This variation of German’s chocolate cake has a gooey coconut and toasted pecan filling, a dark and super-moist chocolate cake, and deliciously creamy chocolate buttercream on top!
German’s chocolate cake, traditionally made with sweet baking chocolate and originated back in the 1850s by chocolate maker Samuel German, is known to be unapologetically decadent and indulgent.
Upgraded German Chocolate Cake
My variation of German chocolate cake is a bit different from the traditional. It’s still unapologetically decadent and indulgent, but it starts with my favorite super-moist darker chocolate cake. We’ll use a coconut pecan filling enhanced with toasted pecans and top her off with chocolate buttercream, coconut, and more toasted pecans.
German chocolate cake has been a highly requested cake recipe, so I’m thrilled to finally share this version. I decorated it naked cake style. I love seeing that coconut pecan filling peeking out!
How to Make German Chocolate Cake
There are 3 parts to German chocolate cake. Let’s discuss all 3 so you feel prepared and confident when you try it.
1. CAKE
If you’ve tried my tuxedo cake, black forest cake, chocolate raspberry cake, or regular chocolate cake then you are familiar with the cake itself. It’s simply my favorite chocolate cake recipe. Sour cream, oil, eggs, and buttermilk keep it extremely moist. Cocoa powder supplies all our chocolate flavor, which is enhanced with a little espresso powder. The espresso powder is optional if you don’t keep any, but you’ll find it comes in handy for lots of chocolate recipes, like my traditional chocolate cake and chocolate cake roll. You can find it in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. You’ll also need hot liquid to properly dissolve and bloom the cocoa power. You can use hot water or hot coffee. The cake won’t taste like coffee, I promise, but the chocolate flavor will certainly be deep and divine! An upgrade, if you will.
Speaking of cocoa, make sure you’re using natural unsweetened cocoa and not dutch-process. Remember the difference between dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder?
2. COCONUT PECAN FILLING
While the chocolate cake is fantastic, the coconut pecan filling is the star of the show. It’s thick, crunchy, gooey, chewy, and sweet all in one. It’s made from the best ingredients baking has to offer, so you know you’re in for a treat:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Egg yolks
- Vanilla
- Pecans
- Coconut
You also need evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk. The two are often mistaken. Evaporated milk is typically sold in a can in the baking aisle. Evaporated milk is unsweetened condensed milk. You can also use half-and-half. Whole milk is too thin and heavy cream is too thick. Stick to evaporated milk or half-and-half.
Here’s how you prepare the coconut pecan filling: the butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, and evaporated milk are cooked together on the stove until thickened. The egg yolks are heated enough to safely consume, but you can always use a thermometer to be certain. To avoid scrambling the eggs, make sure you cook on medium heat and constantly whisk the mixture.
3. CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
I used my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe to frost the top. The filling is pretty sweet, so I didn’t want to overdo it with frosting. (And naked cakes are pretty!) This chocolate buttercream is thick, creamy, and spreads beautifully. The chocolate buttercream recipe was more than enough for the top, but if you want to frost the top AND sides of the cake, use the ratios from this marble cake. They taste identical.
Will the cake dry out if the sides aren’t frosted? Overtime, yes. But this cake is so moist, especially with the gooey coconut pecan filling, that it’ll take awhile to taste even a smidge dry! If you’re still a little nervous about it drying out, give the sides a light swipe of frosting.
This is not technically “German chocolate cake” since it’s not made with sweet German chocolate. (Don’t be mad at me, cake police!) But it has an ooey gooey coconut + toasted pecan filling, a deep dark chocolate cake, and the perfect amount of creamy chocolate buttercream on top. Definitely an upgrade if you ask me!
Upgraded German Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12; 2.5 cups filling
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This show stopping German chocolate cake has a gooey coconut and toasted pecan filling, a dark and super-moist chocolate cake, and deliciously creamy chocolate buttercream on top!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (180g) full fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water or coffee*
Coconut Pecan Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 can (12 ounces; 354ml) evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup (125g) chopped pecans
Frosting
- use this chocolate buttercream for a naked-style cake
- use this chocolate buttercream for frosting the top and sides
- optional for garnish: extra toasted pecans and sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water or coffee, and whisk or beat it all until the batter is completely combined.
- Divide batter evenly between 3 pans. Bake for 21-25 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
- As the cakes cool, prepare the coconut pecan filling so it can cool and be ready at the same time. Combine butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally as the mixture comes to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, toasted pecans, and coconut. Allow to cool completely before layering in cake. It will thicken even more as it cools.
- Assemble and frost: First, level the cakes if needed: using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Discard (or crumble over ice cream!). Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with 1/2 of the coconut pecan filling (half is about 1 and 1/4 cups). Top with 2nd layer and evenly cover the top with remaining coconut pecan filling. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the chocolate buttercream into a thick layer on top. Garnish with extra toasted pecans and coconut, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before slicing or else the cake may gently fall apart as you cut.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the individual baked cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the coconut pecan filling and frosting, assemble/frost, and serve. You can also prepare the coconut pecan filling and chocolate buttercream in advance. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring both to room temperature before using. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack | Cake Stand or Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about the importance of room temperature ingredients. Instead of sour cream, try using plain yogurt. The cake won’t taste as rich, but it’s a fine substitution.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Espresso Powder / Coffee: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the chocolate taste like coffee. Rather, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. You can find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use boiling hot water instead of the hot coffee.
