This cake is very rich. It's one of our favorites.
I love this cake. After making it a few times I baked it about 60 minutes and I would suggest when putting the cream cheese layer on the cake you should keep it at least 1" from the sides of the pan so it doesn't pour over the sides. I also melted the butter and softened the cream cheese. I also like to use Devils Food Cake. I have not seen anyone that didn't like this cake.
Read MoreI had my husbands family over and had made this cake in the past with a recipe I had. When I could not find it I looked for it on this site. The cake filling would not get done for me. Family still ate it more like a pudding and said it was good. I found my recipe and discovered that the difference was that mine said to melt the butter I wondered how I was supposed to pour over. I will go back to mine - much better version - also no cake cooks in 30 minutes - I think I was going on 60 when I gave up
Read MoreI love this cake. After making it a few times I baked it about 60 minutes and I would suggest when putting the cream cheese layer on the cake you should keep it at least 1" from the sides of the pan so it doesn't pour over the sides. I also melted the butter and softened the cream cheese. I also like to use Devils Food Cake. I have not seen anyone that didn't like this cake.
I had my husbands family over and had made this cake in the past with a recipe I had. When I could not find it I looked for it on this site. The cake filling would not get done for me. Family still ate it more like a pudding and said it was good. I found my recipe and discovered that the difference was that mine said to melt the butter I wondered how I was supposed to pour over. I will go back to mine - much better version - also no cake cooks in 30 minutes - I think I was going on 60 when I gave up
Gramma brought this recipe back from Missouri 35ish years ago. The only difference is that her version said to melt together the butter and cream cheese and stir in the powdered sugar. Works well that way. I also up the baking time from this recipe to close to an hour.
It seems the uglier it looks, the better it tastes! As the recipe states, a toothpick will not come out clean as this cake is intended to be gooey. You cannot pour the cream cheese batter over the mix; you will have to drop heaping spoonfuls over the mix. These spoonfuls will sink through the cake as it cooks resulting in a moist cake and gooey coconut bottom. Sometimes they completely submerge into the cake and other times they sink about halfway. You normally do have to cook for more than 30 minutes but not always a whole 45 minutes. The cake is done when either all the cream cheese mix has submerged or it has partially submerged and the remaining mixture has browned. The cake will still wiggle while warm (making some think the cake is not done) but if you let it cool then the wiggle will stop. I have heard some refer to this as an upside-down german chocolate cake. I believe it does better if you don't get a boxed cake mix with pudding in the mix. If your coconut is a little dried out, you can add a couple of tablespoons of butter more to the mix and the cocomut will soften. I have made this cake for years and it isn't much to look at but certainly is still a crowd pleaser.
Good cake, but needs to cook at least 45-60 minutes, not 30.
I have been making this cake for years. I like to experiment with different cake mixes. The last one was made with a strawberry cake mix and chocolate chips instead of pecans. Vary it. Have fun with it. That's what cooking is all about. :)
The cake is really sweet & rich...very yummy. Like the other user stated the cake wasn't done in 30 min you need to bake it at least 50 min. Also, soften cream cheese & melt butter when combining it with sugar so you're able to somewhat pour it on top of cake mix.
Ohmygosh. This is so rich, so easy to make and so good. I used a Chocolate Fudge cake mix, melted the butter and softened the cream cheese. I still had to blop on the cream cheese mixture rather than pour it on, but the results were so yummy. I baked it for 40 minutes which was ample time in my oven. It is very gooey the first day. It tasted even better the second day.
Great cake. It was even better the day after baking, when the layers melded together. My cake baked over the side of the pan, so next time I will bake it with foil or a baking sheet underneath. I agree with the other reviewers - I baked this about 45-50 minutes, and it was just right.
I have a huge tip for ya'll! I have been making this cake for many years around the holidays. My aunt gave me the recipe, then I don't know what happened to it and I ended up on here and this is the one that is closest. Make no mistake - it matters which German Chocolate box cake you start with. I have always liked the more moist ones so that is what I looked for before. Now after buying DH regular moist and DH Decadence there is no comparison. The DH Decadence blows it out of the water! It makes such a difference that I will not make it without it!
I made this cake for a co-worker and she loved it. I also has a request for next month's birthday celebration.
