This German Chocolate Cake recipe is no joke. Perfectly dense, moist and rich. It’ll make your knees weak and have you asking for seconds. I’ve included some unusual tips to getting this cake perfectly dense.
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You’re better than boxed cake mix
I was never really a fan of German Chocolate Cake until recently. It’s my husbands favorite kind of cake, and every year on his birthday he asks for it. Originally I just bought the box mix and frosting and called it a day. It was always “meh”.
Then one year, after being less than thrilled with the idea of making and eating yet another sub-par cake, I decided I could do better. Although my first homemade attempt was better than the box version, it still needed plenty of help.
Achieving maximum density
My husbands requirements for cake is that it is delicious and DENSE. The man wants his slice of cake so heavy that you need to work out just to hold the plate up.
The only problem is, no matter how many alterations I made to various recipes, I could not get it anywhere close to dense enough. So this year I made four different variations of the same cake to see which one would work.
Turns out I needed to do ALL the things together to achieve my (his) desired result. So stick with me on this one I know it’s quite a few steps but its not difficult, just takes some time.
I modified this recipe from Through Her Looking Glass. The original recipe is for a Bundt cake but I split it up and put it into 4 9-inch cake pans. Feel free to half the recipe to make a simple double layer cake but I think if I’m going to all the trouble to make a cake I want to have extra.
Also feel free to make any frosting that tickles your fancy, but don’t skip the glaze, that is what sets this cake apart from any other version and gives it the fudgy denseness that will make your knees weak.
Loving this German Chocolate Cake? Need more decadent desserts? Try these!
If you decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a photo to share, tagging @theovenlight and #theovenlight on Instagram or Facebook!
Dense German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 C sugar
- 1 C unsalted butter room temp
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 6 eggs room temperature
- 2 1/2 C cake flour
- 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 pkg chocolate pudding mix
- 2 1/4 C buttermilk
- 1 C chocolate chips
Glaze
- 1 C sugar
- 1/2 C buttermilk
- 1/2 C butter
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Frosting
- 2 C evaporated milk room temp
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 2 C sugar
- 6 egg yolks (beaten) room temp
- 1 C butter room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 C chopped pecans lightly toasted
- 2 C toasted coconut
Instructions
Frosting
- Start with the frosting, so it has time to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place chopped pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant. About 5-7 minutes. If you’re coconut did not come toasted, place it on the same sheet and allow to toast for the same time.
- Combine all other frosting ingredients (not nuts and coconut) in a large pot and bring to a slow boil. Once boiling, stir continuously for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add nuts and coconut. Frosting will thicken as it cools.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 4 cake pans. (Coconut oil or butter work best – just don’t use non-stick spray, it doesn’t work.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs, mixing after each one.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Alternating between dry ingredients and buttermilk, add to the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition.
- Add chocolate chips and mix. Bake for 25-30 minutes until center bounces back when touched lightly.
Glaze
- Make glaze while cakes are baking.
- Bring all ingredients, except vanilla, to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, stir for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Pour glaze over cakes in the pan right out of the oven. Allow cakes to rest and soak up the glaze for 10 minutes.
- When you pop the cakes out of the pan, place between layers of wax paper. Place a cutting board (or other heavy, flat object) on top of cakes and smush them for 1 hour. This keeps the cakes extra dense!
- Assemble the cake with frosting between each layer and all over top and sides. OR wrap each layer in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
Notes
I followed this recipe to the letter, and while it was time consuming, it was well worth EVERY SECOND. WOW. I think this cake weighs about 6 pounds finished and it is absolutely marvelous. Great job with the instructions. My daughter wanted this for her 18th birthday and was beyond impressed!!!!
Hi Cheryl! I’m so glad you loved it! It was a labor of love so I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! And Happy Birthday to your daughter!
Is the pudding Inst or cook
For this recipe we used instant, but either should work just fine! I hope you enjoy!
I’m doing this for Easter tomorrow! It’s my hubby & kids favorite cake. I’m excited to try your version.
Ooh, I hope you love it! Please let me know what you think! I really need to take new photos, since they really don’t do this cake justice.
Can I bake this as a sheet cake?
