Easy German Chocolate Cake

This Easy German Chocolate Cake Recipe is a simple, yummy, and easy-to-make cake—just FIVE ingredients—but the results are spectacular! It is among one of my favorite cake recipes, and it just might become yours, too!

two layer chocolate cake with german chocolate frosting on top.

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Update: This Easy German Chocolate Cake recipe has been a family favorite for a long time, so I’ve updated it with a video and new photos and am sharing it again for new readers who may have missed it the first time around or haven’t made it yet.

So confession time—I’m a little bit picky about my chocolate cake. I love a good chocolate cake, as you can see by looking at all the cake recipes I have! It’s gotten to the point where each of my kids has a different favorite chocolate cake—my daughter prefers an old Hershey’s Chocolate Cake recipe that’s a little milder, while the boys prefer a rich Old-Fashioned Dark Chocolate Cake that really features the dark cocoa flavor.

And then there’s my husband who is crazy about this German Chocolate Cake. He always wants this cake for his birthday and he wants it to taste just like Mom used to make. My mother-in-law gave me her recipe for Coconut-Almond Frosting for German Chocolate Cake when we were first married, and I’ve been making it ever since!

We’ve tried several German Chocolate Cake recipes over the years. By far, the best and easiest we’ve found is Anne Byrn’s Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor, which has a recipe for German Chocolate Cake from a mix that is moist and delicious, even though it starts from a box. When combined with my mother-in-law’s Coconut-Almond Frosting, it is irresistible!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
How To Make German Chocolate Cake
Recipe FAQs
More Cake Recipes To Consider
Easy German Chocolate Cake

A 2 layer brow, German chocolate cake with the German chocolate icing on top.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Minimal ingredients: This recipe only calls for 5 ingredients! You might already have a few of them in your pantry.
Rich and decadent: This cake includes layers of moist chocolate cake topped with a gooey coconut-pecan frosting!
Customizable: This recipe is easy to adapt with different nuts or chocolate types.

Recipe Ingredients

Cake:

German chocolate cake mix
Buttermilk
Vegetable oil
Large eggs
Pure vanilla extract

Coconut-Almond Frosting

Butter
Sugar
Evaporated milk
Eggs
Vanilla
Sweetened flaked coconut
Sliced almonds

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Each individual ingredient for this german chocolate cake recipe plus the coconut-almond frosting is displayed on the countertop.

How To Make German Chocolate Cake

The cake mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl are being mixed together. — **Step 1:** Add cake mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.

The chocolate cake batter is poured into a circular cake pan. — **Step 2:** Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round pans. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes

Butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and and eggs are being heated up in a saucepan on the stove. — **Step 3:** Combine butter, sugar, evaporated milk, and eggs* in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 12 minutes, then add vanilla, coconut and almonds.

German chocolate cake with coconut-almond frosting from bird's eye view. — **Step 4:** Cool to room temperature before frosting the cake.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Substitute Pecans?

I know some people prefer pecans in their German Chocolate frosting, and you can substitute pecans for the almonds in this recipe. However, if you’ve never tried German Chocolate Cake with an almond frosting, I strongly encourage you to give it a try!

How do you make German Chocolate Cake in a 9 x 13 pan?

If you prefer, you can make the cake in 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake the cake 38–42 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

How can I elevate this recipe?

Add Chocolate drizzle on top! I just melt about ¼ cup of chocolate chips, put it in a Ziploc storage bag, snipped the corner, and drizzled a bit on top.

Expert Tips

Baking layered cakes: If you’re making this cake for a special occasion, head on over to my Tips for Baking Layer Cakes post. It’s a handy guide I wrote up with all the tips and tricks I’ve picked over the years.
For parties: You can also make German Chocolate Cupcakes, which makes the cake easier to serve.
For easier mixing: You can also warm up the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk and temper the eggs before adding them to the saucepan.
Don’t overmix: Don’t overmix the batter as it keeps the cake tender and prevents toughness.