Best easy German chocolate sheet cake recipe! This simple recipe makes moist German chocolate cake and a sweet, caramel coconut pecan topping.
German chocolate cake has long been one of my favorite types of cake. Since I love the combination of chocolate, coconut, and pecans so much, I’ve made German chocolate cookies, German chocolate bread pudding, German chocolate oatmeal, and German chocolate cake.
That German chocolate cake is delicious, but it’s more involved, more time-consuming. I wanted to come up with a faster, simpler recipe that was still just as tasty.
This simple sheet cake recipe is incredibly good! I like it so much that I made it as my birthday cake this year.
Not only is it a really tasty cake, but it also keeps well. So, this cake is a good choice if you need to make dessert ahead of time.
How to make German chocolate sheet cake
In a large, heat-proof bowl, add chopped chocolate. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate.
Let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir until chocolate has melted and is combined with the water.
In a separate large bowl, add oil, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well-combined.
Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until combined.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in just until combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
To make the topping, add the egg yolks, milk, and brown sugar to a large saucepan. Whisk until combined.
Add butter. Heat saucepan over low heat.
Cook for 10 minutes, whisking regularly, until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.
Whisk in vanilla extract. Add coconut and pecans, and stir in.
Let topping cool for 15 minutes. Spread topping over cake, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Tips
Tips- German chocolate: I like to use Baker’s German sweet chocolate.
- Oil: I’ve used vegetable oil and melted coconut oil in this cake. If you use melted coconut oil, the buttermilk and eggs should be at room temperature so that the oil doesn’t solidify.
- Buttermilk: Regular or low-fat will work. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute with this recipe.
- Evaporated milk: Regular or fat-free will work.
- I recommend using a metal baking pan in this recipe. If using a glass baking pan, you will need to decrease the baking temperature by 25F and adjust the baking time as needed.
Storage
I store this cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store the cake, covered, in the fridge for up to 7 days.
More chocolate cake recipes!
More chocolate cake recipes!If you’ve tried this German chocolate sheet cake recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
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German Chocolate Sheet Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup boiling water
- 4 ounces German sweet chocolate (chopped)
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch metal baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large, heat-proof bowl, add chopped chocolate.
- Pour the boiling water over the chocolate, and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Stir until chocolate has melted and is combined with the water.
- Add the oil, buttermilk, and sugar. Whisk until well-combined.
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well-combined.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in just until combined. Don't overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature.
- To make the topping, add the egg yolks, milk, and brown sugar to a large saucepan.
- Whisk until combined.
- Add butter.
- Heat saucepan over low heat.
- Cook for 10 minutes, whisking regularly, until mixture has thickened.
- Remove from heat.
- Whisk in vanilla extract.
- Add coconut and pecans, and stir in.
- Let topping cool for 15 minutes.
- Spread topping over cake, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- German chocolate: I like to use Baker's German sweet chocolate.
- Oil: I've used vegetable oil and melted coconut oil in this cake. If you use melted coconut oil, the buttermilk and eggs should be at room temperature so that the oil doesn't solidify.
- Buttermilk: Regular or low-fat will work. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a substitute with this recipe.
- Evaporated milk: Regular or fat-free will work.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Sue H says
So much easier than 3 layers and just as delicious.
Kate says
Thank you so much!!
Peggy says
This cake was the star of our meal. So good that I wanted another piece, but not a crumb was left. I see another german chocolate sheet cake in our future.
Kate says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!
Jane says
When I saw this cake I had to try it. The cake was moist and the topping was true German chocolate topping. This was so much easier and faster than the traditional cake.
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it!