Earthquake Cake
Earthquake Cake starts with a box of german chocolate cake mix, then add in coconut, chocolate chips, pecans, and a yummy cream cheese swirl!
You don’t have to frost earthquake cake because the cream cheese mixture becomes a layer of frosting INSIDE the cake.
It cracks open after baking, resulting in the name – Earthquake cake! It’s one of the best cakes to serve for a party.
Another popular cake is Pig Pickin Cake, which starts with a box of cake mix too! For a big party make both of these cakes!
Where did the name come from?
I’m not really sure how this cake got its name, but it’s rich with german chocolate flavor, pecans, coconut, and the secret ingredient – a powdered sugar, cream cheese, and butter swirl layer.
It’s amazing and a lot of you agree with me based on your comments!
Ingredients
- german Chocolate Cake Mix – the base of the cake
- vegetable oil
- large eggs
- water
- shredded coconut – use sweetened coconut flakes
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- chopped pecans
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese – use full-fat or 1/3 fat
- powdered sugar
More recipes that use shredded coconut – Church Window Cookies, Cowboy Cookies and 7 Layer Bars.
Earthquake Cake Layers
Layer #1 (on the left) – chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut
Layer #2 (on the right) – german chocolate cake mix
Layer #3 – the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar goodness. Let’s not think about the calories.. they don’t exist :)
The swirl – Earthquake cake is all about that frosting swirl! The frosting bakes into the cake.
How To Assemble Earthquake Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle the coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans on the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the german chocolate cake mix with the oil, eggs, and water using a spatula or hand mixer on low.
- Pour the cake mix on top of the coconut/chocolate chip/pecan layer.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese.
- Using a spatula or hand mixer on low, beat in 1 pound of powdered sugar until it’s smooth to the butter/cream cheese.
- Spread this mixture on top of the uncooked german chocolate cake in the pan, and swirl into the cake mix using a knife.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes. It is done when it doesn’t wobble in the pan if you shake it. The toothpick test shouldn’t work because the cake should be more gooey in nature.
- Enjoy! Store any left over cake in the fridge.
The very first time I baked this, I think I overcooked mine slightly.
The end result is suppose to be a bit more gooey and not completely cake-like, so be sure to watch your cooking time! But nevertheless this earthquake cake was phenomenal and was the talk of the night at our pot luck.
Time Required
- 10 minutes to prep the cake
- 35-45 minutes to bake
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
To store leftovers, cover the pan with a lid or plastic wrap or scoop the leftovers into an airtight container. Store in the fridge due to the cake containing cream cheese.
To freeze, bake the cake in a freezer safe container. Allow it to cool completely then wrap the pan well in plastic then again in foil. Label and place in the freezer. To thaw place in the fridge overnight.
Pro Tips
The frosting layer is thick. I recommend using a cookie scoop to drop dollops of the mixture over the cake. Then use a spatula to swirl the frosting into the cake.
Don’t go over board with swirling. You don’t want to fully mix the 2 layers.
For a super beautiful swirl, transfer the frosting mixture to a piping bag and pipe swirls in and over the cake batter.
Recipe Variations
For peanut butter lovers, replace the butter in the frosting mixture with creamy peanut butter. That will give the whole frosting a delicious peanut butter flavor!
Omit the nuts. Not a fan? Skip them!
Add chocolate chips AFTER baking. The chocolate will melt into the cake while it cools.
Reviews
“Beth, Wow!!! I tried the Earthquake Cake – Simply Delicious and so easy to make. Had company and that was the dessert we had and everyone commented that it was AWESOME. Believe me it was and so glad to get your recipes as was so easy to make and simple ingredients.”
-Terri
“I made this for a poker tournament get together and it was a hit with everyone and myself. It’s not very often that I love the dessert I bake. I just made my second cake since Saturday. And the best thing is… It’s so easy to make..”
