Make a great German Chocolate Cake with this easy recipe. The coconut and pecan frosting is deliciously dreamy.
This was easy to put together and my husband said it was yummy. I was a little disappointed in the frosting flavor. I wanted more of that "caramel" taste and this just tasted like sweetened condensed milk w/ pecans and coconut (a yummy flavor, but just not what I expect in a German Chocolate Cake). I made the mistake of inverting the cake before frosting it. The recipe does not make enough frosting to cover the sides of the cake. So, if you make this - just leave it in the pan and frost the top only! :) DEFINETELY cook it for much longer than 6 minutes to thicken up the frosting. I probably cooked it closer to 15 minutes (maybe even longer).
Read Morethe cake was too fluffy/crumbly, it should have been more dense. I think just using the cake mix as directed would have been better. Frosting needs to be doubled, barely enough to frost a 9x13 cake.
Read MoreThis was easy to put together and my husband said it was yummy. I was a little disappointed in the frosting flavor. I wanted more of that "caramel" taste and this just tasted like sweetened condensed milk w/ pecans and coconut (a yummy flavor, but just not what I expect in a German Chocolate Cake). I made the mistake of inverting the cake before frosting it. The recipe does not make enough frosting to cover the sides of the cake. So, if you make this - just leave it in the pan and frost the top only! :) DEFINETELY cook it for much longer than 6 minutes to thicken up the frosting. I probably cooked it closer to 15 minutes (maybe even longer).
Yummy recipe, my uncle who is a German Choc. cake lover, said this is best version he has ever tried. I do agree with several reviews on here, that the recipe does not have much of a carmel flavor, but you can remedy that by adding 3 TBS of Brown Sugar. I also recommend you cook it for 10 mins not 6 so that it gets thick enough. P.S. Almonds are a great substitute for pecans, and much better for you!!!!
I doubled the frosting recipe due to other reviews and the fact that I made this as a 2 layer birthday cake. It was for my honey and he thought it was better than his favorite (until now) German Chocolate Cake purchased from a bakery at $4.95 a slice.
I made this cake today, absolutely delish! the frosting turned out perfect! I added 3T brown sugar and cooked and constantly stirred for about 11min. I will make again and again!
Excellent recipe! So easy and moist! The condensed milk keeps the cake from getting dry. I used chopped walnuts instead of pecans. I used at least 1 full cup of coconut, though, and at least 1 cup of walnuts. I like the frosting to be thick, not thin.
My Father has loved German Chocolate Cake all of his life and he says this is the best German Chocolate Cake he has ever eaten!!!
I thought the recipe was easy and the cake was very moist. The frosting did take about 20 minutes to thicken, but had a wonderful flavor. I will add it to my "favorites"
Very easy to make! Everyone loved it and I received many requests for the recipe. The frosting is YUMMY! I sprinkled some extra pecans on top before serving for some extra crunch.
I made this for my good friend's birthday and everyone raved. It was also very easy to make.
Absolutely delicious and easy. The addition of the sweetened condensed milk makes the cake rich and moist.
The frosting is wonderful!
the cake was too fluffy/crumbly, it should have been more dense. I think just using the cake mix as directed would have been better. Frosting needs to be doubled, barely enough to frost a 9x13 cake.
Very good cake! I made this for my husband on Valentine's Day. The only thing I would do differently next time is double the frosting recipe. There wasn't quite enough frosting to cover the whole cake the way I would have liked.
I made this tonight and it is super moist and good! I have not made many cakes and I rely on the box but this makes the box stuff even better. I didn't do the icing, I had found another recipe for the icing but they are both pretty similar. So glad this turned out great and it looks beautiful!
This cake was amazing! I make it into a 2 layer 8" round cake and then doubled the icing. I also used the advice of another review and added 4 tablespoons of brown sugar while thickening the icing. Also, rather than trying to spread the icing on I just poured it right on top of the round cake and it covered the top and sides perfectly.
I made this for a co-worker's birthday, and everybody loved it! I doubled the topping, which everyone loved, and added the brown sugar as suggested. This recipe is definitely a KEEPER!
My family loved this cake, so I give it 5 stars. I will double the frosting next time. The frosting makes the cake.
