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
Hope you folks are well. If you ever eventually do some baking skits, live bake-offs, please let me know as could be amusing & fun. I would love to participate as done some acting and voice over work (along with some baking) over last 2 decades.
Question: for your German chocolate cake, can I just leave out the coconut altogether or do you need, can substitute another fruit, item in its place?
Appreciate it, Eric.
Hi Eric, we haven’t tried omitting the coconut before, but that should be fine. The filling may be a bit thinner but you could try replacing it with more pecans if desired. Let us know how it goes!
Hi! Is the sour cream really necessary? We don’t eat sour cream in our house and feels like a waste to buy a container for the cake. Is there another ingredient that I can substitute for the sour cream?
Hi Torissa, you can use plain, full-fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. We do not recommend leaving it out completely.
I bake a lot of cakes, and my husband said that this was one of the best tasting cakes I’ve ever made. The flavours are incredibly balanced. I highly recommend trying this recipe!!
Is there a conversion for this recipe to a 6-inxh cake or cupcakes? All I see is recommendations to use a different chocolate cake recipe, and while that’s a nice recipe, this one is so much better and I’d really like to make a smaller version of THIS wonderfully decadent cake!
Hi Anne, you can use the recipe as-is for 3-4 dozen cupcakes. Or, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions for scaling this exact recipe down to a 6-inch cake.
Hello- planning to make this recipe for my uncles birthday. Is the espresso powder instant or regular? I have an espresso machine as well so o my have regular wanted to know if I should buy instant. Can I also use espresso instead of hot coffee? thank you
Hi Vanessa, You want instant espresso powder.
The cake was good, but it fell in the 9 x 13 pan. Probably needs 3 eggs when using that size pan. With the added coffee I feel it was too much liquid for the pan.
Do you have any tips on making a German chocolate cake roll? Can this recipe be modified? ST
Hi STP! We haven’t tested a German chocolate cake roll. We would use the chocolate sponge cake from our chocolate cake roll to start. You could try rolling that up with the cocoanut pean filling and chocolate frosting. We would love to hear what you try!
I’m so excited to make this cake. But I only have skim milk. I do have heavy whipping cream (liquid) and I’m thinking maybe I could use the skim milk and add HWP to make whole milk. You probably won’t see this question in the, but just so in case you
do … I know this is going to be the best cake ever! Thank you so much!
Hi Susanne, are you looking to use whole milk with lemon juice/vinegar to make the buttermilk substitute? If so, in a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich. So we’d just use the skim milk—no need to mix it with the heavy whipping cream. Hope you love the cake!
I made the German Chocolate Cake and it was the bomb, everyone loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe
This looks perfect for my Dad’s birthday! Is there anyway to make this a 6in cake?
Hi Brandy, For a 6 inch cake, you can use our chocolate cupcakes recipe. That batter fits perfectly into 3 6 inch pans. Follow that chocolate cupcake batter recipe and the instructions here. Use the coconut pecan filling and frosting from this recipe — you will have some leftover. Let us know if you give it a try!
I have made this recipe a few times and it has always been a hit! Just wondering if you could suggest a substitute for the pecans as I plan on making this for someone with a nut allergy. Would pepitas work in the same quantity or could you suggest somethiing else? Thanks.
Hi Sharon, we haven’t tested this filling without pecans but you can try using more coconut to replace the pecans. Let us know how it goes!
Did you try it without the pecans Sharon? Making it today for my sister’s bday and she doesnt like pecans so Im going to give it a try!
Love all of your recipes!!! I’m was wondering, for the coconut pecan
frosting, may I use regular milk
if I have no evaporated milk?
Hi Megan, Half-and-half or coconut milk could work as a substitute for the evaporated milk.
Do you think it would taste ok using a light olive oil instead of vegetable oil? I’m trying to stay away from inflammatory oils…and yes I know sugar is inflammatory…it’s the little things I guess.
Hi Lynn, the taste will likely be a bit different, but certainly feel free to try it! The chocolate cake should still be the primary flavor.
Can I use the coconut pecan filling to frost the cake all over
Hi Kary, give the texture of the filling, it would be quite messy to try frosting the outside of the cake with it. You might have more luck doing a thin coat of chocolate buttercream and then lightly pressing the filling onto the outsides and top of the cake. Of course, you’ll want to make a bit more filling to do so. Let us know what you try!
