This German Chocolate Cake has always been a family favorite. Growing up my dad always requested this cake for Father's Day and his birthdays, and I always felt like I was somehow winning too!
HOW GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE WAS CREATED
German Chocolate Cake was surprisingly not developed in Germany as I had assumed. This cake was actually created by an American baker named Samuel German who baked for the company Baker's Chocolate. He created a type of baking chocolate that was eventually used with the cake recipe and known as German's chocolate cake. Later on the s was dropped and it became known as German Chocolate cake.
The traditional German Chocolate Cake is made with a lighter and less rich flavored chocolate cake, and covered completely in the coconut pecan frosting. But because I prefer a little bit more flavor and the added depth with the chocolate buttercream I have tweaked it to what I believe elevates it just slightly.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- cocoa powder
- baking powder and baking soda
- salt
- buttermilk and evaporated milk
- eggs and yolks
- vanilla
- oil and butter
- sweetened shredded coconut
- chopped pecans
- powdered sugar
TO MAKE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray cake pans and line with parchment.
- Whisk together dry ingredients
- Mix buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and oil together.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix.
- Add hot water and mix again.
- Pour into prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Let cool before frosting.
TO MAKE COCONUT PECAN FROSTING:
- Mix butter, sugars, egg yolks and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan until thick, about 10-12 minutes, whisking continuously.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt, coconut and pecans.
- Let cool, stirring occasionally.
TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM:
- Mix softened butter and cocoa together until smooth.
- Add in vanilla, salt, powdered sugar and cream.
- Mix all together until light and fluffy, adding in more sugar or cream for desired consistency.
ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:
- Place cake later top side up on cake plate or stand.
- Pipe the rim of the cake with chocolate buttercream. Then fill in the inside with half of the coconut pecan frosting.
- Add another cake layer top side up and repeat piping and frosting.
- Add final cake layer top side down. Do a light crumb coat of chocolate buttercream on the top and sides of cake.
- Chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Add one more later of chocolate buttercream on top of the crumb coat.
A FEW TIPS WHEN BAKING CAKES:
I have found that cakes bake up best when you have allowed your ingredients to come to FULL room temperature. It's best to set out the eggs, buttermilk, and butter a few hours in advance if possible.
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.
German Chocolate Cake
The perfect homemade German Chocolate Cake with coconut pecan frosting in between layers of rich chocolate cake, topped with creamy chocolate buttercream. This can't be beat!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup oil canola or coconut
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
Coconut Pecan Frosting:
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- pinch of salt
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup whipping cream milk will also work
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray, and then line the bottom of the pans with parchment.
- In a large bowl, sift or stir together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a mixing bowl, beat oil, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla together until completely mixed. About 1 minute. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients while mixing. Pour in hot water and mix together another minute. It's ok if the batter seems extra liquidy.
- Pour batter evenly into all three pans. Bake for about 24-27 minutes. When toothpick placed in the center of the cakes comes out clean, you know it is done.
- Let the cakes completely cool before taking out of the pans and frosting.
To make the coconut pecan frosting:
- In a medium saucepan add butter, both sugars, evaporated milk and egg yolks.
- Stir to combine and cook to a low boil over low-medium heat for about 10-12 minutes. You should be stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, coconut, pecans and salt. Stir occassionaly until it completely cools.
To make the chocolate buttercream:
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cocoa powder until it comes together. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and cream. Beat until light and fluffy. You may end up needing to add more powdered sugar or cream to get your desired consistency.
To assemble cake:
- Place one of the cake layers, top side up, on a cake plate or serving stand.
- Pipe a rim of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill the center with about ½ of the coconut pecan frosting.
- Place the second cake layer, top side up, on top of the buttercream and filling. Repeat the same piping and filling.
- Place final cake layer, top side down.
- Frost the entire cake, top and sides, with a thin crumb coat layer of the chocolate buttercream. Place in the fridge or freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill.
- Pull the chilled cake out, and frost the cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream.
Notes
Cakes will have the best results if made with room temperature ingredients. I like to pull my eggs, buttermilk, and butter out of the fridge an hour or two before I start baking.
Make Ahead Instructions: Both of the frostings can easily be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in a sealed container. Remove both frostings from the fridge an hour before you're ready to frost the cake, to give them time to come to room temperature.
Freezing Instructions: After baking the cake layers, allow them to cool completely, then wrap them well in plastic wrap and stick each layer in a ziplock freezer bag. They can be frozen for a few months. I usually just pull them out of the freezer once I am starting to make my frosting, or an hour or two before I want to assemble.
I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
Nutrition
Calories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 7gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 517mgPotassium: 303mgFiber: 4gSugar: 71gVitamin A: 766IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 133mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Kendell
This was absolutely amazing! I am not a baker, but the directions were so easy to follow and it was so moist and delicious. I didn't have 8 inch round pans and only had 2-9 inch so I went with that and it turned out perfect! Thank you! Can't wait to try more.
brooke
I'm so glad you loved it!! Thanks Kendell.
Kendell
I forgot to rate.
brooke
thanks for that!!
Sara
My mother in law gave me the task of making a German Chocolate Cake for a family gathering. I was a bit overwhelmed but after finding a recipe from Salted Sweets - I felt much better. My family is a huge fan of her Coconut Cake so I knew this would be a winner too! We prepared the cake and frosting the day before. The recipe was so easy to follow and left no unanswered questions. Finally, this cake was so moist and DELICIOUS!!! Highly recommend this cake! You will not be disappointed!
brooke
Thank you so much Sara! I am so glad it was a success for you! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and rating!
Carolina Luna
Cake was AMAZING, and directions were super easy to follow. I didn’t add the buttercream as we are coconut pecan frosting fans, so I used that to frost the entire cake and it was a hit! Cake was incredibly moist and flavorful. Really a great recipe; thank you!!
brooke
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for trying it!
Whitney
Love this recipe! We have made a few different ones over the years but haven’t found one we love til this one! The brown sugar in the cake is the perfect addition to get that famous German chocolate flavor. The perfect amount of coconut pecan filling! We like a lot! The chocolate buttercream is silky, smooth and rich. We really enjoyed this!