-Missie
More Cake Recipes
Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix, do not prepare as directed on box, prepare as directed below
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 & ⅓ cup water
- ⅔ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 cup
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 pound powdered sugar, 3 and 3/4 cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle the coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans on the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the german chocolate cake mix with the oil, eggs, and water using a spatula or hand mixer on low.
- Pour the cake mix on top of the coconut/chocolate chip/pecan layer.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese.
- Using a spatula or hand mixer on low, beat in 1 pound of powdered sugar until it’s smooth to the butter/cream cheese.
- Spread this mixture on top of the uncooked german chocolate cake in the pan, and swirl into the cake mix using a knife.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes. It is done when it doesn’t wobble in the pan if you shake it. The toothpick test shouldn’t work because the cake should be more gooey in nature.
- Enjoy! Store any left over cake in the fridge.
HOLY Moly, in love! So beautiful and I’m sure yummy :)
Haha, thanks for your sweet comment Alexis!
It is called earthquake when you DOLLOP the cream cheese mixture as the second layer then pour the cake batter over all, as it bakes the cream cheese erupts through the cake. Also if you use the recipe off the box of Hershey’s cocoa for deep dark chocolate cake the one that adds a cup of boiling water at the end of mixing you will never have another dry cake.
Great tips, thank you!
Can you use any kind of chocolate cake mix?
This looks incredible. My mom LOVES German chocolate cake and her birthday is coming up. This may just be her new birthday cake.
Perfect idea!!
Oh man, this looks wonderful!!!
Haha, this is like the magic cookie bar of cake! Yummy.
Haha yes, so good!
So true! Yummy! =)
Yum, looks delicious! Pinning this, and thanks for sharing at my link party!
Beth, I think you just completely stole my food heart. ;) This looks AMAZING. I don’t really care for coconut, but all the ingredients together, I bet I would devour this cake. I love the swirl layer on top, it gives it the most perfect touch. Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe.
I’d love it if you linked this up over at Living Well Spending Less for Thrifty Thursday this week! http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/category/thrifty-thursday/
Aww, you’re too sweet Ruth! I will check out the link party!
This looks delicious, Beth! Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Mondays. Pinning and sharing on all of the social media!
Oh gosh, thanks for doing that Julie!
Oh my goodness. I’m drooling, this looks amazing!
Beth, this cake looks amazing! It includes everything I love – coconut, pecans, chocolate. Just wanted to stop by from Marvelous Mondays.
Thank you so much for coming by Ashley!!
This looks so delicious!! I gotta make this!
Enjoy!!
Coconut allergy, any idea for substitutes?
Oh wow! This cake looks amazing and so easy too! :)
Thank you for sharing at Marvelous Mondays this week.
Hello, I found you through In and out kitchen link party! I just had to let you know this looks so beautiful! So good! :)
Thank you so much for stopping by Ciara!
Oh good heavens- that looks amazing. I’m going to have to make that – tonight.
Is there room for an extra dinner guest? :-)
Ohhh what a delicious looking cake! It sounds so yummy with all those nuts and coconut and chocolate!!!! YUM!!!!
I totally agree with you!!
I haven’t heard of this cake for about 18 years. Thanks for the memory. It still looks great.
Glad to remind you Patricia!
Beth, this looks so good! My children would think this is the best cake ever! So fun:)
I hope you all enjoy it!!
This looks fabulous! Pinning to try later!
I had to come visit your space after seeing this beautiful cake on Pinterest. I am in love with all the flavors in the cake. Pinned it and will try it asap.
Nice to meet you.
I appreciate that so much, thank you!
Wow, that’s some cake!! It looks delicious! :)
I love German Chocolate cake and this looks almost yummier than the traditional! I’ll be pinning this to create sometime soon – thank you for posting! Cute site by the way, I’m visiting from Living Well Spending Less link-up party.
Blessings,
Nicole @ WKH
Hi Nicole! Thank you so much! I am stopping by your site now!