I made this for my boyfriend because it's his favorite kind of cake. He is very picky and he could not believe I didn't buy it at a bakery it turned out so well! I doubled the frosting which is a step you shouldn't skip, and used walnuts instead of pecans. I made it as a layer cake and it made a beautiful presentation on the table.
It was a very yummy cake but next time i make I think I will put more pecans and coconut in the frosting mixture.
the frosting is awesome, i have never tried the cake. to make only the frosting i used 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of coconut, and 1/2 cup of pecans.
I made as indicated on the recipe, but I followed the ladies' suggestions and used one cup coconut and added two tablespoon brown sugar. I also gently mixed the frosting with a hand held mixer right in the sauce pan until it was well mixed. It came out delicious!!
In laws loved it! The icing was fabulous. But my favorite part was the moistness of the cake. The condensed milk was the difference. I will try this trick on other cakes.
I MADE THIS FOR A FAMILY GET TOGETHER. EVERYONE LOVED IT AND HAD NO IDEA IT INCLUDED A BOX CAKE MIX. I USED A CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX. I WILL DEFINATELY USE THIS RECIPE AGAIN.
Made this recipe exactly as written and it came out great. Easy to make and delicious. Reminds me of the German Chocolate Cake my grandmother used to make.
Really good if you want a stronger flavor of maple toast you pecans instead of the added sugar in the frosting
The frosting is really tasty, I think making the cake from scratch is the only thing that would of made it better, however using a box makes it quick & easy
I don't care for nuts or coconut but wanted a nice German chocolate cake. I made this in a Bundt pan, minus the frosting, and dusted with Confectioner's sugar. It made a wonderful, moist, pound-cake like dessert. The hubby really enjoyed this cake. You will, too!
I don't normally use a box mix, but this recipe is easy to make and tastes very good.
I didn't make the cake for this recipe. Instead, I just used the frosting recipe, because it looked easy and good. Unfortunately, half way through the process, I realized I'd used evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed! HAHA! But with a little poweder sugar, a little flour (for thickening) and a couple more minutes on the stove, it turned out just right! I think next time I'll have to make it the right way and see if it came out as good!
This made a lot of cake for one person! It was my fault, since I'm a new cook, but I didn't let the frosting thicken nearly enough. (Fellow cooks, shoot for something like the photo that's on the recipe page). Still it was mighty tasty. I'll make it again some day.
This was very delish!! My husband ate three pieces and usually only eats one. Definitely a keeper.
LOOOVVEEEE ITTT!!! First thing, I always hated chocolate cake from I knew myself until one time I decided to try a piece of German Chocolate Cake that was at my work cafe since I heard it was really a moist cake. Can I tell you this cake is even 10 times better!!! I always use the Betty Crocker Super Moist mix with the pudding in the mix, It is the best!! I didn't bother with making the frosting I use the Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Coconut Pecan frosting which is all German Chocolate Frosing really is, coconut & pecan.
Excellent recipe!!! I followed it exactly and not only was it easy, but incredibly delicious!! Definitely a keeper!
We thoroughly enjoyed this (and I'm no fan of German Chocolate cake.) This didn't taste like the GCCs I've had in the past but had a great flavor and took a fraction of the time to prepare. My husband and sons all asked for seconds!
I made this as is. I have never made a German Choc. cake, nor have I ever eaten one, but it was a request. The cake was very delicious, however, the frosting barely covered the cake. It tasted fine, but I think the frosting needs to be doubled.
Very Good. I could have ate the frosting with a spoon it was so good. I used a milk chocolate cake mix cooked in a bunt pan for 35 min and it was moist and perfect I wish I had more frosting because it didnt cover the whole cake so next time I will double it. Vey easy with great results.
Excellent, though I used the normal "hacks" of butter in place of oil, and hot water to enhance the chocolate, and premade icing. The condensed milk gives this cake a wonderful moistness! Definitely making this one again!
Although it was very good. There was no where near enough frosting to cover the top of a 9 x 13 cake. Double the frosting.
I couldn't find Pillsbury German Chocolate Cake Mix so I had to use Duncan Hines. The cook time on the box said 22-27 minutes, the recipe states 45 minutes. 30 minutes was just right. It was easy and a huge hit! I will definitely make it again.
This came out delicious. My only problem was, as another reviewer mentioned, the cake comes out very soft and fluffy. Which is great, except the frosting is thick and heavy, and thus hard to spread on what feels like a delicate surface. Admittedly, I was heavy handed in my coconut and nuts additions, and though I may go lighter on those two ingredients next time, I do still wish the cake itself was a little more dense.
