Y’all ain’t nothing like my mama’s German Chocolate Cake recipe. It’s pretty famous in my fam, and I know it will be in yours too! It’s made with layers of decadent, moist chocolate cake and frosted with two frostings: a richest buttery coconut-pecan and an indulgent chocolate. Add a little drizzle of silky ganache and this German chocolate cake will legit knock your socks off. It’s that lit boos!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“This cake was amazing!! My family raved about it! It disappeared soooo quickly! Great recipe! Your recipes are always flawlessly tasty!!”
—l.H.
Y’all this is legit my daddy’s favorite cake that my mama makes. He requests it each year around the holidays because he can’t get enough. It is seriously that good too! Each bite of this German chocolate cake is filled with so much flavor and moisture that you won’t even believe it! I gave it the smallest update by adding an outside layer of chocolate frosting to up the decadence even more. Get into it boos.
The Lowdown of The Best German Chocolate Cake
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Contains nuts and dairy. Can be made gluten-free with ingredient swaps.
Key Flavor: Rich chocolate paired with coconut and pecan frosting
Skill Level: Intermediate (Bring Your A Game)
Textures and Flavors are On Point!
The undefeated combo of tender chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting and smooth chocolate frosting is beyond your wildest dessert dreams. When you serve up velvety cake and chunky frosting, those textures hit different.
A Chocolate Lover’s Dream
I love me some chocolate and German chocolate cake is a unique yet delish way to celebrate that flavor. It’s rich and indulgent in the best way possible. It’s a straight up win for all of my fellow chocoholics.
Celebration Ready!
Whether you add some candles to the top for a bday or make it for your boo thang for an anniversary, this cake steals the spotlight!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make German Chocolate Cake Recipe
For the Cake Base:
- Baking Chocolate: The soulful base gives our cake its rich cocoa vibes!
- Boiling Water: It helps melt down that chocolate goodness.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter gives our cake that richness and lush texture.
- Granulated & Light Brown Sugar: This sweet duo adds depth and a caramel hint with the touch of molasses.
- Eggs: Yolks give us richness while whites whip up lightness and structure.
- Cake Flour: This is the fluffy secret to our cake’s perfect crumb.
- Baking Soda & Salt: These give our cake a nice lift and enhance all the flavors balancing that sweetness.
- Buttermilk: This gives a lil’ tang and a whole lot of moisture!
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a sweet aromatic touch.
For the Icing on the Cake:
- Evaporated Milk & Brown Sugar: Creamy and sweet, this is a match made in icing heaven boos.
- Egg Yolks: This stay giving all the richness. Richness alert!
- Unsalted Butter: When we need to kick in that cream flavor, this is the key.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Flavor amplifiers on deck!
- Flaked Coconut & Chopped Pecans: This gives us texture and tropical vibes, all in one!
How To Make German Chocolate Cake
How to Serve German Chocolate Cake
- Garnish with Extra Pecans: Jazz the cake up by adding some candied pecans on top.
- Add a Dollop: Add some fresh whipped cream to each slice.
- Comfort Food Dinner: Serve up this classic pot roast, honey glazed carrots and a side of Velveeta mac and cheese but make sure to leave room for this dessert.
- Elegant Dinner Party: Make these delish braised short ribs, garlic mashed potatoes, potato rolls and white cheddar macaroni and cheese.
Recipe Substitutions
- Pecans: Walnuts or hazelnuts can be delicious alternatives, and they provide a fun twist on this classic cake.
- German Chocolate: Use darker chocolate for a more bitter, richer flavor. Go milkier for a cake that is sweeter and a bit lighter.
- Brown Sugar: If you don’t have any, make homemade brown sugar with granulated sugar and molasses.
- Buttermilk: If you’re out of buttermilk, no worries. Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a cup of whole milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Cake Flour: Missing cake flour? Grab some all-purpose flour and cornstarch and make homemade cake flour in a pinch.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Toast it Up: Lightly toast the nuts to bring out their natural caramel notes.
- Go With White Chocolate: I’ve even seen people make this cake with white chocolate, and it is gorgeous!!
- Splash in Some Flavor: Try butterscotch, coffee, maple or even orange extracts. Introducing a new flavor to your recipe will take it to the next level.
- Gluten-Free: Swap out the flour with your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour. The texture might change slightly but it will still be delish.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- No Scrambled Eggs: When making the custard, make sure you watch it carefully. You will want to stir and be patient because you have added eggs and you don’t want them to scramble.
- Do You Boos!: Feel free to also adjust the amount of coconut and pecans you add to this frosting to your liking.
- Separate Properly: Make sure you do a thorough job of separating yolks from whites. If you get yolk in your whites, they won’t whip as perfectly!
- Don’t Overcrowd: Bake two layers first so you don’t overcrowd your oven, then bake that final layer separately. You want to bake all of your layers on the same oven rack to ensure uniform baking.
How to Store
This cake can stay at room temp for about a day. Just make sure it’s kept in an airtight container and covered tight. If you need to store it longer, the fridge is the way to go.