Great cake, but it definatly needs to cook longer than 30 minutes. In my oven it took 45 min.
VERY DELICIOUS, however I think the instructions should be to swirl the sugar mixture throughout the cake. I poured it on the cake and when it baked it all ran straight to the middle. The only great part of the cake was the middle. I doubled the pecans and the coconut. WILL make this again - using a bundt cake pan this time and layering the pecans, coconut, cake mix and sugar mixture........
My husband said this was the best cake he ever ate. I used a regular chocolate cake mix and instead of water used brewed coffee. Baked in a Bundt pan. This cake is to die for.
Two warnings on this superb cake: 1. Keep cream cheese filling about 1" away from the base cake. Use a foil lined cookie sheet under the cake pan. I did not, it overflowed and the house filled with smoke. Now I have to clean the oven! 2. Share this cake with others. My husband and I ate it all by ourselves, then he said, "This cake is TOO good to make." You'll also need to add another 15-20 minutes to the cook time. I have also made another cake just like this but with a yellow cake mix, no pecans or coconut and the cream cheese mixture swirled into the cake. It is also delicious.
This cake is unique and amazing!! Because we are coconut & pecan lovers around here, I will increase them both by 1/2 cup next time I bake this. I melted the butter and whipped it into the cream cheese, only used 3 cups of powdered sugar. I dolloped the cream cheese mixture on top of the cake batter and used a sharp knife to make swirls in the batter. It looks awesome and tastes even better. Diet buster for sure.
This is almost exactly like the recipe I have but for some reason, I can never get this cake to cook all the way. Definitely needs to cook for 45-50 minutes. Fabulous cake if you don't mind the gooeyness.
Very Easy to make! Everyone loved! Perfect the way the recipe is. But for an added touch I frosted it with a can of the coconut frosting you use for german choc. cake. Yumo!
I give the recipe three stars but the cake five stars. I should have read the reviews before using this particular recipe. I make this cake often and instead of looking for mine I went to allrecipes.com because it's faster. Well the flaw in this recipe is the baking time, it needs to bake more than thirty minutes. So I don't know what I am going to cut into tomorrow when I take it to work! It dropped after I took it out of the oven so I can tell its under baked.
mm-mm! Delish!! I definitely must exercise now!! Worth the calories. From now on- will only make for a group to avoid going for seconds! I followed Sahmded54's advice- keep cream cheese mix one inch from the edge.
My family LOVES this cake.. now know at our house as a Bombdiggity Cake
I add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the layer of pecans/coconut. Then I bake at 350 for 50 minutes. DELICIOUS!!
I made this for a friend's birthday party and it went so fast, I didn't even get a piece! I had to bake it about 50 minutes before it was done though. Very easy recipe to follow and turns out delicious!
Wow, this cake is soooo good! I melted my butter and that seemed to work okay to get the cream cheese mixture spread over the top. I also had to cook it extra, about another 10 minutes to get it done in the middle.
Delicious...made it with chocolate chips instead of the pecans and it tasted just wonderful. Have a question. Could it be made as cupcakes? And if so, how long to bake? Oh, I did bake the 9 x 13 for 50 minutes and that was just right. Otherwise followed all instructions as listed.
YUM! Easy and got rave reviews! I served with some cool whip too. Definately needs to bake 45-55 minutes, not done at all at 30. The coconut and nuts carmelize on the bottom and it's just perfect. I never bake and I will be doing this one again soon!
Cake was amazing! I just had to cook it for about 45-50mins. Very Moist and rich!
I have a recipe exactly like this one. This is a very yummy cake. It is excellent when warm from the oven.
Great cake. I make it using 1 1/2 c conf sugar. It's thick, but that's how I prefer it. I tried it using the whole amount, and it poured, but really ruined the look of the cake (still tasted great). Plus it's not the same texture, so with so much cream cheese it makes the whole cake seemed undercooked. Instead I dollup it across the cake, and then marble it. Small parts sink in, and then the rest looks like cracks across the top... just like an earthquake :-). Bake it 30 min. It looks a little jiggly where the cream cheese is, but I take it out anyway. Once it cools a bit, it's perfect!!