Spoon…I need a SPOON!
Hahah, love it!!
First pumpkin french toast and now this….you’ve got my sweet tooth a’ callin’. :)
Ha, well come on over and get some sweets!
Looks absolutely relish!! Pinning ;)
heehee, dang auto correct…. I said DE-LISH, not relish :-)
Hahaha!
Congratulations…this post has been featured on Create It Thursday #23! Thanks for sharing such a great idea last week!
Thank you Leslie, I appreciate that!!
This is torture. I can’t cope with how ridiculously delicious this looks. AND it has coconut?? *die*
Ahaha!!
This cake is so good! I found the post on Pinterest and I decided to make it for my family. They’ve eaten most of it already and I only made this yesterday. Everyone loves it and it’s soo easy to make!! Thanks for the recipe.
Haha, so glad they loved it!!
If you’re not a coconut fan, what would you suggest as a replacement. I would love to give this a try.
Hi Scott, you could just omit the coconut. Or you could try chopped almonds or peanut butter chocolate chips. I hope you find a substitute you like!
Making right now! And I omitted the coconut with toffee chips , also used a devils food cake so we will see how it turns out!
Beth, in noticed in the pictures that you used a dark pan. The problem with your cake not being gooey enough is the a dark pan. In a dark pan you need to adjust your oven temperature down 25*. This should help with it in the future, but make sure that you only make this change if you use a dark pan. If you didn’t use a dark pan then cut your baking time by ten minutes and place your hot pan on a cooling rack to allow air to circulate around the pan evenly. This will allow the filling to cool evenly and you will find you won’t have one spot gooey and another dryer. I have this recipe and to switch it up I add butterscotch chips about 1/3 cup, over the top of the coconut, it adds just a hint of caramel flavor that you find in a German Chocolate cake.
Thanks for your advice Katrina.
can you omit the nuts ? my sister in law has allergy to any kind of nut.
Yes, you can. You can replace it with something else if you’d like too!
How is this if I cook it the night before we eat it?
I think it is best served warm, so I am not exactly sure! Best of luck!
Love it! I made it for Thanksgiving yesterday, and it was a hit. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
YES! I love hearing that!
Perfect timing! I am in the mood for a new, yummy dessert! Pinned! Visiting from Freedom Fridays!
Enjoy AnnMarie!
I made this today with a few modifications due to family preferences. I had to comment to tell you it is absolutely amazing!! I used about 1 cup each of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on the bottom, used triple chocolate cake mix, and then the yummy cream cheese mix just as you said. It’s suppose to be for our dessert for after lunch tomorrow, but I had to try it! Then my husband tried it, then his mom, then whichever ones of our sons caught us sampling!! I’m looking forward to everyone having a big piece tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!
Oh Tara! You just made my day- I hope it lasts til tomorrow!
This sounds delicious, Beth! I almost never buy cake mixes and I know they don’t even sell German chocolate flavor here, but I’m tempted to try it with a basic chocolate mix just because it looks so darn yummy! Thanks so much for sharing an easy-but-scrumptious treat!
I bet it would work just great with chocolate! Have a great day Jelli!
This cake looks sinfully good, and I love how easy it is thanks to cake mix! I’m putting this on my list of recipes to try very soon. We’d love for you to share it with us at Saturday Night Fever too! The party goes until Tuesday Night :)
Thanks for coming by Andi! I’ll check out the party!
If I had a cake mix in my cupboard I would be in the kitchen making this instead of commenting. This looks and sounds amazing. May have to pick up a cake mix the next time I go to the store.
Haha, priorities! I hope you get that cake mix soon! Have a great day Ashley!
This will definitely make a rumble. It looks delicious! Thank you for linking to the In and out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next week.
Thank you Cynthia!
As the new co-hostess at Project Inspire{d} I featured your cake tonight. I can’t wait to make it and sink my teeth into a slice! Yum!!
