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) canola or vegetable oil
- 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) canola or vegetable 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 German Chocolate Cake 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 German Chocolate 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
German Chocolate Cake will 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. German Chocolate Cake may be frozen, wrap well and freeze for up to several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Tim
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!
Sam
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. 🙁
Lisa
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?
Sam
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. 🙁
Kristin
Can we substitute espresso powder in for the instant coffee? Would it change the measurement?
Sam
Hi Kristin! Espresso powder will work here. You typically need less. I would probably use about half the amount here. 🙂
Mary E
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. 🙂
Sam
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. 🙂
Marissa
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?
Sam
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!
Marissa
Thank you so much!
Lynn Mack
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?
Sam
Hi Lynn! I think that could work. 🙂
Gina
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.
Lloyd Church
I plan on making this cake this Saturday. Just curious as to which frosting tips did you use to decorate the cake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lloyd! Sam used the Wilton 2D tip for this one 😊
Heather
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
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Absolutely! Enjoy, Heather ❤️
Bruce
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.
Sam
O no!!! 🙁 Hopefully it turns out next time. 🙂
Julia
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.
Sam
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. 🙂
Maureen Moehr
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!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
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 😊
Rhonda Ledbetter
The cake is delicious! Can the 2 9 inch layers be made into 3 8 inch layers? If so, how long should they bake?
Sam
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.
Millie
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. 😊🎂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit! Our caramel frosting would be a great option for your next bake 😊
Amanda
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?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
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 🙁
Amanda
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
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like that may have been the issue! It should be unsweetened evaporated milk. 😊
Laura
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.
Sam
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! 🙂