This classic German Chocolate Cake combines rich chocolate cake layers with a sweet coconut pecan filling and a dreamy chocolate buttercream.
I am fascinated with the history behind some recipes. The origin of the German Chocolate Cake is not at all what I expected it to be, not even close!
German Chocolate Cake was actually named after American baker Samuel German, who worked for the Baker’s Chocolate company in the mid 1800’s. While there, he created a baking chocolate for the company, which they named Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
Years later, in the 1950’s, Mrs. George Clay used said chocolate to create a cake that she called “German’s Chocolate Cake”. At some point the ‘s was dropped, and people started calling it what you and I know it as today: German Chocolate Cake.
Coincidentally, Baker’s Chocolate Company is not named so because of baking, but because the company founder’s last name was Baker.
My whole life is a lie!
What is German Chocolate Cake?
German Chocolate Cake consists of a coconut pecan filling sandwiched between chocolate cake layers. Pretty simple, right?
Now, traditional German Chocolate Cake is made using a lighter colored mild chocolate cake. I am a rich/dark chocolate kinda gal, so I’m using my favourite Chocolate Cake recipe as the base for this.
The original recipe also does not call for chocolate frosting, but I’m also a cake needs frosting kinda gal, so this is my version of the traditional cake.
Feel free to skip the frosting if you prefer (there is enough coconut pecan filling to fully top 3 layers).
How do you make German Chocolate Cake?
The chocolate cake recipe is pretty standard, it’s one I use all the time in various forms. The only thing to note here is that the batter is very thin and rises a LOT, so don’t overfill your pans — half full max.
Since I baked it in three 8″ pans instead of my usual two, the layers are a bit thinner and can be a bit delicate when warm. I recommend chilling the cake layers before assembling the cake.
I always wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze them until I’m ready to decorate. I take them out when I start making the frosting, and by the time the frosting is done, the layers are thawed enough to assemble.
The coconut pecan filling is very simple to make:
- cook the eggs, milk, and sugar mixture until it resembles a pudding
- add butter, pecans, and coconut
I toasted the coconut and pecans, and used half brown sugar instead of just all regular sugar that most recipes call for. Note that doing both of these things will make the filling have a yellow tint to it, which is different from the original, but equally delicious.
Using brown sugar in the filling makes it a bit trickier to know when it’s done cooking, as you can’t really tell that it has caramelized, so just cook it until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
Toasting the coconut and pecans is optional, but I find that doing this enhances the flavour. It takes very little time, so I opt to do it when I can.
I used sweetened coconut in the filling, but you might want to use unsweetened depending on your sugar tolerance. The filing is sweet. I happen to like it that way (I was eating it with a spoon), and it goes well with the not-too-sweet chocolate cake and dark chocolate frosting, but you may want to tone it down a bit if you prefer your desserts less on the sweeter side.
Let’s talk about my cake layers for a sec, because they look more dense than they actually are.
This cake was sitting in my fridge for two days while I waited for the weather to clear so I could take pics, so the weight of it compressed the layers a bit. The cake was also cold when I cut it, which makes it look more dense than it is.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a dense cake (I actually prefer those), but this one looks almost like a brownie and it is NOT that dense.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
I am on a quest to find the perfect chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. We’re getting there. My goal is a dark(er) chocolate frosting (which is hard to do with SMBC) that is stable to frost and pipe with.
My first chocolate SMBC was for this Mocha Cake. It’s still one of my faves because it’s crazy delicious, but it’s too light in color for what I’m looking for. I’m basically trying to achieve an American style chocolate buttercream frosting color with an SMBC. No small feat!
My next chocolate SMBC was for this Classic Chocolate Cake. I added more melted chocolate to it, hoping to darken the color. That worked (though not to the extent I was hoping), but the extra chocolate made the frosting quite soft and a bit harder to work with.
For the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream on this German Chocolate Cake, I first started with a dark brown sugar SMBC. At least the base wasn’t pure white, I figured. I also cut back a bit on the proportion of melted chocolate, and added some Dutch-processed cocoa powder to it.
It’s better in terms of the color I was going for, but not quite there. I should have added some black cocoa powder, but I was worried that it would skip the dark brown color I was going for and go right to blackish (it’s pretty potent). I will try that next time.
Let me tell you though, this chocolate SMBC is the BEST. The flavour is seriously amazing. I don’t know if it’s the dark brown sugar in it, or the combo of the high quality dark chocolate and cocoa powder or what, but I was happily eating this with a spoon.
When assembling this cake, I first spread a thin layer of buttercream on each layer before topping with the filling. This is completely optional. I usually do this with any softer fillings (curd, jam, etc.) so they don’t seep into the cake layer, but this filling is so thick it stands well on its own. You probably don’t need the buttercream dam either.
