German Chocolate Cake (Best Recipe!)
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Made with richly fudgy chocolate cake layers and a silky chocolate frosting, this is NOT your average German chocolate cake! Instead of piling the coconut-pecan frosting on top, we layer it inside and wrap the cake in chocolate frosting for gooey decadence in every slice. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Ultimate German Chocolate Cake Recipe
I’ve taken some liberties with traditional German chocolate cake today. After lots of testing, I wasn’t satisfied with many attempts at the classic versions of this cake. Maybe you’ve tried them before: 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 found myself desperately craving something a bit more decadent, a touch more interesting, and definitely more chocolatey. My version delivers on all of these, here’s what to know:
What to Expect From My Recipe
- Ultra moist, deeply chocolatey cake layers. No dry, crumbly cake here! We’re skipping the traditional method and using my classic chocolate cake recipe as the base for rich, fudgy results.
- Traditional coconut-pecan frosting (used strategically). The iconic filling stays, but it’s used between the layers (and a bit on top). It’s gooey, flavorful, and balances the cake without overwhelming it.
- Chocolate buttercream makes an appearance. It’s not traditional, but holds in the filling and adds an extra layer of balanced decadence that puts this cake over the top.
Ingredients
For the Cake Layers
- Flour. Stick with all-purpose flour for this recipe and make sure you measure it accurately, or you could end up with a cake that’s dry or dense. I have a post on how to measure flour the right way that explains everything you need to know!
- Cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder will give you the most traditional flavor and is what I recommend.
- Instant coffee. This is optional, but I recommend adding it for the richest chocolate flavor. I promise it won’t make your cake taste like coffee! If you don’t have instant coffee, you an swap the hot water with a ½ cup of brewed hot coffee.
- Egg + egg yolk. Adding an extra yolk to the batter makes for a rich, moist cake crumb. It’s key for that fudgy texture we all expect from a chocolate cake!
- Oil & butter. This winning combination is my go-to for cakes (and muffins and breads) that are moist (oil) and flavorful (butter). I use avocado oil, but any neutral cooking oil will work.
For the Filling & Frosting
- Coconut & pecans. Use sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans. If you’d like to toast your pecans (and I recommend you do!), follow the instructions in my post on how to toast pecans. You will want to toast them before chopping for best results.
- Evaporated milk. Be careful to make sure you aren’t using sweetened condensed milk–you must use evaporated milk. They are often sold near each other but are NOT the same thing.
- Egg yolks. You only need egg yolks for the filling. If you don’t want to waste the egg whites, use them to make meringue cookies (my recipe uses exactly four!).
- Butter. I use unsalted butter in the filling and salted in the frosting. If you only have salted butter, omit the salt in the filling. If you only have unsalted butter, simply add a ½ teaspoon of salt to the frosting.
- Cocoa powder. Stick with natural cocoa powder for the frosting, just like the cake layers.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: We won’t use all of the evaporated milk in the filling, so I like to use up a little more of it in the chocolate frosting. If you prefer to use regular milk in the frosting though, feel free.
How to Make German Chocolate Cake
- Step 1: Make the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients and sugars until well combined, then stir in the oil, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually stir in the buttermilk, then very carefully add the hot water. Scrape the bowl before giving it one final stir until you have a smooth, cohesive batter.
- Step 2: Bake. Evenly divide the batter between two greased, floured, and lined pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs (preferable!), then remove to a cooling rack. Wait 15 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans to cool completely.
- Step 3: Make the caramelized filling. Whisk together the egg yolks and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Stir in the butter, sugars, and salt, then turn your stovetop to medium-low. Stir constantly as the mixture heats and thickens. Once it reaches a light brown color, remove it from the heat.
- Step 4: Add the coconut and pecans. Stir in the vanilla, chopped pecans, and shredded coconut. You will need to let this mixture cool completely before you can use it; I recommend transferring it to a heatproof dish to help speed up this process.
- Step 5: Make the frosting. Beat the butter until smooth, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Finally, stir in the milk and vanilla.
- Step 6: Assemble. Pipe a frosting dam around the edge of your first cake layer. Add half of the caramel filling in the center. Top with your second cake layer, then frost the sides of the cake (you can do a thin layer on top too!). Pipe a frosting border/dam around the top of your cake (I switch to a star tip for this!), then add your remaining caramel filling in the center.
