Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: The combination of coconut, chocolate, and pecans is heavenly!
Texture: The cake is moist and tender and the frosting is rich, thick, and with the perfect amount of crunch.
Ease: Super quick and easy layer cake.
Pros: Simple and satisfying!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes!
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German Chocolate Cake pairs some of the world’s most perfect flavors together into one fudgy, moist, tender, delicious bite!
Coconut is a divisive food. Some people love it, some people hate it. If you love it, then you probably love it with chocolate. The pair just belong together!
What I love most about this German Cake recipe is how simple it is. You don’t even need a mixer! It takes just over an hour from start to finish. There’s no difficult buttercream making, assembly, or decorating.
Make it for your next birthday, potluck, or for anyone who loves German Chocolate!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make German Chocolate Cake
How to Make a MOIST Chocolate Cake
- Be sure to follow the recipe as written. Ingredients like buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg yolk, and brown sugar all contribute to a moist and tender texture. I don’t recommend skipping, substituting, or reducing these ingredients. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here, and more on buttermilk and oil just below.
- Be sure to measure your flour and cocoa powder correctly. It’s super easy to accidentally add way too much flour and cocoa powder, creating a dry, dense cake. The best way is to weigh it with a digital scale, but if you don’t have one, use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Check out my article on How to Measure Flour here.
- Don’t over-bake the cake. Start checking for doneness with a toothpick at 30 minutes, especially if your oven tends to run hot. Learn more about ovens here.
- Avoid using dark-colored cake pans. Dark cake pans will dry out the edges of the cake and cook faster. These cake pans are my favorites. If that’s all you have, shave a few minutes off the baking time.
Do I Have to Use Espresso Powder in This German Chocolate Cake?
No! Feel free to omit it. The espresso powder simply enhances the chocolate flavor and you can’t actually taste it. You can also use 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee in place of the espresso + hot water – whichever is easier in your kitchen!
Why use Vegetable Oil Instead of Butter in Cake?
Although I prefer the flavor of butter over vegetable oil, the oil helps create the feeling of moisture on the palate in this German Chocolate Cake recipe. Be sure to use fresh oil – give it a sniff before using, to make sure it doesn’t have an off smell (which would signal it’s oxidized). If you don’t prefer to use vegetable oil, feel free to use coconut oil instead.
Do I Have to Use Buttermilk?
Buttermilk works best in this German Chocolate Cake to provide a tall, rich, and tender cake. Learn more about the science of buttermilk, and buttermilk substitutions, in my Buttermilk 101 article here. I would not recommend using a buttermilk substitute in this recipe.
The Chocolate in German Chocolate Cake
This recipe uses bittersweet chocolate in the cake for richness, as well as unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor. Avoid using chocolate chips in place of freshly chopped baking chocolate, as they don’t melt down as smoothly and won’t incorporate into the batter quite as evenly. I haven’t tried this recipe using semi-sweet or German chocolate bars, but feel free to experiment with this – just note that this will change the overall sweetness of the cake.
What Type of Cocoa Powder for German Chocolate Cake?
We are using unsweetened cocoa powder in the German Chocolate Cake layers. Unsweetened cocoa powder is the same thing as natural cocoa powder. You can learn more about the differences between Unsweetened and Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powders here.
How to Make German Chocolate Frosting
Arguably the most important part of a German Chocolate Cake is the coconut-pecan frosting! We are actually skipping buttercream in place of the German chocolate frosting in this recipe. I found it was rich and sweet enough that additional buttercream was unnecessary. This saves time and means you don’t need an electric mixer for any part of this recipe!
Can This Recipe be Made into Cupcakes?
Almost any cake recipe can be made into cupcakes. Check out my full guide on how to convert cake to cupcakes (and vice versa!).
Can German Chocolate Cake be Frozen?
- Yes! Wrap unfrosted, un-cut, cooled cake layers in several layers of plastic wrap. Place inside a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrost overnight in the fridge (do not defrost at room temperature or you will end up with mushy cake).
- The frosting cannot be frozen because it contains eggs; however, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 1 day before assembling the cake. Bring to room temperature to make it more spreadable.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Chocolate Cake
- Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Classic Whoopie Pies
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (57 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder*
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 3/4 (222 grams) cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (227 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or coconut oil)
- 4 large eggs plus one egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups (120 grams) shredded sweetened coconut
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the cake:
- In a medium heatproof bowl add the chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Pour hot water over mixture. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture gently until smooth then set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Butter and flour the pans generously.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, salt, and baking soda.
- Whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter evenly between the prepared pans and tap against the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the milk, cornstarch, and sugar, whisking to combine. Whisk in the egg yolks. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture has thickened and comes to a boil, about 10 to 12 minutes total. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, coconut, and pecans. Let cool until spreadable, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can also refrigerate the frosting to firm up even more.
- Place one cake layer, flat side up, and spread half the filling evenly over the cake layer, pushing just to the edge. Add the top cake layer, rounded side up, and spread with the remaining filling. Serve or store in the fridge. Let come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with additional baking tips and Science of Baking information. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi Tessa! I love the cake stand that appears in the photos for this recipe. Would you mind sharing where you got it? Many thanks in advance!
I made just the cake without frosting for my brother’s birthday. And honestly, it is one of the best chocolate cake I have ever made! It’s so moist and chocolatey!! I’ve reduced the white sugar to 180g and used bitter chocolate instead because I didn’t want it to be too sweet and it came out just right! Thanks, Tessa <3 Much love from Malaysia 🙂
Hi Tessa,
I absolutely love your recipes and am a huge fan. I recently noticed on my new oven that after the oven has preheated and I’ve opened it to insert the pans as quickly as possible, the oven temperature drops anywhere from 20 to 50 degrees. Is this normal? And if it is, does it affect the baking process considering most recipes ask for a certain baking temperature?
Thanks!
This is delicious! Definitely give it a try if you don’t mind coconut! I made everything like she instructs EXCEPT I omitted the pecans (nut allergy in the family) and increased the amount of coconut to about 105 grams. I made it 3 days ago and I’m already planning when I’ll make it next! Only this time I’m going to try the pecans.
Sorry, I mean about 205 grams.
I loved the topic you wrote on. It was an amazing ride of some great work.
This is definitely one of my favorite cakes in the entire world. When I was growing up, my mother made it quite often! Hers was always made with 4 layers. If I were to divide the batter up so that it would be four layers, how much more icing would I have to make to go between the extra two layers so that it wouldn’t seem skimpy? My mother also used frozen shredded coconut. Thank you so much
OMG. Just made it and it’s AMAZING. So chocolatey. Thanks for sharing!
Hello! Thank you for your wonderful and detailed recipes!
I have a question please regarding your German Chocolate Cake recipe. On hand, I only have 3, 6 inch cake rounds. This recipe calls for two 8 inch rounds. Will the amount work for 3, 6 inch?
Thank you!
Had a blast making this with my kids! Very tasty, moist, and delicious. I am not much of a baker but this was wicked easy and fun. Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe.
Hi Tessa, I plan on making it today. I’ll let you know how I go.
Hi again. I made the cake for Fathers Day. Everyone loved it. I don’t know if I put too much coconut in the frosting tho, but it was still yummy anyway. I bake (& cook) a lot, and this was fun to make as the method was different to my usual method of baking cakes. It was a nice change. Thanks again Tessa 🙂
Who doesn’t love coconut, and mixed with a chocolate-espresso combo! A dream come true! 🙂
I love ur recipes but have a request please make eggless brownies cakes nd cookies i am waiting for you to give us your best without egg recipes .