This cake received rave reviews at the potluck where it was served (especially with the teenagers). I, on the other hand, wasn't that impressed with it! Most of the coconut was left on the bottom of the pan; it doesn't meld into the batter at all, so I was left wondering what was the point of that? It's OK, and I wasn't embarrassed to have brought it along, but I don't think I'd make it again.
excelent
This was really quick, easy, and delicious. My eitht year old grandaughter helped with this,and everyone helped make this one disappear.
I think the coconut and pecans could easily be increased by another cup. The cream cheese topping was the best, especially the edges. I think a devils food would be better. This was a super rich cake for me. Everyone loved it. I cooked it for 45 minutes. 30 minutes did not seem like enough.
Very rich,yummy cake! I used walnuts instead of pecans. Definitely needs to bake longer than 30 min., more like 50. Is even better the 2nd and 3rd day. Also like to warm it in microwave and eat it with vanilla ice cream.
This cake is truly amazing! It is very easy to make... something nice about it is that you don't have to worry what it looks like, because no matter what it is going to look messy! We let it cook 30 min only... it's okay because it is supposed to be gooey and there are no raw ingredients. Also, since the family doesn't like nuts, we substitute chocolate rice krispies cereal.
The filling was so thick, there is no way you can POUR it over the cake, like the directions say. Had to bake it 15 min more to get it done. Did not appear as an Earthquake cake, but did taste good
My husband has been asking for this cake for a while so I finally tried it. He Loved it but I thought it was a bit too sweet. I think I'll cut back a little on the sugar next time but other than that it was good. It cooked perfectly in 45 min.
Excellent cake, my husband loved it. Made as recipe called. Took advice of others and saved some of the cake for top.
Amazing! I made this for dessert for a family dinner and it was a hit with EVERYONE there. You must give it a try!
Great recipe but needed a few tweaks. You definitely have to melt the butter and soften the cream cheese before combining. I also cut the powdered sugar down to 2 cups - it was plenty sweet. I found for ease & a prettier cake it's best to use a bundt pan. When adding the cream cheese mixture I dropped it in large spoonfuls over the chocolate cake batter. I also upped the baking time to around 60 mins. It got rave reviews - my uncle still bakes the cake once a month! I recently made a variation of the cake using a spice cake recipe, minus the coconut, adding a small chopped apple seasoned with cinnamon & a pinch of nutmeg to the cream cheese filling and a sugar glaze drizzled over the top. Perfect for the fall weather!
AMAZING!!!!!!! This cake is better than my Mom's homemade German Chocolate cake. I melted the butter and baked it for 45 minutes. It did spill over a tiny bit so put something under it in the oven. Incredibly moist and delicious - thanks for the recipe!
Made this for a family gathering, some of whom don't really like cake (in general), everybody loved this cake! It's easy and rich enough to satisfy and I love cakes that don't require frosting.
The sugar in cream cheese can be halved I think it made the cake gooey and everyone thought it was way too sweet overall.
I made this recipe but I tweaked it a little. I added chocolate chips on the bottom and I make a homemade chocolate cake instead of a cake mix. The topping I only put 1 cup of powdered sugar, I thought the cake was sweet enough. I also baked the cake for 50 minutes. The only thing different I would do is drop the topping by spoonfuls to the top instead of pouring it on. It was very good and my husband went for a second piece. I would make this again.
Oh My Goodness - this cake is incredible! And unbelievably rich - make sure you have a big glass of milk to go with it. I didn't have a German Chocolate cake mix so I used a Duncan Hines chocolate one. Can't imagine it being any better than this one is. My cream cheese mixture didn't "pour" - I had to drop it by globs and then sort of spread it around the pan. I did read not to get it too close to the edge - and then took the knife and ran it both lengthwise (several lines) and then crosswise, again several lines, and tossed it into the oven. It smelled wonderful while baking (& I did bake it for 50 minutes), took it out & let it cool for an hour. It was still warm and very gooey and yummy when I served it. Hubby agrees - this cake is incredible!
Thanks for posting this recipe. I love it! I also melt the butter and cream cheese together and beat it with a mixer until smooth. Then I add the powdered sugar and then beat until smooth again. It pours nicely on the cake and doesn't sink as far down as it does if unmelted or mixed by hand. I didn't want it to look "ugly" so I put the cake mix on the bottom, cream cheese mixture next and baked. Then I covered the cool cake with chocolate icing and nuts. Sometimes I use milk chocolate mix, and sometimes I do German chocolate and then cover it with the traditional German chocolate coconut and nuts icing. I also bake it about 50 minutes. So good!
