Best easy German chocolate sheet cake recipe! This simple recipe makes moist German chocolate cake and a homemade 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, easier recipe that was still just as tasty.
And I think this really is the easiest homemade German chocolate cake! The cake is moist and tasty, and it also keeps well. So, this cake is a good choice if you need to make dessert ahead of time.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- 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.
How to make German chocolate sheet cake
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, is given below.
Step 1: In a large, heat-proof bowl, add chopped chocolate. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate.
Step 2: Let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir until chocolate has melted and is combined with the water.
Step 3: In a separate large bowl, add oil, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well-combined.
Step 4: Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until combined.
Step 5: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in just until combined. Don’t overmix.
Step 6: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Step 7: Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
Step 8: To make the topping, add the egg yolks, milk, and brown sugar to a large saucepan. Whisk until combined.
Step 9: Add butter. Heat saucepan over low heat.
Step 10: Cook for 10 minutes, whisking regularly, until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat.
Step 11: Whisk in vanilla extract. Add coconut and pecans, and stir in.
Step 12: Let topping cool for 15 minutes. Spread topping over cake, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips!
- Baking pan: 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.
- Pan size: I haven’t tried baking this cake in different sizes of pans. However, a 9×13-inch pan should be the equivalent of 2 9-inch round cake pans.
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!
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German Chocolate Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
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 9×13-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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
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Originally published 10/17/2020.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
Laura says
Kate, this recipe turned out great! My family likes their German chocolate cake a bit on the colder side, so I refrigerated it about 30min before serving.
Laura says
How do you know when the icing is thick enough?
Kate says
Hi! It should be thick enough that it is spreadable and isn’t still wet. There are pictures of how it should look in the “how to make” section if that helps.
Laura says
Thanks Kate! It looks like I was confused bc when cooking it, it did not seem to thicken up like to a point it gets spreadable. Once I let it cool and added the coconut, it thickened up. I probably cooked it too long on the stove, but I think it will turn out fine! I’ve never made this kind of frosting before without powdered sugar.
Linda M. says
I made this for my husbands birthday. It was delicious! It raised up well and the cake was very moist. A real winner and the recipe will go in my special book of recipes. Thanks for sharing!!
Kate says
Thank you! I often make this cake as my birthday cake. I hope he had a very happy birthday!
Angie says
Simple instructions, don’t waver from them. I love making this cake. The house smells amazing!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear that!
Sandra K says
I can’t find anywhere that it tells how much water to use in the first step. Can you help?
Kate says
Hi! It’s 1 cup of boiling water. You can find it as the first ingredient in the ingredient list. If you have any other question, please feel free to ask!
Jackie says
I made this last week and today for two different birthdays! It came out great both times! I did have to cook the topping a little longer for it to thicken up! Everyone loves this cake!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that it was a hit!
Amy says
Very disappointed. I sent Kate my problem and concern about the batter. She sent no answer.
Kate says
Amy, I’m a human, not a bot. It’s been about 30 minutes since you sent the first question. The reason that I didn’t answer immediately is because it’s a Saturday morning, and I was getting my kids breakfast. I don’t live on here 24/7, but I do try my best to answer questions in a timely manner.
I’ve answered both of the other questions that you sent. Also, there are photos above the recipe that show what the batter should look like once it is combined. You can also refer to those pictures and the additional information provided above the recipe as a guide to help you while you’re making the recipe.
Amy says
Kate, thank you for the responses. The cake was a flop. Probably because using oil instead of butter, and whole eggs I used the Baker’s recipe for the frosting and it turned out good. I’ve been making GC cake for years, using the Baker’s recipe and it’s always good. That’s what I get for trying to save time. It’s not your fault. It’s just not for me.
Kate says
I’m sorry that it didn’t turn out well for you. This is a personal favorite of mine, and I make this cake almost every year for my birthday. Oil makes for moister cake than using butter, so that shouldn’t have been an issue. I’m not sure where the issue was, but it sounds like you have a recipe that you enjoy.