SAM’S TIP: It’s very important that you let your filling cool completely. It will be too runny while still warm and needs to cool to the proper consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Much like Italian cream cake doesn’t come from Italy, German chocolate cake does not come from Germany. Instead, it gets its name from the creator of German chocolate, Samual German. Here’s a good resource if you want to learn more about the origins of this not-so-German cake.
The traditional frosting is a cross between a custard and a caramel sauce with shredded coconut and toasted pecans.
We still make this frosting for , I like a little bit more chocolate (shocking), so I treat the coconut/caramel/pecan mixture as a filling and use an actual chocolate frosting to frost my cake.
This cake can stay at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Alternatively, you can refrigerate it for up to a week (just keep it in an airtight container, as the fridge dries out cakes!).
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear how you like my non-traditional take on this cake–leave me a comment below if you try it 😊
Enjoy!
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German Chocolate Cake (Best Recipe!)
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!
This recipe was originally published in September of 2019, I’ve updated it to include new photos and more helpful information, but the recipe is unchanged.
The cake was too soft and the cakes split in a couple areas when I transferred them making the cake appear a bit lopsided. Also the cakes didn’t rise as much as I thought they should have. I would put them into 8” pans the next time.
The cake had very good flavor as did the frosting and filling. The filling was not the same flavor from what I recall my mom making as a child (homemade too) but still was good. I added some buttermilk to the chocolate frosting and it cut the sweetness a bit which I liked.
I probably wouldn’t make again because of the delicate nature of the cake.
hey good afternoon from blighty, just a simple question but important is the oven temp you use a fan assisted oven or traditional top and bottom heart, many thanks Anthony
Hi Anthony! I use a conventional oven, not the convection (fan assisted) setting. 🙂
I’ve made this cake many times, and love to do so. Everyone who tries it raves about it. Could this cake recipe be made as cupcakes?
Hi Jean! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! It would take some creativity to make the frosting work, but the batter will bake just fine as cupcakes. They will need to bake for about 17 minutes. 🙂
Hi Sam. I made the cake and the flavor was wonderful but the cake itself was too tender. After I unmolded it, it began to come apart easily. The cake kept tearing as I tried to frost it. It was a mess when I was done. I bake at a mile high altitude. Could that have had anything to do with why the cake was so tender and brittle? Do you have any suggestions for what I could try if I was to make this cake again? Thanks!
Hi Tim! I’m so sorry to hear this! I am not familiar with high altitude baking so I can’t say for sure if there was anything that would need to be adjusted. 🙁
Question! I didn’t have instant coffee granules. Can I use my regular coffee? maybe just ground up more? or what about some made coffee? and take out some of the water to balance??
Hi MaryLou! Instead of the hot water, you can just use an equal amount of hot coffee. Hope that helps!
Sam,
First I want to say that I love all your recipes. I have made this cake many times and it has always been a hit. I have been asked to make it for someone this weekend. The only thing is this person prefers a lighter chocolate in their German Chocolate cake. Is there a way to lighten the chocolate a bit in your recipe?
Hi Lisa! It was designed to be a pretty chocolatey cake so it’s going to tough for me to say how to alter that without having tried it. 🙁
Can we substitute espresso powder in for the instant coffee? Would it change the measurement?
Hi Kristin! Espresso powder will work here. You typically need less. I would probably use about half the amount here. 🙂
Hello Sam. This is another winner recipe! I’ve made many German Chocolate cakes in my lifetime, but never with brown sugar. We really noticed it in the caramel filling since it looks and tastes even more caramel-ish; very nice. BTW, I did use canned Coconut Milk, as I usually do to make recipes dairy-free. It worked just fine in both the cake batter and the filling. I do believe different brands work better than others; this time I used the Native Forest organic brand, which is the most smooth and creamy one I’ve tried. I also used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour to make it gluten-free and it was perfect. This is just a perfect cake. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mary! Thank you for the feedback to make this cake dairy and gluten free. I really appreciate it. 🙂
I want to make this cake for dinner at my grandma’s tonight but I only have 9 x 13 pans available to me. Are there any modifications I may need to make in order to make this cake work as a sheet cake?
Hi Marissa! I would bake it as a sheet cake, I’m not sure exactly what the bake time will be as it will depend on your cake pan but I would start checking it around 30 minutes and go from there. I’d then make all the coconut topping once the cake is baked. I’d use the icing (you could probably get away with a half batch, depends how much you want) to do a dam around the edge of the cake then fill/top with the filling, then probably do some decorative swirls with the icing on top once the topping has cooled. I hope that helps, and that everyone loves the cake!
