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a slice of homemade german chocolate cake on a plate.

Homemade German Chocolate Cake

Brooke Homec
The softest homemade german chocolate cake with a sweet coconut pecan frosting and layers of rich chocolate cake. This is one of my all time favorite cakes!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
cool time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 54 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 679 kcal

Ingredients
 

Chocolate Cake:

  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (64.5 g) cocoa powder
  • 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoon (1.5 teaspoon) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil I love using melted coconut oil
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (236.59 g) hot water or coffee

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

  • ½ cup (113.5 g) butter room temperature
  • ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (256 g) evaporated milk
  • 3 large egg yolks room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1⅓ cup (120 g) sweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ cup (54.5 g) chopped pecans
  • pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream:

  • 1 cup (227 g) butter room temperature
  • ¾ cup (64.5 g) cocoa powder
  • 3½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • ⅓ cup (79.33 g) whipping cream milk will also work

Instructions
 

To make the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 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 ⅓ 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 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 add another later of chocolate buttercream around the outside of the cake and the top with the remaining coconut pecan frosting.

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
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