German Chocolate Cake

Craving cake without all the fuss? This German Chocolate Cake is thick and rich and moist, and is made as a simple sheet cake. This just may be the best German chocolate cake you’ve ever had!

Love German Chocolate? You’ll also want to try these German Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling or this German Chocolate Pie.

I have come to terms that I am just not at a point in my life when I have the time or patience to make fancy layered cakes. Some people make it look so easy, but it’s just not my strong point.

The original German Chocolate Cake I had posted here was a layer cake. And when I went back to retest this recipe, I even tried for the layer cake.

It wasn’t pretty.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I would way rather make a 9×13-cake. So that’s what I did.

This cake is what my dreams are made of. I wouldn’t normally choose chocolate over fruity, but German Chocolate gets pretty close. In fact, this is a dangerous cake to have at my house, because I have zero willpower when I see it sitting.

So if you are a German Chocolate cake fan, I know you’ll fall in love with this cake!

Ingredients

• Sugar: You will need sugar for both the frosting and the cake. The frosting uses brown sugar, while the cake will use granulated sugar.
• Evaporated Milk: Make sure you are using evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk.
• Butter: I always use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, you’ll just want to cut back on the salt a touch.
• Egg Yolks: You only need the egg yolks for the frosting. Save those egg whites, though, and make some chocolate mousse or meringue cookies.
• Coconut: I use sweetened, shredded coconut. If you want to cut back on the sweetness, you could sub in unsweetened coconut.
• Pecans: I like to lightly toast the pecans before using, just to give them that extra depth of flavor.
• Vanilla: You will need vanilla for the frosting and the cake. I like to make sure I’m using a good vanilla extract.
• Salt: The salt will also go in both the frosting and the cake
• Flour: I use regular, all-purpose flour.
• Cocoa Powder: For the cocoa powder, you’ll want to use a regular, unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hershey’s or Nestle. I have not tested this recipe with a Dutch process cocoa.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: You will need both baking powder and soda for the texture and lift of the cake.
• German Chocolate: There are lots of recipes out there that make a German chocolate cake without actually using German Chocolate. And that’s fine, but I wanted to make sure this cake had the actual chocolate in it! It should be pretty easy to find at most grocery stores, but you can also find it online.
• Oil: You will need a neutral cooking oil. I like to use avocado oil, but vegetable oil also works.
• Buttermilk: I you don’t have buttermilk, you can sub in homemade buttermilk.
• Eggs: The cake calls for full eggs. I use large eggs.

How to Make German Chocolate Cake

STEP 1: You will want to start with the frosting, as it will need to cool completely before adding it to the cake. In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and egg yolks. Cook this over medium heat until it starts to boil. Once boiling, let it cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

STEP 2: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut, pecans, vanilla, and salt. Let this mixture cool completely.

STEP 3: In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and the salt.

STEP 4: Chop the chocolate, and then place it in a large bowl. (You’ll be making the batter in this bowl, so make sure it is large enough.) Pour the boiling water over the top, and let it sit to soften the chocolate. Then whisk this all together until the chocolate is fully melted.

STEP 5: To that same bowl, mix in the oil, buttermilk, and sugar. Once that is all mixed together, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

STEP 6: Once that is all mixed, add the dry ingredients. Stir this together just until combined.

STEP 7: Pour the cake batter into a prepared cake pan. Bake the cake until a tester inserted comes out clean.

STEP 8: Let the cake cool for 15 minutes, then spread the coconut pecan frosting on top.

Tips and Tricks

When making the frosting, make sure you stir constantly. You don’t want the eggs to curdle or for the frosting to get chunky.

You can make the frosting a day ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator to thicken it up.

I like to make this in a 9×13-inch pan, which gives you nice, thick pieces of cake. You can always use a half sheet pan, which will give you thinner pieces of cake, but you’ll be able to stretch it to more servings. The bake time will lessen, though, so keep that in mind.

I keep this cake at room temperature. The cake dries out for me if I store it in the refrigerator. I would suggest eating it within 3 days if left at room temperature. Just make sure to keep it covered.

More Cake Recipes

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Oatmeal Cake
Tres Leches Cake

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German Chocolate Cake

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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Craving cake without all the fuss? This German Chocolate Cake is thick and rich and moist, and is made as a simple sheet cake. This just may be the best German chocolate cake you’ve ever had!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

German Chocolate Frosting:

• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup evaporated milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter cut into chunks
• ▢ 3 egg yolks
• ▢ 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• ▢ 1 cup toasted pecans roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cake:

• ▢ 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 oz German chocolate
• ▢ 1 cup boiling water
• ▢ 1/2 cup neutral oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ▢ 1 3/4 cup sugar
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and egg yolks. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to boil and thicken. Continue to cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
  1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup butter, 3 egg yolks
• Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut, pecans, vanilla, and salt. Let the frosting cool for at least 30 minutes, or until it thickens. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until needed.)
  2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut, 1 cup toasted pecans, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Chop the German chocolate and place it in a large heat-proof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two to soften the chocolate. Once softened, stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
  4 oz German chocolate, 1 cup boiling water
• Once melted, add in the oil, buttermilk, and sugar. Beat to combine. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined, then beat in the vanilla.
  1/2 cup neutral oil, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 3/4 cup sugar, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix just until combined.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.
• Once the cake is removed from the oven, let it cool for 15 minutes, then carefully spread the frosting over the top. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Recipe Notes:

I like to use avocado oil, but you could also use vegetable oil or another neutral oil of your choice.

I keep this cake at room temperature. The cake dries out for me if I store it in the refrigerator. I would suggest eating it within 3 days if left at room temperature.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 494kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 60g (20%), Protein: 6g (12%), Fat: 27g (42%), Saturated Fat: 11g (69%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 104mg (35%), Sodium: 283mg (12%), Potassium: 162mg (5%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 44g (49%)

Keywords: 9×13, german chocolate cake, sheet cake