Can I come join you?! Thank you Diane!
This looks wonderful……can’t wait to make it…..
:-)
Wow, talk about food porn :-) This looks fantastic. I may have to try without the coconut though. Hubby doesn’t like it, though I love anything with coconut. Thanks!
Beth, Wow!!! tried the Earthquake Cake – Simply Delicious and so easy to make. Had company and that was the dessert we had and everyone commented that it was AWESOME. Believe me it was and so glad to get your recipes as was so easy to make and simple ingredients. I can fully see why this is called the Earthquake Cake…As the tummies are the Earth and it sure does shake your tummies as so yummy.. A favorite and will sure make again. Great Job, Beth!!!!! Terri
Oh gosh, Thank YOU Terri! I love hearing success stories!
I have to try this! I am a CA girl…so earthquakes are so stranger to me…but I have never heard of earthquake cake!
Wow! This looks good! Tho my insanely picky self would probably leave out the coconut and the nuts haha. But it looks so so good. Pinning.
WHAT?! That’s the best part!
Have a question. I am making this right now.. Does it need to be stored in refrigerator after eating or can it be left sitting on counter? I can’t wait to taste it. Thanks in advance.
To be safe you could put it in the fridge.. I don’t remember what we did.. or if there was any left over.
I made this today and had a question, does it need to be stored in refrigerator ?
Hi Tara! To be safe you could put it in the fridge.. I don’t remember what we did.. or if there was any left over.
Hey Beth, I attempted to make this amazingly delicious cake and wasn’t very successful. I followed the instructions to the T and the middle didn’t cook very well. The edges turned out delicious but the middle was almost completely like cake batter. I baked it for almost 1 1/2 hours and then decided to give up ;(( can you give me some pointers. I really really really want this yummy recipe to work out. Thanks for sharing it with everyone.
Hi Ema! The recipe is suppose to turn out a little gooey, but obviously you don’t want to be eating it raw. It can depend on what type of pan you baked this in, light or dark metal or glass can make a difference in the baking time and temperature. I am sorry to hear you had trouble!
Just made it tonight. Oh, my word, delicious! Rich and gooey. I baked it about 35 minutes and it was done just right. Only difference I made was used a regular “chocolate fudge” cake mix, because I couldn’t find a German chocolate cake mix.
The chocolate fudge cake variation sounds amazing!
This cake looks delicious! Has anyone put frosting on it? I’d like to make this for my mothers birthday cake but not sure what frosting to put on it.
I love chocolate frosting personally! You could always try adding frosting to a small piece and taste test it to see what you think. But I haven’t heard of anyone putting frosting on this cake.
Hi Beth,
I have made this cake hundreds of times over the years, however, I do not melt my sugar and butter together. I just mix the butter and cream cheese together then add the powdered sugar, just like a normal frosting. Then I drop it by spoonfuls all over the cake and bake it for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees. The cake will rise up over the frosting and it is always creamy and delicious. Just thought you would like another version to try. Also, make sure that you never use anything other than the full fat version of cream cheese when baking. Reduced fat and fat free have too much water content in them. Thanks for sharing your version!
I’m so excited, I can’t wait to try this recipe. My grandchildren will devour it, I’m sure. I found you accidentally and I cannot wait to try any other recipes you may have.
What a wonderful accident :-)
How can this be gluten free with the cake mix? It must have gotten mislabeled…
Hi Gail, A lot of grocery stores sell gluten free cake mix! Betty Crocker has a whole gluten free line. You can see it here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/glutenfree
This looks fantastic! I’m pretty sure it would disappear in a day in our house!
It did disappear at our house in a day!
I made this for a poker tournament get together and it was a hit with everyone and myself… It’s not very often that I love the dessert I bake.. I just made my second cake since Saturday..
And the best thing is… It’s so easy to make..
LOVE LOVE LOVE
That makes me SOO happy to hear Missie!!
