This warm, gooey chocolate earthquake cake has a rich German chocolate cake base with a sweet cream cheese swirl, coconut, melty chocolate chips and is super easy to make.
I found this cake in an old church cookbook (some of my favorite kinds of cookbooks) and I knew I just had to put my spin on it and try it.
This cake is so warm and cozy and I have to admit that I ate a lot of it just straight out of the pan standing in the kitchen.
This cake isn't pretty. Ok, we’ll just admit that and you'll just have to know that going in. It gets the name 'earthquake cake' because it just sort of cracks and craters on itself as it bakes. Looks are deceiving though because it tastes amazing.
This one is also super easy to make because it starts with a cake mix, but you'll add things to it to get that homemade taste.
Why You’ll Love This Cake
- Rich, warm chocolate cake as the base
- Cheesecake swirl running through it
- Uses a cake mix, so it's super easy
- Gooey chocolate chips
Pro Tips
- Use Betty Crocker German chocolate mix. You'll want to just trust me on this. I tried Pillsbury and it completely overflowed the pan.
Recipe
Chocolate Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Betty Crocker German chocolate cake mix, mixed according to the instructions (Pillsbury will overflow the pan)
- Eggs oil and water according to the cake mix instructions
- ½ cup butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (may also use mini chips if you like)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake mix according to the instructions on the back of the box and set aside. (IMPORTANT NOTE: I used Betty Crocker. I tried Pillsbury, but it overflowed the pan. I would suggest using a Betty Crocker cake mix.)
- Add the coconut and chopped pecans to the bottom of the prepared pan, then pour the prepared cake batter over the coconut and pecans. Set the pan aside. Don't bake yet.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the softened butter, cream cheese, salt and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth.
- Gradually mix in confectioner’s sugar until smooth.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the cake batter in the pan and smooth as best you can. Sprinkle chocolate chips onto the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 45-55 minutes. Ovens will vary. The center will be set and not super jiggly or mushy.
- Serve warm
Notes
Nutrition
How to Share
I’d love for you to share this recipe link or tag it, but please do not share screenshots or copy/paste the recipe to social media as the content and photographs are copyright protected and we (bloggers) work really hard on our content. Sharing the link, tagging us on socials and pinning it is super appreciated though!
Tips & FAQs
Probably not, but I haven't tested it without it so I can't say for sure if it will come out exactly the same.
No, you can omit the nuts. I generally don’t add nuts because I’m allergic, so I can attest that it’ll still taste good without the nuts.
Probably however I have not tried many other types of cake mixes. Betty Crocker German chocolate cake mix has worked best for me. The only other cake mix that I have tried was Pillsbury and that overflowed the pan but Betty Crocker did not.
Did you use a cake mix other than Betty Crocker? The instructions state to try and use the Betty Crocker brand as other cake mixes have been known to overflow the pan.
This cake should be stored in an airtight container, covered well, in the refrigerator and can last up to 5 days. Feel free to heat slices in the microwave before serving.
Serve this cake warm. You can also serve this with ice cream or whipped cream.
Tried This?
If you give this recipe a try, I'd love to know what you think!
Leave a Reply