This rich and tender German chocolate cake is slathered in a coconut pecan caramel frosting that’s beyond addictive and totally delicious!
German chocolate cake is named after Samuel German, the inventor of a type of dark chocolate (not the country). It’s also one of my favorites! Once you make the icing, you’ll be adding it to cupcakes and ice cream in no time! Enjoy.
You will add this cake into your regular baking rotation, it’s that delicious. ALSO I doubled the frosting for this cake because I’m need copious amounts of that coconut pecan frosting in my life.
Pro Tips to make the BEST German Chocolate Cake
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Whip those egg whites up last and lighten the batter by whisking in 1/4 of that fluff into the batter before folding in the rest.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- If you’re out of buttermilk try adding two tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to whole milk. Stir and set aside a few minutes to curdle.
- The frosting is traditionally made with pecans but you can use walnuts or even chopped macadamias if preferred.
- Double the frosting, you’ll thank me!
I tested this recipe over, and over, and over again until it was perfect! The cake just MELTS in your mouth and that frosting is Heaven on earth!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes German Chocolate Cake Different?
German chocolate cake has a lighter chocolate taste, a delicate, tender crumb, and of course lots of that amazing coconut pecan frosting.
Should German Chocolate Cake be refrigerated?
You can leave this cake out overnight if covered but it’s best to refrigerate if storing for any time longer than that. Let your cake come to room temperature before serving for optimum enjoyability.
How do you make German chocolate frosting?
First, you’ll want to toast the pecans at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Lastly, give those toasted pecans a rough chop and stir them into the mixture with the coconut. Delicious!
How to Make a German Chocolate Cake
1. For the cake; Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter, flour and line the bottoms of three 8 x 2 inch pans with parchment paper.
2. Give the German chocolate a rough chop.
3. Add the chopped chocolate and hot coffee into a medium bowl. Place over a over a pot of simmering water and whisk together until almost all the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Cream the butter in a stand mixer then add the sugar and continue beating until it is fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and add the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure each yolk fully incorporates before adding the next, then add the vanilla.
6. Add the melted and cooled chocolate. Beat until it is fully incorporated, Scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
7. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are mixed together.
8. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl at high speed. SLOWLY sprinkle in the sugar after the eggs froth up. Beat until soft peaks form.
9. Add about a cup of the meringue to the batter and mix in. This will lighten the batter so don’t worry about deflating this first batch of bubbles. Carefully fold the remaining meringue into the batter.
10. Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Rotate the pans about halfway through to ensure even baking). Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes.
11. For the frosting; preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, let cool, and then give them a fairly fine chop. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to boil and thicken (about 5 minutes), remove it from the heat.
12. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the chopped pecans, coconut and vanilla extract. Give it a good mix to make sure everything is well incorporated, then let it cool until it is spreadable. (About 30 minutes). It’s NEVER a bad idea to double the frosting recipe. I doubled it in the cake pictured so there would be an abundance of that amazing coconut pecan frosting.
13. To assemble this cake; place one layer on top of the other, spreading one third of the frosting in-between each layer until you end up with the last layer of frosting on the very top of the cake. I like to use an ice cream scooper to apply the frosting.
14. Use an offset spatula to give the top a rough smooth. (The sides of the cake are left bare). Enjoy!
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this German chocolate cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
- 4 oz Baker's German's sweet chocolate, chopped 115 grams
- 1/2 cup coffee 120 ml
- 2 1/4 cups AP flour 270 grams
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder 10 grams
- 1/2 tsp baking powder 2g
- 1 tsp baking soda 6g
- 1/2 tsp salt 3g
- 1 cup buttermilk 240 ml
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter 280 grams, room temperature
- 2 cup granulated white sugar 400 grams divided
- 4 eggs room temperature, large, separated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 7mL
For the Coconut Pecan Frosting:
- 1 cup toasted pecans
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 300g, use white sugar for the classic frosting
- 12 oz evaporated milk 360mL
- 3 large 60 grams egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170g cut into pieces
- 1/8 tsp salt 1g
- 1 1/2 cup sweetened or unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut 150g
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2mL, heaping
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Lightly butter and flour, and line the bottoms of three - 8 x 2 inch deep round baking pans with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Melt the chopped chocolate and coffee in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy (this will take about three to five minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Then add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture and butter milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are mixed together.
- Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Rotate the pans about halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Butter or lightly spray with a non stick vegetable spray a wire rack before inverting the cakes onto the rack to prevent the cakes from sticking. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven, cool, and then chop fairly fine.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, egg yolks, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, and when the mixture begins to boil and thicken, remove from heat (about 5 minutes). Stir in the chopped pecans, coconut, and vanilla extract. Let cool until spreadable (about 30-60 minutes).
- To Assemble: Place one layer of cake (top facing down), on your serving plate, and cover with one third of the frosting. Place the second layer of cake, onto the first cake layer and frost with another one-third of the frosting. Then add the third cake layer and frost the top of the cake with the remaining frosting (sides of cake are left bare). The finished cake can be stored at room temperature for a 2-3 days or it can be refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- Whip those egg whites up last and lighten the batter by whisking in 1/4 of that fluff into the batter before folding in the rest.