The top border on this German Chocolate Cake is done using a 6B piping tip. I basically just piped the infinity symbol (∞) sideways along the top.
I recommend chilling the cake before filling in the top with the rest of the coconut pecan filling. That way you won’t damage any of the decorative border.
This German Chocolate Cake is the perfect combination of flavours and textures — it’s no wonder it’s been such a hit all these years. I don’t think Mrs. Clay has gotten enough credit for it! And though my cake is modified from her original recipe, I tried to stay somewhat true to the filling. After all, I think that’s what makes this cake what it is!
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Tips for making this German Chocolate Cake Recipe
- The recipe as-is will work in either two 8″ or three 6″ pans. The layers will be thicker than in the recipe above (three 8″ pans) though, so you’ll need to increase the baking time.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The batter is very thin and rises a lot, so don’t fill the liners more than half full.
- You can make the pecan coconut filling a couple days in advance, just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and give it a good stir before using.
- I used sweetened coconut (half shredded, half flaked), but you can use unsweetened if you prefer a less sweet filling (it was pretty sweet).
- You can use regular cocoa powder for the cake and frosting if you don’t have Dutch-processed. It will affect the flavour and color slightly.
- If you’d prefer to use an American-style buttercream with this German Chocolate Cake you can double my Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
- Traditional German Chocolate Cake does not have a buttercream. You can leave this out if you like, and there will be enough of the pecan coconut filling to top 3 layers.
- Using good quality chocolate for the frosting will make a huge difference!
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!
German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Coconut Pecan Filling:
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 3 large egg yolks reserve whites for buttercream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cubed
- 3/4 cup flaked coconut toasted (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut toasted (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup hot water or coffee
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar packed
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Coconut Pecan Filling:
- Whisk egg yolks and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugars, salt, and vanilla.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a low boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency (about 10mins).
- Remove from heat. Add butter, coconut, and pecans and stir until combined. Cool completely before using on cake.
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 8" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water in slowly as not to cook the eggs).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake for 30-35 mins or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with about 1" of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (about 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whip on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add cooled melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place a layer of cake on a cake board or plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the layer (optional) and pipe a border around the outside to hold the filling in. Fill with about 3/4 cup of coconut pecan filling. Repeat with next layer.
- Place final layer on top and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Do a decorative border on top using a 6B tip if desired. Chill for 30mins.
- Fill top center with remaining coconut pecan filling and spread evenly. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and chopped pecans. Press toasted coconut and pecans along the bottom if desired.
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth. If it looks soupy, place it in the fridge for 20mins and rewhip.
aura rexach says
Hi! I am trying to make the smb black. Would it be fine to use both black cocoa powder and reg cocoa powder and still achieve the color and good taste? Along with black gel food coloring? Or do you think the color of the melted chocolate will overpower? Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Aura! You can use black and regular. The black will change the flavor slightly though – it has more of an Oreo taste.
Jasmine says
Hey, I love making chocolate SMB, its my favorite frosting. But lately I have been getting chocolate “Flakes” it it. Not like actual flacks, you can’t taste, or feel them at all. But when I ice my cake I can see tiny little flacks that almost look like specks of dust. I also use cocoa powder in my buttercream, is it possible it could be that. Have you ever noticed this or am I just losing it? sorry this comment had nothing to do with the recipe. thanks for another great recipe 😀
Olivia says
Hi Jasmine! It could definitely be the cocoa powder since it might not dissolve completely. What you could do is dissolve it in a small amount of hot water first, then it should incorporate smoothly 🙂 Be sure to cool completely before adding to the buttercream.
Jasmine says
Thank you, I will try that.
Cindi Babb says
Hi Olivia,
I am making this cake tomorrow but I only have sweetened flaked coconut. Do I just use that for both portion of the coconut called for in the german chocolate cake recipe or will that make it too sweet? I don’t have any shredded coconut.
Thank you,
Cindi
Olivia says
Hi Cindi! Yes, that will be fine. It is quite a sweet filling but if you’re worried about that you can reduce one or both of the sugars 🙂
Rachel says
Hi Liv, does this cake pipe well for buttercream flowers? thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! Yes, it should work great for those 🙂
Susan says
hi again Olivia – just wanted to let you know the cake/buttercream made for my mother (below) was not fleeting. Today — 2 months later — she had her final serving of birthday cake! After the first couple of days after her birthday I was prohibited from sharing her cake (very unlike my mother). Then she lopped off the remaining pieces and froze them, carefully defrosting and relishing a slice every other week. The nights when the cake was forthcoming I would find her impatient at dinner and then would realize why — i.e., the CAKE! This is a highly reasonable, civilized, and prudent 91-year-old.; however your yellow cake and dark choco buttercream brought out the cake beast in her!