I had this at a restuarant and it wa amazing. I came home and found the recipe and made it the next day.
I have been making this cake for years and love it. My daughter doesn't care for the German cake mix so I now use the devil's food cake mix and everyone in our family loves it even better. I even add a little whip cream on top.
A very indulging cake to make. Super easy. Although, the cream cheese mixture was a bit too sweet for my liking. I think next time I'll cut the 4 cups of confectioner's sugar down to more of like 2.. and add a little more pecans. The cake cooked for me fully at about 40 minutes. That may be because I let my cream cheese get to room temp.
Very tasty and rich. The only thing I wish I had done differently is I should have swirled the cream cheese mixture through the cake batter. I think it would look more attractive that way.
We loved this recipe... I didn't have coconut or pecans so I didn't use them- it was really good!
I loved this cake. I don't like coconut or any kind of nuts, so I coated the bottom with chocolate chips. SOOOO good. Frosting fell to the bottom, which made serving kind of difficult, but still great. Cooked for 60 minutes.
Made it, very easy to make. However it took about 60 min to bake completely. The middle is what took long to cook. It came out very moist and was a hit at the BBQ. Oh and it might not look very pretty but it’s is yummy
I made the cake as the recipe instructed except I omitted the pecans and I baked for 45 minutes. It was very quick and easy, delicious, and cheap (less than $5.00 with buy all the ingredients from Aldi and without the pecans).
This cake is great but i make it with butter and brown sugar along with coconut and pecans ( chopped) just like my pineapple upside down cake. IT IS A WINNER EVERY TIME.
Very good (VERY sweet), great for at-home dessert. Not attractive enough to serve for others, but that was expected. I made exactly as printed, and had no problems baking it for 30 minutes in a convection oven. I wonder if the butter should have been melted, as the cream cheese frosting was much too thick to pour. Not sure if I will make again - good, but there are many better cake recipes out there.
Yes- about 1/2 cup less of confectioners sugar! AND you must 'drop' the confectioners sugar mixture over ! It's too thick to spread!!
Couldn't be easier to make and a crowd pleaser! The lifeguards in Huntington Beach love this cake!!
I've made this cake so many times. I always bring it to the office and to any party I get invited to. Everyone loves this cake and wants the recipe. And it's so easy to make.
It was well worth the time to bake this. Just remember to keep the cream cheese mixture 1" back from the edge of the pan (if you do not it overflows in the oven). Also put a cookie sheet under it in the oven. Very good!
I had a recipe for Earthquake Cake but lost it. Once again, Allrecipes.com came through for me! I made the recipe as directed except that I used light cream cheese. I don't know if it was that or I just needed a deeper pan, but my "earthquake" was more like a volcano with cream cheese oozing out of the pan on both sides! Nonetheless it was delicious.
Excellent! I made it as stated BUT only used a dark chocolate cake mix, 1 ½ c of confectioners sugar and pecans in place of the walnuts. Plus, when I severed it I poured some thinned down chocolate frosting over the top of each piece. It was a BIG hit and I know I will be making this again and again.
Instead of a Devils Food cake mix I used a Chocolate Fudge cake mix which made it extremely rich and chocolatey. A very easy cake to make and loved by all that tried it. I will make this cake again.
I’m a baker. I do this all the time. This may taste great but it looks awful. I’m embarrassed to serve it but the birthday dinner is in 3 hours so I guess I don’t have a choice but to serve it! I followed advice here and made it in a Bundt pan to make it “prettier”. I also added time to cooking per recommendations. This is still what I got. I won’t make it again.
My cream cheese didn’t mix in with the chocolate cake! And one corner was sunken! This was a delicious recipe discovery, but won’t bring it to parties as it is quite an ugly cake. Once it cooled down, it looked like a 3-D topography map. Due to my kids allergies, I altered the recipe to use a gluten free devil’s food cake mix and a combo of sunflower seeds and pepitas in lieu of the nuts. I also reduced the sugar and it still tasted really sweet! It came out great! It got Rave reviews from the entire family. This is a very rich and decadent dessert, you should have some milk, coffee or tea close by. Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too!