How long will leftovers last in the fridge?
This cake will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just make sure you keep it covered. Bring it back to room temp before you serve it up.
Can I freeze it?
Absolutely boos! Make sure you wrap slices tightly in plastic wrap then in foil before you add to the freezer. It should last about 3 months. When you want to indulge, just bring it back to room temp before serving it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep boos! You sure can. You can store the cake in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving it up.
You can swap in another mild sweet baking chocolate like semi-sweet chocolate. You might just need to add a smidge more sugar to mimic the sweetness.
Use the good ole toothpick trick! Insert it into the center of the cake, and if it comes out mostly clean, its all good boos.
Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Devil’s Food Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- BEST Chocolate Cake recipe with Blackberry Buttercream
German Chocolate Cake Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 oz baking chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 cup unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs separated (egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites beaten until stiff peaks in another bowl)
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the Icing
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsalted Butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
OPTIONAL: For the Chocolate Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted Butter
- 6 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
OPTIONAL: For the Ganache
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
For the Cake
- Begin by heating the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch with non stick baking spray. Line with parchment paper if preferred.
- In a bowl, add chopped chocolate to boiling water and whisk until smooth then set aside to cool.
- To the bowl of your stand mixer, add butter and both sugars and beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
- Next add egg yolks, one at a time, then add in cooled chocolate and mix until incorporated.
- Slow down your mixer to low speed. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt then add to bowl in increments until smooth.
- Next add buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Finally using a spatula, carefully fold previously separated stiff egg whites into batter.
- Divide batter evenly into cake pans and bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes then remove and allow layers to cool to room temperature.
For the Icing
- In a large saucepan, whisk together evaporated milk, sugar, yolks, butter, salt and vanilla until combined. Begin cooking over medium heat for about 14-17 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly.
- Stir in coconut and pecans then cool for about 30 minutes but continue to stir occasionally until mixture is very spreadable.
For the Chocolate Frosting
- Find the full instructions for the frosting HERE
For the Ganache
- Bring the heavy cream to a boil on the stovetop then pour it over the chocolate. Mix until smooth and allow it to cool to room temperature to thicken before adding to the cake.
To Assemble
- Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on a cake plate; using a metal spatula, spread 1/3 of the filling over the layer. Add second layer, rounded side down; spread with 1/3 of the filling. Add third layer, rounded side up; spread with remaining filling. Optional: Ice sides of cake with chocolate frosting and add drip of ganache if you desire and serve.
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This was a really good cake. The texture was velvety and the frosting delicious. I used milk chocolate for the cake and was disappointed in the lack of chocolate flavor (but not the cake). Next time I will use semisweet . The recipe card is missing two steps. It doesn’t specify when to whip the egg whites or when to add the chocolate mixture to the cake batter (it does show that in the video). If you’ve make cakes at all you can figure it out, but it would have been nice to whip the egg white first and set them to the side instead of scooping the batter into another bowl to use my mixer to whip the egg whites. Overall a fantastic cake!
I made this cake and loved it. I omitted the optional chocolate frosting and made the optional chocolate ganache instead. I made the ganache as stated in the recipe. It was pretty thick. I wanted it to artistically drip down the sides, but it was too thick to do that. I think next time I will try using more than 1/2 cup of cream… or maybe just thin with whole milk? It was my first time making ganache, so I wasn’t sure what to do. I spread the ganache over the top of the cake like frosting and added the leftover coconut-pecan filling in the center. Anyway, it was beautiful and delicious, so I’m definitely not complaining! Thanks, Jocelyn! 🙂
The cake in the video didn’t appear to have the pecan frosting on top, and it was made with white sugar not brown like the recipe states….I’m super excited to make this recipe but I’m hoping to have enough pecan frosting for the top also and wondering if I should use brown or white sugar? Thanks for sharing this beautiful cake!
Use according to the recipe card.
I baked this delicious cake for my church event and it was a major hot along with the sweet and salty cookies…
I wish I could post a picture because I made it with the gnash as well. Not only did it look professionally made but taste like it came from a bakery…
Thank you for the many easy recipes. You are the best!
I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for you to post a German Chocolate Cake!!!! YAY!!!
It looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it. You are the absolute BEST! 🙂
What a fabulous looking cake. I’ve always thought that the Germans make the best cakes and it really is true!
You may want to read what she wrote above — this cake is named after an American whose last name is German. It has nothing to do with Germany…
This is seriously the best German chocolate cake!! Gorgeous to look at and oh so delicious!
This is one of my favorite cakes. I’ve never tried icing it with a chocolate frosting before as I just just used the pecan-coconut mixture but the frosting really put a whole new taste twist on the original. Your mom knows what she’s doing when it comes to this cake. And yours looks so beautiful with all those swirls of frosting. It’s a total yum dessert!
I haven’t had German Chocolate cake in the longest time. This looks so delicious.
Wow – that cake looks intense! Perfect for a big celebration.