Hi Cate,
I haven’t tried this recipe as a sheet cake, but there isn’t any reason why it wouldn’t be amazing! The amount of batter would likely need to be reduced to fit into a 9″x13″ cake pan, and you’d have to get creative with the “squishing”. Sounds like I need to try it this way and report back. If you give it a try, let me know!
Excellent! Another fantastic post. I really enjoy reading this and the other content on here.
I am so excited to try this recipe and my mouth is already watering!
What size of pudding do you use in this? I’ve got 4.3 or 3.9oz. Does it make a difference?
Thanks!
Hi Hayley! Great question. The packets seem to come in all sorts of different ounces. It should not make a difference, but I’d get something close to 3.5-4 ounces. You’ll love this recipe! Enjoy!
Is the pudding instant or regular? Am more than ready to make this cake(for me)!
We use instant, but either will work great in this recipe!
So, I’ve got to be honest….. I’ve never left a review, until now! I made this cake for my Dad’s birthday as German Chocolate is “his” favorite but it was my Mom who fell head over heels in love! She not only ate the majority of the cake but she told every person she could tell. This cake has taken on a life story of its own and when I told her that I’m making it for her birthday, which is this weekend, she became emotional and started clapping her hands while “whooping” it up! hahaha. I cannot say enough about this cake, it is perfection. it literally weighs 6lbs, yes, the weight of a baby and it seems to bring as much joy, as well. Thanks for this recipe. I will not have to make it twice a year, my mom’s birthday and my parents anniversary!
Well, you’ve done it! You made me cry over a recipe. I’m so thrilled you and your parents have enjoyed this recipe so much. I hope it becomes a family recipe you make for years to come, as it has for us. Happy Birthday to your mom!!!
This cake is absolutely decadent!!! I followed the directions exactly but bumped it up with 3 high quality chocolates to ensure I got the flavor I wanted. German chocolate has always been one of my favorites and this one does not disappoint. If you have a recipe for an old fashioned coconut cake I’ll follow you forever!!!
I’m so glad you loved it! And I love a good challenge, so I’ll get to work on that coconut cake so we can be friends forever!
Can this be used as a sheet cake? What changes would have to be made?
Absolutely! Cut the recipe in half. Bake in a 9″x13″ baking dish and bake for a little longer (probably close to 40 minutes). The glaze can be poured on top and then iced as usual. Cut into squares and serve!
As a hobby baker, I had a lot of fun and built quite a bit of confidence with this recipe and the results, to quote my wife, were “divine”. Here are a few things I will pass along that I feel will help others, in no apparent order. Right off the bat, I’ll state this recipe took my 3 hours which didn’t include the squish time. When boiling the ingredients for the frosting, as the recipe states, use a ‘”large” saucepan. With my limited inventory, I used a 2.5-quart saucepan which worked but the occasional splatter from the boiling was a bit scalding on the skin. Next time I’ll use my 5-quart saucepan. Going into this recipe, I glazed over part 3 of the “cake” section and as a result, made the alternating mixing of the ingredients much more complex than it should have been. But that’s par for the course when you’re a guy. I very much like a dense cake so for the squishing of the cake layers, I recommend placing some sort of weight such as a dumbbell, kettlebell or whatnot on top of whatever board you use to get a good squish. This was my first layer cake and had a fun time stacking the layers. I wound up lifting the cake plate about 45 degrees and then with just my hand, I flipped the layer to be onto the plate and subsequent layers. I should have slid a plate under the layer to be applied. I was able to easily push the layer into place once applied. I’ve been thinking that using a pitchfork style tool (minus the long handle) that has straight tines would be optimal for gentle and accurate layering. I considered using turkey lifters but the tines are too short. To obtain maximum density, cool the cake in the refrigerator overnight. As for the number of servings, as much as I would like to an eighth of this cake per serving, 16 servings are more reasonable and will make the cake last longer. Thank you Amy for your time and perseverance in creating this recipe. I can state that you have created the best German chocolate cake I have ever and ever will taste in my life. You have brought great joy to my family, me and our tummies.
This has been one of my favorite comments ever! My favorite part is the “pitchfork” idea. Seriously, there should be a kitchen tool like that! I’m so happy that this recipe has brought you all some joy. That is why we do this. And I agree that 1/16th is probably a more reasonable serving, but I can never seem to keep to that. I hope you all enjoy this recipe over and over again!