so that might’ve been the biggest why. That has changed now, obviously.🙂
Anyhow, this is my first attempt at making a German Chocolate Cake and WOW, my family and I were all impressed. This will definitely be my go to. I must admit it wasn’t as eye catching as yours, but the taste was spot on. Thank you for sharing this delectable cake recipe. It is much appreciated.
1) this recipe looks delicious (I have made many of your recipes – the sugar cookie one is our go to Xmas one because I am not organized enough to make dough that needs to be chilled haha).
2) there is such a thing as German chocolate cake and I can buy it from my local German import specialty foods store (Alberta Canada). It doesn’t look anything like this. It is sort of a mix between a brownie and a Betty Crocker chocolate cake; sometimes a buttercream or German meringue frosting or sometimes chocolate ganache frosting (or no frosting because the cake is so rich).
Super interesting to learn today that there used to be a brand of chocolate called German Chocolates, that explains a lot of confusion I’ve had seeing stuff that definitely was not a German heritage recipe.
Love all that you do, happy holidays and happy baking!
From one sweet tooth to another,
~Laura
Would a double batch work for 2 10 inch heart shape pans?
Hi Quiana! A double batch would probably be too much–1.5 would be closer. You could always do a double batch and make cupcakes with the excess though 🙂
Hi Emily! I love, love, love your cakes! Thanks for sharing your easy-to-follow recipes and techniques for all of the novice bakers out there. My family is not big on coconut so I decreased the amount by half. However, the caramel filling turned out a bit runny even after increasing the cook time and refrigerating on my second attempt. Is it necessary to use the exact amount of coconut for this to work? Any other suggestions or tweaks to thicken this? It tastes absolutely divine and is just too good to not get right 🙂
The coconut helps hold it together. The caramel isn’t really meant to be a stand alone. Cooking it a little longer may help, but you want to be careful to not burn it.
how can I make/change this using German chocolate
We’re not sure how that would go 🙁
This is my husband‘s favorite cake for his birthday. I have had trouble with the coconut caramel filling being really runny. My cake sprung leak after I assembled it. I did the coconut caramel filling the day before and put in the fridge, so it would not be too warm when layering. Also, my cake crumbles when I apply the icing. It falls apart. It may not be pretty, but it taste really good. Any suggestions?
Hi Shelly! If your filling is too thin you may have just needed to cook it for a little bit longer on the stove top. Is your cake dry and crumbly or are you just getting crumbs off the outside of the cake when frosting? If you are having just crumbs from the outside of the cake you can do a crumb coat. I show how to do this in my post on how to decorate a cake. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Sam- I love all your recipes and so appreciate having this resource, thank you! I would like to turn this recipe into a 8 inch triple layer cake. How would you suggest I go about increasing the recipe? Would there be enough batter to do 3
8 inch layers? Thank you so much for your help.
Hi Stephanie! You would want to increase all of the recipe by 50% to make sure you have enough. 🙂
Any adjustments to the recipe for higher elevation?
Hi Molly! Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with high elevation so I can’t provide good information on any alterations. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some information. 🙂
I only have 8 inch cake rounds should. I baked the batter in them but it took longer to bake. My middle sunk in both layers when I test the middle to see if they were done. The toothpick came out clean. I am wondering should I have divided my batter between 3 cake rounds instead of 2?
I’m so sorry to hear this happened! Is your baking soda fresh? A bad leavener can cause issues. Did you make any substitutions?
We love the German chocolate cake and it’s a family favorite, but it always comes out crumbly and we have made it about 5 times and it’s always so hard to frost. We are so confused and wondering if you have any suggestions. Thank you and we love your recipes
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it, Nick! You can try refrigerating it before frosting. It is a softer cake. 🙂
We will try it! Thank you
I have no idea what has gone wrong, but when I made this cake the center sunk in. Same thing happened when I made your devils food cake too. I even made it 2x thinking I may have missed or misread something. Same results with sunken center. Making your yellow cake it never happened. I’m at a loss of what went wrong. For the record all cakes have tasted great!
Hi Christina! I’m so sorry they have been sinking! I would make sure the batter is being well incorporated and make sure you don’t pull them out of the oven too soon. I’m glad you still enjoyed them. 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe! I just made it for my husband’s birthday and we all loved it! The cake is moist, rich, and full of flavor. I actually used fresh milled Einkorn flour and it was perfect!
I made this cake about a week ago for a bake sale during my local German Culture Clubs Christmas Bazzar. It was so incredibly rich, moist and yummy. I wish I had made 2 cakes so I could have had my family try it!
Made this twice for my Mom’s 92nd birthday & she/we loved it. So rich, moist. Now I’m going to make it for my SIL’s birthday cuz his Mom, who passed away recently, used to make German chocolate cake for him when he was a boy. Thank you for sharing this, Sam!
What would happen if I didn’t use the instant coffee? Thank you.
You will lose a bit of flavor, but it will still taste fine 🙂
When you say instant coffee. Is it just the granules or prepared instant coffee?
Hi Cindy! You will just mix the granules in. They will dissolve when the hot water is added in. 🙂
Can the coconut filling be frozen? I am making a GC cake in 2 weeks but have an excessive amount of egg yolks from another recipe that I am trying to use up.
By the way, I love this chocolate cake! I’ve made it 2 times. Once with the triple chocolate recipe and today with SMBC and a white chocolate drip. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Hi Julia! We haven’t tried it, but we think it will be fine. We’re so happy you like the recipe!
This is the best recipe I have found!! This is the most requested cake from family and friends. Everyone LOVES the frosting because it is not too sweet.
We’re so happy it’s a hit, Angela! ❤️