I can’t wait to bake this tomorrow for our annual NYE party! I have a chocolate fudge cake mix on hand, and all the other ingredients, but I am leaving out the coconut, as I am not a fan ;). I don’t have a blog yet, but I’m working on getting one started so I can chronicle all the recipes I have collected. Can’t wait to feature this one when I start!
I hope everyone enjoys it!
I have been making this cake for years and everyone loves it!! The only thing I do different is while the cake is cooking I melt a Milky Way candy bar in about 6oz of evaporated milk and then when the cake come out and has cooled a little I pour the chocolate caramel milk over top, you definitely don’t have to worry about the cake being dry :)
Oh my yum, that sounds like a delicious addition Karin!
I am the official birthday cake maker at work. I ran across this recipe in November and made it for a birthday in December to rave reviews. I have now made it three more times in the past week (two more for birthdays (grandson and my HR managers birthday-both of them requested this cake) and one for my husband (his weekly cake). This cake is wonderful. The texture is great, the taste is phenomenal and I have not found one person that does not like it. I am sure I will be making this cake many more times!
Hi Melody! I am SO glad everyone has enjoyed the cake. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you love it!!
I love recipes like this, it’s sort of a dump cake, you know when you just dump everything in the pan and magic happens! Thank you Beth!
Jenna, and it’s so true, magic really happens!
OMG this cake is the yummiest, and of course I had to have a small taste while it was still warm…WOW WOW WOW!!! Thanks!!! :)
Stephanie, you made me smile! I’m so glad it was delicious!
Hello,
I saw this recipe and I want try it, but I can not buy a box German Chocolate Cake Mix (I am from Czech republic).
What would this material could be replaced?
Thank You very much
Pavla
Hi Pavla! You could try substituting a chocolate cake mix, I think that would go nicely!
I’ve got this in the oven right now!!
I want to come over and try it!
My sister baked this cake at the weekend for my brothers birthday and it was delicious! I had to ask her to send me the link so I can make it for myself haha Thanks for sharing!
Jade, woohoo! Now you have the recipe for yourself!!
Tomorrow I will celebrate my birthday… and guess what i’ve got in the oven right now?! Yes!!! I just wnat to try it!
Thank yoy very much Beth ;)
Happy Birthday Ivette!!!
Thanks for the great idea, I shared it on my blog! The Earthquake Cake was a perfect addition to our EARTHQUAKE PREPARATIONS with our families. This makes earthquake prepping way more yummy! I think I’ll keep all the ingredients handy for an EMERGENCY SWEETS CRAVING too! Check it out at http://www.whymoms.com/why-moms-shake-it-up/
Megan, that is such a great way to incorporate this cake into being prepared for an earthquake!
This cake was amazing and I will definitely make this again! Thank you so much for posting.
Oh my goodness. This cake is amazing. I wasn’t site if it should be stored in the fridge. Can someone email me?
Hi Elaine! Definitely store the cake in the fridge, enjoy!
The way we make it you don’t swirl the cream cheese mixture. It then falls thru the cake mix and makes a great gooey part on top of coconut!!
That way sounds amazing too Trudi!
I was wondering how this works with the chocolate chips on the bottom of the pan. Don’t they melt and get all gooey under the cake? Or does the cake batter kind of envelope it? Do you think it could be altered to put the chips, nuts and coconut on top? Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Wendy! Lots of people love the original recipe. The cake does kind of seep into everything that’s on the bottom, it’s so delicious!
Was wondering if you could do a bundt pan instead of the 9 x 13th and the cream cheese mixture would end up as the filling in the middle? Anyone got a suggestion.
I have been making this cake for almost 20 years and it never fails to please everyone that has eaten it. I do get tired of making it though. That said I did try it with butter pecan cake mix instead of german chocolate and it was really tasty too. Of course, I always have to go back to the original recipe for family get togethers because I think they’re addicted to this cake.