Olivia says
Hi Susan! I am so happy to hear that she liked it! I love that she portioned it and froze it so she could enjoy it for weeks <3
Susan says
Olivia – I am so impressed and awed by your website and your recipes. Last year was my mother’s 90th birthday party. I am not a baker but found your site and carefully followed directions for your white vanilla cake and vanilla Swiss buttercream. My mother had not had anyone bake her a cake since childhood and it was such an honor to do so–and it came out so amazingly shed has talked about it since. My father was with us then and he swooned over it too. Since then, he passed away, and this will be my mother’s first birthday without him (her 91st) since she was 20 years old. I asked what kind of cake she wants this year and she said golden cake with chocolate Swiss buttercream (she had never made Swiss buttercream herself and rarely eaten it and was in love). So–long question longer: I found 2 different recipes of yours for chocolate Swiss buttercream. One for German Choco Cake, which uses 8oz. dark chocolate, plus cocoa powder, and vanilla. Your Classic Choco Cake uses 8oz dark chocolate but not the other ingredients. My plan is to torte the 2 cakes, making 4 layers and might put chocolate ganache and/or orange curd and/or last year’s vanilla Swiss buttercream between each layer–and cover the whole cake in one or other of your chocolate Swiss buttercreams. Which of the 2 recipes would you recommend? Sorry for lengthy inquiry! and thanks a million for your reply! (PS – I live near King ArthurBaking in Vermont and am planning to drive over there this Sunday to get my ingredients–they have many dark chocos as well as array of cocoas, so will look forward to your response)
Olivia says
Hi Susan! I am so thrilled that you baked one of my cakes for your mother. I’m so happy both your parents loved it! I’m so sorry for your loss. I can imagine how tough it must be on her after 70 years! Wow. Happy early birthday to her! 91 is amazing!
To answer your question: Either is perfectly delicious. With the German Chocolate one I was trying to achieve a richer/darker color which is why I added the cocoa powder. It just depends on how much chocolate flavor you want. The plain chocolate one is soooo good, especially if you use a good quality chocolate. I would recommend starting with that, tasting it, and seeing if you’d like to amp up the flavour with more cocoa powder. Vanilla is optional but always nice addition. I don’t think it would detract from the flavour in any way. Let me know what you decide and how it turns out! 🙂
Susan says
Thank you so much for all comments, Olivia! I will get some excellent dark chocolate and Dutch Cocoa from King Arthur’s tomorrow, and will feel it out while making the buttercream–whether it will benefit from a smattering of cocoa powder or fine without. Excited to try it. Will let you know how it turns out. Can you believe this is only the 2nd birthday cake anyone has made for my mother since childhood?(!) My father always bought her ice cream cakes and I never questioned it. So baking it for her is a treat for her–and clearly a huge treat for her to be able to indulge in such a splendid cake as one according to your recipes! Thanks again 🙂
Susan says
Thank you so much for all comments, Olivia! I will get some excellent dark chocolate and Dutch Cocoa from King Arthur’s tomorrow, and will feel it out while making the buttercream–whether it will benefit from a smattering of cocoa powder or fine without. Excited to try it. Will let you know how it turns out. Can you believe this is only the 2nd birthday cake anyone has made for my mother since childhood?(!) My father always bought her ice cream cakes and I never questioned it. So baking it for her is a treat for ME–and clearly a huge treat for her to indulge in such a splendid cake as one according to your recipes! Thanks again 🙂
Olivia says
Definitely let me know how it turns out! And her reaction to it too 🙂
Susan says
Olivia—holy smokes! I made the dark brown sugar Swiss butter cream and first added vanilla. I had torted 2 layers of golden cake and put that sumptuous slightly molasses-y buttercream between 2 of the 3 layers and a chocolate ganache (with zest from one juicy navel orange) between the 3rd. Then added the melted and cooled high-quality semi-sweet chocolate discs and Dutch pressed cocoa to the remaining buttercream (it was very dark – wonderfully so!) and spread that all over the cake. And then….since there was some of that dark chocolate mixture left, I added it to what was left of the gananche, and poured/spread a thin layer over the top of the cake and sprinkled a tiny bit more orange zest over the top. My mother swooned upon seeing it–said it was among the best 3 cakes she’s ever had–the other 2 being her wedding cake (made by her great aunt) and my white cake/vanilla Swiss buttercream I made her for her 90th birthday last year.
