Let’s be honest. The thing that unites those of us who love German Chocolate Cake is our deep appreciation for the coconut pecan frosting.
Essentially, this frosting is a thick, butterscotch custard with tons of shredded coconut and pecans folded in. It’s what that makes this cake so delicious and unique.
The problem I have with store-bought versions of this beloved cake is that they’re often made with far too little of the coconut-pecan goodness. (My guess is that they can cut costs by supplementing the traditional topping with plain chocolate frosting.)
I find that unacceptable. Sure, pipe on some ganache rosettes if you want to get fancy, but leave the coconuts and pecan where they belong: slathered atop a chocolate cake.
Most German Chocolate Cake recipes are multi-layered affairs and therefore time-consuming, so I’ve made some changes to make it a little easier. In an effort to get from Point A to Point Cake more quickly, I bake the cake single 9×13-inch pan and then spread it with a thick layer of coconut pecan frosting — no cutting or stacking of layers required.
While the classic recipe uses a light, sweetened chocolate to flavor the cake, I prefer using a combo of unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder for a deeper, richer-tasting cake. I think this stands up better to the sweet frosting.
I’ll leave you with this fun fact: German chocolate cake gets its name from the type of chocolate often used, Baker’s German Chocolate (named after its creator Samuel German), not country of origin, so it’s actually a classic American cake!
German Chocolate Snack Cake With Coconut-Pecan Frosting Recipe
PrintIngredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional (for deeper chocolate flavor)
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the coconut pecan frosting:
- 3 large egg yolks
- 8 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups (323 grams) lightly packed brown sugar
- 4 ounces (113 grams, 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Special equipment:
Method
1 Prep the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2 Combine the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3 Make the batter: In a measuring cup combine the boiling water, chocolate, and espresso. Cover and let the hot water melt the chocolate, about 10 minutes, and whisk until smooth. Check the water with your finger; it's fine if it's still a little warm, but it should no longer be hot to the touch.
In a separate bowl (or in your measuring cup, if it's large enough), combine chocolate-water with the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and beat, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, until just combined. Stop periodically and scrape the bottom of the bowl.
4 Bake the cake: Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the top springs back to the touch, the sides of the cake have pulled slightly away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Leave the cake in the pan, and set it on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting, about 45 minutes.
5 Make the frosting: Whisk together the egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add the butter and warm over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, followed by the coconut and pecans.
The frosting should be thick, creamy, and nubbly with coconut and pecans.
6 Finish the cake: Cool the frosting to room temperature and spread generously onto the cake. Serve the cake from the pan.
The cake can be made a few days ahead, but wait to top it with the coconut-pecan frosting until before serving. This cake is best served the same day it's frosted. Leftovers can be kept, covered, for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
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Cindy Rahe is the recipe maker and picture taker behind Hungry Girl por Vida. She loves to bake from scratch and make things that taste as good as they look. Cindy was born near Seoul but grew up in California and Nevada. She believes strongly in homemade birthday cakes, creamy coffee, and making room for dessert.
German Chocolate Snack Cake With Coconut-Pecan Frosting
Loved this! One of my favourites. There certainly is a generous amount of the frosting, which is excellent.
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Hi Maxia,
Yes, I think you can make this as an 8-inch, 2 layer cake without duplicating!
How long can this cake last outside the fridge? My mom loves pecans and I want to bake this for her bday but we are going away to a cabin and i would have to make it 2 days before. Thank you!
I think you could make the cake and frosting separately ahead of time and frost it the day of. I would probably refrigerate the frosting and let it come to room temp before putting it on the cake (you may have to stir it first, in case there’s any separation).
GREAT! One question: would this batch be enough to make it a 2 layers 8 inch cake? Or should I duplicate the recipe or something? Thank you very much for takin the time to reply.
Hi Can I do make half of size or amount ? Our family member is only 3 with Senior.
Thank you
I love German chocolate cake but my grandson cannot eat the pecans is there any other kind of icing that you could use beside the pecans he is allergic to nuts I also am not crazy about the pecans but I love coconut if there is maybe you could let me know am going to print the recipe anyway thank you Charlene
Hi, Charlene! Can your grandson eat other kinds of nuts? I think walnuts would actually be quite nice. Hazelnuts would be HEAVENLY, though they can be kind of expensive unless you can find a good deal. Let us know what you end up using! I’m curious to hear how it turns out.
If a Trader Joe’s is nearby try there. I’ve found their nuts are by far cheaper than the supermarket. Or Whole Foods they sell nuts in bulk you can simply buy what you need .