You will love this moist and delicious German Chocolate Cake from scratch recipe! This decadent cake has become a tried and true favorite in our family.
HOW TO MAKE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
*See the Full Printable Recipe Card at the Bottom of this Post
One of my favorite things about this cake is that it actually incorporates German Chocolate. Some recipes use plain chocolate layers instead. I love the mild, sweet flavor the German Chocolate brings to the recipe!
- First, break the German chocolate bar into pieces and place in a bowl.
- Melt the chocolate by pouring ½ cup boiling water over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes to soften then stir until completely melted. Set Aside.
- Next, separate the 4 eggs and beat the whites in a small bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set Aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) beat the butter until smooth. Then, add the sugar and beat until fluffy (two to four minutes). Add egg the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Add the melted German chocolate and vanilla and blend.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 additions of dry ingredients, two additions of wet), beating at medium speed until well blended after each addition.
- Gently fold and stir in the egg whites and pour into the prepared pans
- .Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out. Cool layers completely and they are ready to fill and frost.
German Chocolate Cake- Coconut pecan Filling
German Chocolate Cake wouldn't be German Chocolate Cake without the amazing coconut and pecan filling! It is thick, flavorful, and as an added bonus, it is easy to make!
- Whisk egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a saucepan until blended. Add sugar and butter and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened, stir constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and nuts. Allow to cool before spreading on the cake.
- This German Chocolate filling recipe makes enough to fill and frost three (8 or 9 inch) cake layers. It is very rich so it can be used as a filling and on the top layer, leaving the sides unfrosted.
- For our pictured cake we use as a filling and frosted with chocolate buttercream.
Decorating the German Chocolate Cake
Traditionally, German Chocolate Cakes are often filled with their signature coconut & pecan filling, but not frosted around the sides. We decided to change things up & frost our cake with our delicious Classic Chocolate Buttercream!
Either way, you're going to love this cake, but frosting it with buttercream not only adds an additional layer of deliciousness and beauty (we've piped shells with a 2D piping tip) it also helps to seal in the freshness!
The German Chocolate flavor of the cake layers when paired with the coconut and pecan filling is simply heavenly.
You are going to love this classic German Chocolate Cake!
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE- BOX MIX VERSION
We have a delicious doctored cake mix option for German Chocolate Cake! It is super moist, light and delicious. You can find the recipe here!: German Chocolate Cake Mix Recipe
MORE CLASSIC CAKES
Enjoy the Recipe!
We hope that you enjoy this delicious German Chocolate Cake from scratch! If you give it a try, we would love for you to leave a comment and photo below!
Make sure to hop over to print out our Classic Chocolate Buttercream Recipe! Find it here: Classic Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
German Chocolate Cake Recipe! {Scratch}

This German Chocolate Cake tastes amazing! Moist German chocolate cake layers with a flavorful coconut and pecan filling. This recipe is always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
FOR THE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS
- 1 pkg. (4 oz) (113 g) Bakers German Sweet Chocolate Bar
- ½ cup (118 g) boiling water
- 4 eggs separated
- 1cup (226 g) butter softened
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups (285 g) cake flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla
- 1 cup (242 g) buttermilk
COCONUT PECAN FILLING/FROSTING
- 1 ½ cups (171 g) pecans, chopped
- 2 ⅔ cup (7 oz) (198 g) flaked coconut
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, (you could also use 1 ½ cups heavy cream)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 stick (8 T.) (113 g) butter
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (OPTIONAL)
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften butter in the microwave)
- 6 c. confectioners sugar (icing sugar) (796 grams) ** For cupcakes, I like to use 5 c. (675g) for a softer frosting
- 1 c. cocoa, sifted (86 grams) measure then sift
- ⅓ c. milk (75 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla (8 grams)
Instructions
For the German Chocolate Cake Layers
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 3 (8 or 9 inch) pans
- Break the chocolate bar into pieces and place in a bowl.
- Melt the chocolate by pouring ½ cup boiling water over the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes to soften then stir until completely melted. Set Aside.
- Separate the 4 eggs and beat the whites in a small bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set Aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer or hand mixer beat the butter until smooth then add the sugar and beat until fluffy and light ( 2 to 4 minutes) Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla and blend.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 additions of flour mixture, two additions of buttermilk mixture), beating at medium speed until well blended after each addition.
- Gently fold and stir in the egg whites and pour into the prepared pans
- .Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out. Cool layers completely and they are ready to fill and frost. To freeze for later use, cover individually with plastic wrap while still warm to the touch and wrap in aluminum foil. Can be frozen for 2 months.
COCONUT/PECAN FILLING INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk egg yolks, evaporated milk and vanilla in a saucepan until blended.
- Add sugar and butter and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened, stir constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and nuts. Allow to cool before spreading on the cake.
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- Add butter and beat for approximately 1 min. on medium speed. Add vanilla and blend into the butter.
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add most of the milk.
- Begin beating at low speed so you won’t have a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen. Beat at medium speed 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to low and beat an additional two to three minutes, adding remaining milk as needed. Makes approximately 4 cups of frosting.
Notes
Hi Sam, I am sorry but I do not remember if there was leftover coconut pecan frosting. Checking our quantity of ingredients with other recipes online that cover the whole cake could help you.
Hi. I tried this recently and it was great. Cake has a mild choc flavor and very moist. I doubled the pecan coconut icing bc I wanted it all over the cake including sides. The consistency was perfect the first day. It was really thick the next (I did refrigerate). If I only used 3 egg yolks (6 with double recipe) will that help it stay smoother longer?