She told me she went to bed still thinking of that rich dark buttercream and the cake in general and confessed she had a thin slice after breakfast with coffee. She’s from old Puritan stock and doesn’t usually indulge herself in anything but she cannot help herself with this — due to the buttercream — and I have encouraged her not to even try — and just enjoy it as much as she pleases! After dinner tonight she sliced off another slab of the cake and seemed quickly to get over how “guilty” she felt.
The buttercream was a major hit. It was not difficult at all. One thing I found was the eggs/dark brown sugar whisking stage took considerably longer than white sugar (which is totally fine) – and it also took 10+ minutes on a stand mixer for eggs/sugar to cool down and form stuff peaks–however, it was all TOTALLY worth the wait and patience, and the buttercream was sublime (before and after the choco was added). Thanks again!
Olivia says
Yay! Thanks so much for following up. I’m SO happy she loved it! And you as well 🙂 High praise to be in her top 3 cakes for sure! I must admit, your description of the cake had me drooling — the addition of the orange zest is genius! Sounds like your mom had a wonderful birthday, thanks to you!
Emma says
hi! love the article cant WAIT t o try out this cake! 😊🎂
Olivia says
Hi Emma! I hope you love it 🙂
Winnie says
Amazing cake. Can I ask what chocolate you use in your smbc?
Olivia says
Hi Winnie! Thank you! I use Callebaut chocolate most of the time.
Wendy says
Hi! I love the buttercream recipe, however, I always seem to end up with bits of chocolate, even though it’s melted when I add it to the meringue. Can I warm it gently to melt the chocolate, or do I have to live with the “bits”? It’s delicious anyway! Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Wendy! Once it’s incorporated I would not try and warm it as the whole thing will melt and turn soupy. In the future, you can try and make sure your buttercream isn’t cold when you add the chocolate and you can try it with the chocolate ever so slightly warm still. This might make your buttercream soft, but if needed you can pop the whole thing in the fridge for 20mins and rewhip.
Long says
That would so delicious. The cake is both delicious and beautifully decorated. My daughter loves it. The cake is wonderful. Thanks for the great article.
Olivia says
Hi Long! So happy you liked it 🙂
Mary says
Hello!
Im planning on making this cake but just wondering if I need 3/4 cup coconut for filing and 3/4 cup for decorating or all goes into the filling? Not sure how much
Thanks so much! This cake looks amazing!!!
Olivia says
Hi Mary! All of the coconut goes into the filling – the 3/4 cup shredded and 3/4 cup flaked. Let me know how you like it!
Sidney says
Hi Liv, in order to make this cake a 2 layer, 10 inch cake, how should I scale the recipe? Thinking just 1.5x but not sure.
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Sidney! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I think 1.5 would be a good estimate. Don’t fill the pans more than half full though as the batter is very thin and rises a lot.
Zoe says
Have you ever used whipped ganache for the frosting on a German’s 😂 Chocolate Cake? Thanks for that bit of history btw, I loved it!
Olivia says
Hi Zoe! Not on this cake in particular but I have used whipped ganache as a frosting before!
H. Prime says
Thinking of achieving the darker color that you want for the SMBC; treat the cocoas like paint colors. Try 3 Tbsp of the Dutch Process with 1 Tbsp of the Black Cocoa and see how close that comes to what you want.
The recipe looks absolutely fabulous btw! I love, LOVE me some SMBC. It’s my got-to for every cake I make.
Olivia says
Hi H! Thank you! I definitely need to experiment more, especially with the black cocoa. I’d love to hear what you make next!
Sanaa Niaz says
Hi Olivia! I usually scan through alot of recipes before I arrive at one. Ur german chocolate cake undoubtedly topped the list for me!! It looks n sounds yum!! Planning to use this recipe for my daughter’s bday next week! Have some doubts though
1. What can be used instead of evaporated milk? Condensed milk or half n half?
2. Can I reduce the sugar in chocolate cake by one cup and use the cup of sugar to use as simple syrup to soak the cake?
Olivia says
Hi Sanaa! I haven’t tried substituting the evaporated milk myself, but here are some tips:
https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/substitute-evaporated-milk
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/evaporated-milk-substitutes
Reducing the sugar by that much might affect the cakes structure, but you can give it a try! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Giedrė says
Hi, how much grams is one cup? 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Giedrė! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Kavi says
Hi Olivia,
Can we use the store bought Meringue powder to the ABC recipe to convert it to SMBC?
Olivia says
Hi Kavi! No, you should use egg whites for a proper SMBC.
Allison says
Can the filling be made in advance and frozen? I have so many egg yolks left over after making Swiss merengue buttercream and want to get a head start on my moms birthday cake.
(Also, giving this five stars because o made this last year, and it was delicious)
Olivia says
Hi Allison! Yes, freezing it should be fine! So happy you loved it 🙂