There’s no holding back on this rich and decadently moist German Chocolate Cake! I’m talking about layers of moist cake infused with espresso that adds a subtle depth of flavor, a classic buttery coconut pecan frosting, and the addition of creamy chocolate buttercream. All from scratch, you’ll want to serve this dessert over and over again.
This recipe for German chocolate cake takes into consideration each part of the recipe. The cake is rich, it’s full-bodied with espresso and coffee, and oh-so moist. Unlike the coconut pecan frosting, which is buttery sweet, and nutty. Then the chocolate frosting is light, less sweet than the other two parts, and also has a tad bit of espresso, as well.
Reasons to Love this Homemade German Chocolate Cake
- Rich flavor – The combination of yogurt and espresso not only adds flavor but also moisture to the cake. Additionally, the use of hot coffee brings the cake batter together for a delicious bite.
- Easy to make – This German chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting is easy to make with just a few separate steps. You can skip the additional buttercream frosting for a more traditional recipe.
- Perfect celebration cake! – I make this cake every year for my husband’s birthday, and it’s also perfect for holiday parties or just an everyday sweet treat.
How to Make German Chocolate Cake
Baking the Cake:
Start by preheating your oven and preparing your cake pans with parchment paper. Now, let’s mix up the ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then, blend oil, eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, and vanilla in your mixer. Once the wet ingredients are mixed, add the dry mix, blending until just combined before slowly pouring the hot coffee, and put the batter into the pans.
Bake your chocolate cakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack.
Making the Frostings:
While your cakes do their thing, toast pecans, and shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Now, let’s talk about frosting. For the coconut pecan frosting, mix butter, salt, egg yolks, brown sugar, and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Bring it to a low boil, whisking every so often. Once it’s thickened, add vanilla, pecans, and shredded coconut.
While that cools, let’s make a chocolate frosting. In a stand mixer or bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth, then add sugar, cocoa, salt, vanilla, cream, and espresso. Mix until it’s all smooth and lovely.
Assembly:
Now that you have prepared your cakes and frostings, it’s time to assemble them. Begin by placing the first cake round on your serving plate and adding a border around the edge using chocolate frosting. Then, fill the center with coconut pecan frosting and place the second cake layer on top. Finish by spreading the remaining coconut frosting on top and adding more chocolate buttercream.
Tips to Make the BEST German Chocolate Cake
- For best results on consistency, be sure to use room temperature ingredients. For the cake, that includes butter, eggs, sour cream, and buttermilk.
- Don’t have buttermilk? No worries. Instead, stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1/2 cup of milk and let sit for about 5 minutes. It should be slightly curdled.
- Don’t worry about the espresso powder and coffee overwhelming the flavor of the cake. It will only deepen the chocolate flavor. It’s not necessary as you can easily substitute hot water for the coffee and simply leave out the espresso.
- The water must be boiling hot to ensure the proper blooming of the cocoa powder and that it dissolves in the batter.
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Absolutely. There are a few options for making this German chocolate cake recipeahead of time. Make the cake and after cooling, wrap each cake layer with plastic wrap.
You can refrigerate these for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, pull the cake from the freezer in thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, set out and bring to room temperature.
For the frosting, prepare as instructed and store in air-tight containers. Both frostings can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw and stir before using.
For a fully prepared cake, slice and fold a piece of parchment around each slice and store slices in an air-tight container. You can freeze these slices for up to 3 months and thaw them to room temperature. Or, store the whole prepared cake.
More Dessert Recipes
- Poached Pear Sour Cream Tart
- Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake with Brown Sugar Cream
- Banana Nut Scones with Chocolate Chips
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
Want to make this Coconut and Pecan Frosted, Espresso-infused, German Chocolate Cake even MORE decadent? Add chocolate buttercream!
This cake is a great way to impress your family and friends with a rich, decadent dessert made from scratch! It takes a bit of work but well worth it. I’ve made this for birthdays and dad on Father’s day and it’s always a hit.
I hope you enjoy this German Chocolate Cake. Let me know in the comments if you tried this recipe. Be sure to tag #ladleandgrain on facebook, instagram, and twitter!
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
German Chocolate Cake
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk*
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cups hot coffee or water
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 can (8 oz) evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 1 cup chopped pecans* + extra for topping
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 1/4 cup (2.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 9-inch round cake pans (or 3 6-inch pans) with parchment paper, then lightly grease.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, and espresso powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix oil, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined. Add the Pour this into dry ingredients until just combined and with the mixer still on low, slowly add the hot coffee (or water). Continue mixing until well combined.
- Equally, divide the batter into each pan. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes; remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Coconut Frosting
- While oven is still warm, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use half the pan for pecans and the other side for 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Toast about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on this so it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While the cake is baking, start your frosting. In a medium saucepan, whisk butter, salt, egg yolks, brown sugar, and evaporated milk over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, whisking occasionally. When it begins to boil, continue to whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, pecans, and shredded coconut.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a large bowl, use a hand held or stand mixer with the whisk attachment to cream butter until smooth. Add in sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, heavy cream, and espresso powder. Beat on low until combined, then increase to high for about 3 minutes. If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of cream. If too thin, add more sugar. Set aside.
Assemble Cake
- Remove cakes from pans and parchment paper. If needed, level the cakes with a serrated knife. On your cake stand, smear a small amount of the chocolate frosting. This will help keep the cake from moving.
- Add 1/3 of coconut frosting on top, then add second cake round. Add another 1/3 of frosting, then last cake. Top with remaining coconut frosting on top.
- Spread the sides of the layered cake with the chocolate frosting. Take the toasted coconut and sprinkle on top of the cake. Use whole pecans to line the top and around the bottom, or however you’d like to spruce up your cake.
- Keep covered at room temp or in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