Thank you so much!
I’m so glad this question was asked and answered. I was also wondering this. I also thought about lining the 9×13 pan with parchment paper before adding cake mix and baking it until done. When cool, I was going to remove the 9×13 cake from pan onto large cutting board or something and then cut the cake in half into TWO 9×6.5” layers, placing first layer onto cake plate (then follow recipe from here on) and making my cake a square German Chocolate Cake instead of a round one. Would that work?
Hi Lynn! I think that could work. 🙂
I made this cake and it was AMAZING! I added raspberry filling on the cheesecake and everyone loved it. I have to make another cake next week and I will try the German Cake. Thanks for the videos! It really helps.
I plan on making this cake this Saturday. Just curious as to which frosting tips did you use to decorate the cake.
Hi Lloyd! Sam used the Wilton 2D tip for this one 😊
Hi Sam,
I’m making this cake in a few days for my bosses birthday. Can I use hot coffee in this recipe instead of instant coffee and hot water? I love your chocolate cupcakes with the coffee added.
Thank you
Absolutely! Enjoy, Heather ❤️
Warning:
If you don’t have evaporated milk, but you do have coconut milk, which certainly sounds like a good idea for the filling, DO NOT USE IT. I just threw out a batch (with the 2023 price of eggs!), because it was totally liquid after lots of cooking. I thought I could save it with powdered sugar, but it just absorbed what I added, so I could tell that it would take at least two pounds of it, and that would destroy the filling. So, after a rest, I’ll re-make it with cream, which I happen to have.
O no!!! 🙁 Hopefully it turns out next time. 🙂
It was delicious but, one thing I noticed was the cake seemed to be a little dry. I’m wondering if you need maybe a little more buttermilk or something to make it more moist. This is just a suggestion.
Hi Julia! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake overall! I wouldn’t add any more buttermilk to the cake. A few common causes of a dry cake are over-mixing or over-baking. I would probably just check the cake a few minutes earlier to make sure your oven isn’t cooking a bit faster. 🙂
OMG this was A DELICIOUS CAKE I LOVED MAKING IT!!!!
It turned out Beautiful too! Wish I was smar enough how to send you a picture!!!
We’re so happy you loved it, Maureen! You can always share a photo in our Facebook group or tag us on Instagram @sugarspun_sam 😊
The cake is delicious! Can the 2 9 inch layers be made into 3 8 inch layers? If so, how long should they bake?
Hi Rhonda! 3 8 inch layers would be pretty thin. I would recommend increasing the recipe 33% to make that 3rd layer. If you don’t increase the recipe and just split the batter the bake time would be greatly reduced. I would just keep an eye on them as they bake.
This was an outstanding german chocolate cake. It’s my husband favorite cake for his birthday. I hate German chocolate, so this worked out perfect! So wel, I’m making it again but without the coconut caramel frosting, trying to figure out how to make a good caramel frosting for the middle. Thank you!! This recipe turned out perfectly! Hubby was pleased. 😊🎂
We’re so happy it was a hit! Our caramel frosting would be a great option for your next bake 😊
I made this recipe and the caramel coconut icing was runny. I did the Hummingbird cake and like it so I do that every birthday. This cake didnt turn out as I would have liked it. Should I have used less evaporated milk? What do you suggest?
Hi Amanda! We’re sorry to hear you were disappointed. Just checking–did you use a whole can or just 1 cup of evaporated milk? If you used 1 cup, then it may have just needed more time on the stove 🙁
I did use 1 cup of the evaporated milk. I guess I should have left it longer on the stove probably 15 mins. Also is the evaporated milk sweetened or unsweetened? Thanks
Sounds like that may have been the issue! It should be unsweetened evaporated milk. 😊
Should I worry about the boiling water cooking the eggs? I have not yet made this cake yet, however my last attempt at baking a similar recipe (Daphne Oz recipe) resulted in a very fudge, almost uncooked texture that tasted (and smelled) like scrambled eggs. I chalked it up to the addition of the hot water.
Hi Laura! This isn’t an issue I or anyone that has made this cake has commented on. I think something else happened here. If they water would have cooked the eggs you would see cooked pieces of egg in the cake it won’t change the entire texture of the cake. Give this one a shot and I think you’ll be very happy. 🙂 Good luck! 🙂