I used this recipe for the frosting only. It was too thin and I ended up having to add 2 tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water to get it to the right consistency. Otherwise the taste was spot on.
This is a simple recipe I appreciate having. Made icing the traditional way and added remainder sweetened condensed milk. Yummy!!!
My hubby is allergic to pecans so I substitued finely chopped almonds and it turned out great! The second time I made it I increased the amount of coconut, eyeballing it to the desired thickness I was going for. It is a great recipe!!!
The cake fell in the middle. Not happy with that at all, am making a layered cake so I baked a plain old chocolate cake to fill in the depression(which didn't fall). I didn't open the oven door once until the timer went off. Will add brown sugar to the frosting as other's have indicated.
I've made this recipe multiple times but find it misses the caramel flavor that I prefer. To improve upon that, I started adding approximately 1/3 cup of brown sugar to the cooking milk mixture. Sometimes to improve the color and caramel flavor I have also added dark corn syrup to the cooking mixture. After these additions the german chocolate icing flavor was best.
This is a good sturdy German Chocolate cake recipe. I make 300 German Chocolate cupcakes for a wedding and my daughter made a tiered German Chocolate wedding cake and it held up well. Very flavorful and moist. No problems with crumbs, adjusted for high altitude with 1/4 cup flour per recipe. We used another German Chocolate frosting recipe from All Recipes. This is my go to recipe for German Chocolate cake! I also pipe some chocolate frosting for accents.
I made this for my husband's birthday, he said he liked it yet only ate one piece... I didn't like it. The cake was dry, crumbly and tasted like oil; I will continue to use my recipe for boxed cakes. The frosting was too sweet for our taste and needs to be doubled at minimum for any cake.
There was not enough frosting to cover a round two layer cake. It tastes good though.
the German chocolate cake boxed mix had a swirl mix included that I followed the box directions and swirled in. So I made the cake per the box directions. I thought the icing from this recipe was too sweet so I added a healthy big spoonful of cream cheese to cut the sweetness. That seemed to help. Took this to an Oktoberfest and received a lot of compliments!!
I have not used the recipe yet but I have a question. What can I replace the crisco/vegetable oil with.
This German chocolate cake is AMAZING!!! Its a MUST!! My husband and his parents all ask for me to make this for EVERY special occasion. I will NEVER buy another store bought pre-made cake or use any other recipe! Try it, you won't regret it!!
I used buttermilk instead of the water. Baked for less time than listed on the directions. Used the frosting from the Willards family recipe instead. This turned out super moist. Will definitely make again.
Loved the frosting. Made extra like some suggested. The cake was a little dry around the edges but that might have just been my cooking.
This cake was so easy to make and tasted great! I added 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to the icing and it was perfect.
I would suggest that you double the frosting, as I made it as in the recipe and it barely covered the cake (and the best part of a German chocolate cake is the frosting!). I made a 2nd batch of frosting, using an entire can of sweetened condensed milk, 6T. butter, and 2/3 c. coconut and chopped pecans, and 2 t. vanilla. Together with the original frosting from the recipe, it covered the cake nicely.
Great, moist cake! Much better than just using the mix only, which is always dry!!! Next time will definitely layer it and double the icing!
This is a wonderful recipe and very easy to make. My family loved it!
Didn't want to make a layer birthday cake, but my man loves German chocolate cake. This si Super easy, moist, and delicious. I live at altitude, so maybe this is why I had a dip down the center, so had to make sure all the frosting didn't pool there! Haha. Doesn't matter. Still great. I increased the pecans and coconut a bit. Better.
You have to double the frosting, otherwise it's not enough. The frosting does taste great. I took another reviewers advice and added some brown sugar. Next time, I'll toast the pecans.
I dont know I dont like German Chocolate but ever since i Made it everybody keeps wanting me to make it for their B- Day. Its Real Easy to make also.
This was my first attempt at this cake and I served it to friends who like German Chocolate and they thought it was excellent but I felt it was a bit dry. The directions called for 40-45 min and I did 40 but I wish I had tried 38. Flavor was excellent and to thicken the frosting I added some extra pecans and coconut. I will deffinetly make this again