- Pecans: Toasting the pecans is a major upgrade and I highly suggest it! Let them toast in the oven as you whisk together the filling on the stove (step 5). Simply toast for 8 minutes at 300°F (149°C). Then can be warm when stirred into the filling.
- Eggs: If you’re concerned about consuming any raw egg yolks, use a candy/oil thermometer and make sure the mixture is cooked to 160°F (71°C). If you notice any cooked egg bits, you can run it through a strainer.
- 9×13-inch Cake: You can bake this cake as a 9×13-inch sheet cake instead. Top with coconut pecan filling, no need for the chocolate buttercream! The cake will take 35-40 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
- Cupcakes: Use this coconut pecan filling to fill a batch of baked and cooled super moist chocolate cupcakes. Half of the filling should be plenty, so you can halve the filling recipe or make the full filling recipe and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. You can frost with chocolate buttercream. For filling baked cupcakes, we usually cut a hole in the center and add the filling. If needed for a visual, you can watch me do this in the video for these sugar plum fairy cupcakes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! I’ve made your black forest cake, using the same chocolate cake base recipe, for my birthday and it was absolutely amazing. So, now, I want to make this German Chocolate Cake for my mom’s upcoming birthday but my son is allergic to pecans. Can I avoid pecans all together or replace them with hazelnuts? Thank you!
Hi Anastasia, You can try using more coconut to replace the pecans. What about another chocolate cake recipe without nuts? I really enjoy this tuxedo cake!
My mom’s favorite dessert is chocolate german cake, so I
made her this for Mother’s Day. OMG! It came out perfect! I have tried making layered cakes before and they come very close to non food, but this time my mom (and family) couldnt stop raving over it! Thank you Sally!
Hi there! This recipe is amazing. The cake is so moist and delicious. Unfortunately, my cakes fell in the middle, and they split in half when I removed them from the pan. I used parchment paper and butter for the pan. What did I do wrong?
Hi Jessica, it sounds like the cakes were a little too fragile which could be from under-baking. An easy fix if you decide to try the recipe again. I’m sorry they didn’t work out. Could you use the crumbled cake for cake pops or a trifle instead?
This was my second time ever making a German Chocolate cake. This was the easiest and definitely tastes the best. I didn’t even care for it before I made this one. I used dark brown sugar for the coconut filling (since you suggested that you could use either). I iced the top and sides with the buttercream recipe on the Marble Cake page. Amazing! Thank you
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Keri, I don’t recommend cake flour for chocolate cakes. Cocoa powder is a VERY fine dry ingredient. The combination of cake flour and cocoa powder usually results in a flimsy cake.
I used this recipe for my 1st ever made from scratch cake. I struggle with box cake mixes, I’m a terrible baker. This cake was easy to do and turned out AMAZING. I didn’t use espresso powder, but I did use coffee instead of plain water. I did the 9×13 sheet cake option. German Choc is my favorite cake and this is honestly the best one I’ve ever had.
I’m making this cake this week for my partner’s birthday. I’m celiac and will be using my own gluten free flour baking blen that is 1:1. Just curious if you’ve made it gf before! Love all your details and comparisons. Thank you. Can’t wait to try this!
I made this recipe for myself for my own birthday (yay quarantine baking). It was easy to make and turned out DELICIOUS! I only had 2 cake pans so I just split the batter between the two and it turned out just fine. I don’t think I’ll make it a habit of making my own birthday cake but I would definitely make this one again.
This is legit! Everything is so yummy about it. Cake is moist and amazing, the filling is just insane, and the buttercream was perfection. Next time I make this, I’ll put more effort in making it pretty…but boy was it the best cake ever!
I made my own birthday cake this year because of the quarantine and the fact that baking is therapeutic for me. This was my first time making a cake recipe from Sally but I have made a ton of her other recipes so I knew it would be good. Well, it was amazing!!! You have to make this cake! German Chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting has been my favorite since I was a kid and I have to say, it’s the best I have had. Way better than store bought! It is absolutely worth the time to make this. I only had 2 round cake pans so just did 2 layers with the coconut pecan frosting in between layers and also on top. Then I made the chocolate buttercream to frost the sides. It was heaven! Thanks for the recipe, now I need to try more cake recipes from Sally! How can I post a picture?
Actually I used a different cake recipe but used your frosting recipes. I did not see in the ingredient or your instructions to toast the pecans. I looked at the ingredient list and made the filling. It wasn’t until later that I saw “add toasted pecans”. Just a small FYI.
I love the buttercream frosting! It’s not too sweet. I also added a splash of coffee to it.
