This is the Best German Chocolate Cake you will ever make. Every part of it is homemade — from the cake to the icing! Your family will love this decadent dessert.

Last week, Stephen asked me if I could make him a German Chocolate Cake. He loves anything chocolate, so if my man asks for a certain dessert, he gets it!

If you know anything about me, making cakes is one of my specialties. My Easy Strawberry buttercream cake is one of my most popular recipes on this site.

If you like making cakes as well — don't forget to enter my February giveaway for a Complete Cake Decorating kit.

That decorating kit is what I used to make this cake look so beautiful!

This cake may seem hard to make, but trust me — it is SUPER easy to make and everyone in your family will love it!

You can make this any size you want, but I chose a 9×13 because that makes it a very easy cake to make. Just bake the cake, let it cool, and then decorate. Simple and easy!

How to Make The Best German Chocolate Cake

The first thing we need to do is to make the cake from scratch.

Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Now, mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in the boiling water. Your batter will be thin but that is normal for this recipe.

Before you pour your cake batter into your pan, be sure and oil the pan. Then, dust it with flour. Now, pour it into your 9×13 pan..

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until completely cooled.

While the cake is cooling, you can make the German Chocolate frosting. It needs to cool as well.

You are going to add all the ingredients(except the nuts and coconut and vanilla) to a sauce pan and heat over medium until the sauce has thickened.

Add in the other 3 ingredients and let it cool completely.

Now, make the chocolate frosting.

Let's Frost That German Chocolate Cake

For the frosting, you will want to do the following —

Take the chocolate frosting and frost the top of your cake with a thin layer of chocolate.

Now, using a 1″ star tip, create rosettes all around the outside edge of the cake.

Then, take a spoon and spoon the German Chocolate into the center of the cake. That's it!

Your cake is now perfect and ready to enjoy.

Of course, you do not have to decorate it the way I did. You can totally do whatever you want — make it your own!

Here are some other cakes you might like —

Yield: 20 slice

The Best German Chocolate Cake

Name: The Best German Chocolate Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup butter; 1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 6 cups powdered sugar; 2/3 cup evaporated milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup butter; 3 large egg yolks; 3/4 cup evaporated milk; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 large eggs; 1 cup milk; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup boiling water

The BEST homemade German Chocolate Cake with the perfect combination of coconut pecan frosting and chocolate frosting. This cake is the best I have made yet.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake

2 cups granulated sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the Coconut Frosting

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

For the Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch cake pan.
For the cake, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
Stir in boiling water. Your batter will be pretty thin, but that is totally ok. Pour the batter into the 9x13 baking dish.
Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack until it is completely cool
For the German Chocolate Frosting -- In a medium saucepan add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk.
Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat.
Stir constantly for several minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.
Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut. Allow to cool completely before spreading it on the cake.
For the chocolate frosting -- melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder.
Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating until you get the consistency you want for spreading.
Add a small amount of additional milk, if needed to thin the frosting, or a little extra powder, until you reach your desired consistency. Stir in vanilla.
To decorate the cake -- smooth a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the entire cake.
Using a 1" Wilton star tip and piping bag, pipe the remaining chocolate around the outside edge of the cake.
Now, spoon the coconut frosting into the middle of the cake and spread until it covers all the places that the chocolate piping did not.
Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 2gSugar: 33gProtein: 7g

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Marie

Friday 18th of August 2023

This is the best I ever had! Didn't put chocolate frosting on it, didn't need it, it was so moist!

Jennifer Sikora

Saturday 19th of August 2023

So glad you loved it

Linda

Thursday 30th of March 2023

Can I make this a day ahead & hold it on the countertop?

Saturday 1st of April 2023

I don't see why not?

Jennifer Plass

Friday 3rd of March 2023

The coconut frosting is to die for, but I thought the chocolate frosting was a bit too “cocoa-ee”. I just used a German Chocolate box mix.

Saturday 4th of March 2023

You can adjust the cocoa taste by adding less. I love a good chocolate frosting.

Maureen Moehr

Saturday 24th of September 2022

Can it be baked in round cake pans ?

Monday 26th of September 2022

Yes. I think with round pans, the time is 24-28 minutes.

Mary Pidgeon

Friday 18th of March 2022

Would this recipe still work if I halved it? It's just my husband and myself. Thanks.

Saturday 19th of March 2022

Yes it should work fine.