- To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on the shop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
- If you're out of buttermilk try adding two tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to whole milk. Stir and set aside a few minutes to curdle.
- The frosting is traditionally made with pecans but you can use walnuts or even chopped macadamias if preferred.
- DOUBLE the frosting for an even more decadent cake. You won't be sorry!
This cake is a true classic. Love the way you incorporate real ingredients!
I made this for a house party and we LOVED it!!! Thanks!! <3 <3
I made this earlier this week for my husband’s birthday. Very good — decadent tasting. I made 2 layers only.
Hi Beth. I left a comment on the 4th of July this year that he hasn’t answered. Since you did what I want, need to do I figured I’d ask you. I only have 2 9in pans. When you made your 2 layer cake using this recipe did you just divide the batter between the two of them or did you weigh out the amount like he did in the video then use the rest on cupcakes? As my comment states. I have everything to make this cake but I don’t want to go forth, put too much batter in the pans only to have them come out messed up. There’s too many ingredients which = $$ for me to do so. Please answer asap if you read this. I’ll continue to check back every other day or so… Thanks!
Great recipe! Where is the video though?
Filmed and editing, will be up soon!
I was thinking about frosting the sides of the cake, do you have a frosting to recommend for that?
Hi! Does this cake do well as cupcakes?
I actually have a cupcake version of this, check that out!
I accidentally added only 6 table spoons of butter to the frosting
I have already mixed all the ingredients
Can i melt the reaming butter if i melt it to the already mixed frosting?
Help
Sure 🙂
German chocolate has always been my favourite cake and this recipe is amazing! And who knew…it doesn’t come from Germany!
Sorry, I know this is a silly question. But I cant find any Baker’s German chocolate here in Australia, what can I substitute?
I would use a nice semisweet chocolate 🙂
This recipe is fabulous. Any tips on how to cut the cake without it falling apart? It will be a staple for every celebration!
A VERY sharp knife 🙂
Made this cake yesterday and it was a hit! Used your chocolate buttercream recipe to cover the cake and everyone thought it was moist and very tasty. Thanks for the recipe!
I love your recipes and would like to try this, however I can only get my hands on desiccated coconut, it’s nothing like yours where it looks like fatter and longer strips of coconut. Would this still work with desiccated coconut?
Made this. OH.? MY.? GOD.?
I only have 9 in pans, two of them. Should I divide the batter between the two or should I measure out the appropriate amount of batter and then use the rest for cupcakes? Please answer asap. I just bought everything to make this cake yesterday. Loved the cupcakes, that frosting is amazing, but now I want to try to make a cake. German chocolate cake is one of my all time favorite and it’s crazy to me that I’ve never tried to make one, from scratch that is, lol…
OK, followed this to a “T” and I have to say, the cake was wonderful. The frosting tasted great – far better than anything store bought BUT (…there’s always a but) it was not thick and “scoopable” like in your video. I don’t know what I might have done wrong? I thought perhaps I didn’t let it cook on the stove top long enough so I scrapped the first batch and made a second, letting it actually boil (low) for 5 minutes. Did you chill the frosting before applying to the cake?
Hi Chris! So the frosting really has to cool down. Those sugar-rich solutions retain heat for a while so depending on the ambient temp it might have stayed warm and liquidy for a while. You can always chill things like that to cool them down more quickly. Hope that helps!
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I used dark brown sugar for the frosting, and everyone enjoyed. Might try light brown next time–just for comparison..
I made this cake for my sister’s birthday as german chocolate cake is her favorite. Wow! It was a big hit and everyone loved t. It’s very tasty:)
Excellent divine
What kind of coffee do you use ? Black ?
Yes, strong black coffee.
Thanks so much for your response !!
This cake was amazing! Very yummy! Time consuming to make by scratch but totally worth it. My husband wants me to make one for the holidays 🙂
So glad you liked it. those extra steps make alll the difference!
Ok, so my rating is for the frosting, as my family and I prefer a devils food cake instead of a german chocolate as a base. I just wanna say, THE FROSTING IS FABULOUS! I will NEVER buy a canned coconut pecan frosting EVER again! It was so easy to make and so delicious. I know what’s in it, with no yucky preservatives or corn syrup (my Mom can’t have any sugar other than organic cane sugar, or else, she’s in so much pain). So thanks to this recipe and John, my Mom can partake of the German chocolate cake when it comes up as a choice for birthday parties. Thanks so much, John! Now that I’ve found you, I’m gonna make all your cake recipes!
Yay! I’m so happy you like the frosting as much as I do. I always try to avoid using corn syrup too!
Hi so my cakes are cooling and I was onto the frosting. However, once I added the pecans and coconut I realized how liquidy it still is. Is there anything I can do after the pecans and coconut are in to thicken it up? I don’t know what I did wrong. Maybe didn’t leave it on the stove long enough? It looked exactly like yours.
It usually needs to cool a while to thicken up.
The german chocolate cake came out delicious! Tip for firmer frosting…put it in the freezer for about an hour.