Thank You!
I wanted to send you a pic but I couldn’t figure out how to do it here
This recipe is amazing! Dark, rich, moist, and delicious!
This is by far the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever used! Moist, delicious and I love the additive of the espresso coffee.
It is rich tasting without being over whelming! Thank you for the recipe!
Holy Moley, what a cake! Many comments of this being the best cake they’ve ever had.
I used Dutch cocoa, olive oil, and used a walnut/almond mix instead of pecans with excellent results.
Thanks Sally!
Made this for a coworkers birthday and it was a huge hit. Definitely worth the time and effort. I followed all the directions exactly except I did two layers and naked cake style with the coconut pecan filling, no buttercream. It was amazing, moist, rich, not overly sweet. Thank you for this and all your other recitpes, spot on!
Really nice chocolate cake recipe and it works so well with the coconut pecan frosting. Came out great. I think this is actually my second time making it 🙂
I was concerned that the cake layers would be too small… the batter didn’t even come halfway up the pan… but I decided not to panic and they came out absolutely perfect.
The cococnut pecan recipe says to use 1 can of evaporated milk but then says 8 oz. Cans of evaporated milk are all 12 ounces here, so that was confusing. I increased the size of the coconut pecan recipe to 1.5 times because coconut and because pecans… the main reason for this cake!
Nice job Sally, thanks for posting this recipe.
Made this cake yesterday for my boss who loves German chocolate cake! She LOVED IT! I am not a fan of this style cake, but I absolutely found it delicious! I highly recommend this recipe! I did find the frosting a bit too thick for easy spreading….. I will just double up on the milk.
My husband who doesn’t bake made this cake for my birthday. He really appreciated your specific instructions. I was expecting “good” but it turned out to be “excellent!” Everything about this cake was spectacular…the filling, the frosting, how rich and chocolatey and moist it was. It was THAT good. I will be dreaming about this cake all year and requesting it for my birthday next year.
FANTASTIC!! HUGE HIT! I cannot begin to tell you how much everyone loved this recipe! Chocolate is deep and tasty, and the frosting WOW Thank you!!! Any tips for making only 2 layers? I don’t want to waste batter thank you
What can I substitute for the evaporated milk?
Half-and-half works as a substitute for the evaporated milk.
I had a friend request a German Chocolate Cake for his birthday, and I‘Ve tried and love your recipes with video tutorials. This cake did not disappoint!! I followed the recipe to the T (Espresso and hot coffee). I got so many compliments and many said it was the best German Chocolate Cake they’d ever tested! So delicious and moist!
I made this for my son’s birthday. He said it is the best German chocolate cake he has ever had. He took the remaining cake into work to get more great reviews. He said the people at his work are very fussy about eating any baked goods. He said they loved it and ate all of it.
I absolutely love this recipe. The cake was so moist and the espresso really kicked up the flavor. Leveled the top of the cake, couldn’t stop eating the cake crumbs. Will be making this cake often because my family and friends can’t get enough of it. Been looking for a good German Chocolate Cake recipe and I found it.
I made the 9×13 for my brother’s birthday last night and topped it with only the pecan coconut filling. It was delicious!! Everyone raved about how good it was and not overly sweet. I did use the espresso and hot coffee in the cake recipe, and implore you all to try it. It makes such a chocolately and delicious cake! As always, Sally’s recipe delivered!
I made the 9×13 for my brother’s birthday last night and topped it with only the pecan coconut filling. It was delicious!! Everyone raved about good it was and not overly sweet. I did use the espresso and hot coffee in the cake recipe, and implore you all go try it. It makes such a chocolately and decliius cake! As always, Sally’s recipe delivered!
The icings are Delilah but I was a bit disappointed with the flavor of the cake. Reminded me more of fudge brownie than German chocolate. I grew up only eating German chocolate cakes for the holidays so this one left me longing for that distinctive taste and texture. Worth the try but I think I will stick with my tried and true Bakers chocolate recipe going forward.
I made this cake for a co-workers birthday, minus the chocolate icing. Everyone raved about it. Sooooo Good!
Such a fantastic cake! I’m not a huge fan of buttercream so I made a batch of ganache (from the Swiss Roll recipe) and spread some on each layer of coconut filling. I also spread some on the top and sprinkled it with toasted coconut. It was delicious!
Wow- Delish!!
I just made this for husband’s birthday. I didn’t have vegetable oil, so I used coconut oil. Also my buttercream didn’t turn out so I just made more pecan coconut filling. I put very thin layers between each layer and on the top. This is our new favourite cake!! So moist… cake is rich but not sweet. The cake pairs perfectly and balanced out the sweetness of the filling.
Could this somehow be made as a bundt cake? Just wondering because I always have problems getting layer cakes to come out of their pans, and I’m not good at frosting layer cakes (yet).
I haven’t tested this in a bunt pan. For round layers I always lightly spray my pans with baking spray, then place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, and then spray again. This ensures the cakes come out of the pans perfectly every time!