My daughter made this cake over the weekend for a small get together. Everyone agreed that this cake was over the top. I have to say that I have never been a fan of German chocolate cake. I was pretty skeptical at first. When I read the recipe I thought the filling reminded me of pecan pie, so I was intrigued. The only change she made was to tweak the frosting a bit, adding less sugar and throwing in a bit of mascarpone cheese because we had it… The frosting, the cake, the pecan filling… oh my goodness. Extraordinary! Oh and she topped it with a touch of toasted coconut. I have always had great luck with your recipes, but this time you hit it out of the park!
So happy to hear that this cake was a hit for you!
Hi Sally. Can I bake this in 3 8inch pans, instead of 9inch pans, please? Thank you as always!
Hi Homa, You can use this recipe exactly with no changes in 3, 8-inch pans. Your layers will be slightly thicker so it may take an extra minute or two of bake time but keep your eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Thank you for another truly delicious recipe!!! I made this for guests and all 8 of them raved about it!
Can I use salted butter
Hi Diane, Yes, you can use salted butter. We would reduce the added salt in the cake by 1/4 – 1/2 tsp and only add salt to taste in the buttercream (you may not need to add any). Here’s more on salted vs. unsalted butter in baking if you’re interested!
Hello!
I made this for my husband for our anniversary and we both loved it! Thank you for the recipe! With it just being the two of us, I’m wondering if you had ever tried freezing slices of cake. If so, do you have any advice on how to best freeze it?
Thank you!
Hi Shelby, so glad you loved this cake! We have some information here on how to freeze cakes. My recommendation if you’d like to freeze slices is to wrap a slice tightly in plastic wrap, then either a layer of foil over that or place the wrapped slice in a freezer-safe bag or container and tightly seal. Make sure to thaw and enjoy the frozen cake within 3 months for best taste.
This recipe was spot on! I made it the coconut pecan frosting 4 days ahead of time. Your note says 2 days for the whole cake. can I refrigerate the frosting for 4 days or should I freeze it. Will it turn out grainy?
Hi Laura, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! You can freeze it and then thaw overnight in the refrigerator the evening before you plan to assembly the cake. You may need to re-whip it with another splash of heavy cream/milk to bring it back to a spreadable consistency before assembling.
I’m trying to make this as a birthday cake for my mom because it’s her favorite cake. If I use baker’s german sweet chocolate instead of the cocoa powder will it change the cake dramatically? Also, I don’t have any canola/vegetable oil. Does olive oil work as a replacement?
Simple directions and a very moist, delicious cake. Thanks for sharing Sally and Crew!
I saw the make ahead instructions but could I make the whole assembled cake the day before I want to serve it? Just store it in the fridge and take out with time to come to room temperature?
Hi Savilla, yes, that’s fine!
This was an excellent recipe. I followed it exactly and the cake was a hit with the whole family. Thank you!
I loved this recipe so much, so did my family! I made it for family at Thanksgiving!! I got so many compliments on the richness and moisture and the flavor! Several friends sent texts saying that it was the best they’d ever had!
Five stars for this wonderful upgraded German Chocolate Cake! Thank you Sally!!!
Decided to give this recipe a try after completely failing using the top suggested german chocolate cake recipe on google & I am so glad I did! Everything turned out perfectly! No time or ingredients wasted at all & everyone loved it!!
My family can’t have cakes too sweet, how much would be an appropriate amount to cut down the sugar in the cake?
Hi Ria! Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Does this recipe make enough filling to frost the whole cake? My dil loves the coconut pecan filling and I want to fill between the layers and also frost the sides and top with the filling
Hi Karen, this recipe makes 2.5 cups of filling, so just enough for between the layers. You could double it to make a bit more if needed!
I used this recipe to make cupcakes and they were so so so good. The cake was beyond any cake I’ve ever made before. I loved the coconut pecan filling so much I decided to turn it into bars.
Prebakes a shortbread crust in a 9×13 and then combined all the coconut pecans ingredients in a bowl, poured over the crust and baked for about 35min. I did not precook the filling. It turned out so good! I will be coming back for this recipe again and again… For the cake and to use in bars.
Sounds fantastic, Krystal!
I made this cake yesterday for my mother’s 75th birthday. It was positively the best cake I’ve ever made! I wish I could post a photo…
This was my third time making this cake and each time was perfect. Sprinkled chocolate covered cherries for holiday topping. Thank you!!!