LOL.
Do you use sweetened shredded coconut or just regular shredded coconut? Would love to try this recipe out but I don’t want to buy the wrong coconut. Thanks :)
Hi Melissa! Either will actually work great!
Has anyone tried this with a cake mix other than a chocolate one? My husband does not like chocolate cake. (Chocolate IN a cake is a different story…so the chocolate chips would be jusy dandy.) And, also, when you swirl in the butter cream cheese- do you JUST swirl that just into the cake mix layer or do you cut through all the layers? Mmm I am dying to try this!
Did you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
I used sweetened, but in a pinch, you could use either!
I want to make this cake a day ahead to bring to a party. If it is not cut should I refrigerate it or is it okay to leave it out covered?
Also when swirling the cream cheese etc mix in do you sswirl all the way to the bottom layer or just through the cake mix layer?
thanks!
Hi Polly! You don’t have to swirl all the way to the bottom if you don’t want to. Or you can put your knife or other utensil you’re using to swirl all the way to the bottom of the cake and swirl everything. It’s up to you! The cake is pretty adaptable!
Wonder what would happened if turned the cake upside down when done cooking, to put the nuts, chips and coconut on top instead of bottom….
i am making my third cake…everyone loved it….
I made this cake almost following the recipe for a friends’ birthday. I thought a pound of powdered sugar was a diabetic coma waiting to happen so I cut the sugar down to a cup and a half and only used half the cream cheese but same amount of butter and swirled it in triple chocolate cake mix that I had on hand. I subbed half the oil with apple sauce and sprinkled oat bran on op of the other yummy stuff on the bottom also. On top I drizzled chocolate and caramel toppings. No one was the wiser that it was just a little healthier and it got rave reviews. Thx for a great ooey gooey recipe.
I made this cake and I followed the recipes to the t. It was amazing and a hit with my family and co-workers.
This cake sounds sooooo yummy!
I just am not a fan of cream cheese and so many recipes are made with it!! I usually cannot think of a subsitute for it, but what about using maybe peanut butter instead with this recipe? Do you think that would work?
Made this cake yesterday, we were having out of town company…oh my, they all thought that there should be a law against anything tasting that good. It is very, very outstanding. Thank you for sharing this treasure.
I’ve make this cake for many years and my family loved it. I used a French Vanilla mix instead of chocolate when I made it for work because several co-workers are allergic to chocolate. This too was a HIT! It is great using other flavors of cake mix.
I really don’t like to use box cake mixes. Can I use the dry ingredients from a typical recipe and just use the wet ingredients as you have listed them?
Hi there! As I haven’t done that myself, I can’t recommend it but maybe it would work! Let us know!
This was a great recipe. The hit of my office carry-in. Thanks.
WOOHOO!!!
I made this today for my family and it is super yummy! I love the chocolate chips and walnuts especially! But my cake didn’t look anything like yours. When I put the cream cheese mixture in, it sunk right to the bottom and even though I (tried to) spread it around with a knife it all came together in the middle… Not sure why this happened… Do you let the cream cheese mixture cool a little before putting it in the cake?!
Thanks in advance for the answer:)!
Hi, wanted to make this today for a gathering and was wondering if anyone had tried doing individual cup cake size cakes. If so how long would I bake them for? ??
As I am in Australia we don’t get the cake mix you are using any suggestions for a substitute that I could use please? Thank you in advance.
I’d suggest chocolate cake mix!
I made this cake yesterday afternoon for a gathering in the evening. Cake was totally cooled by then. We had mixed reactions. Some loved it. One youngster said it was “gooey.” I thought it definitely should be served warm with ice cream.
I come from a family of dessert snobs. We all agreed it was good but not a keeper.
Even though this recipe was posted a while ago, I would like to say what talent you have Beth! I don’t know if my cake would come out like yours, but I will give it a go and see what happens.
Check out my blog if any of you are interested, I attempted to make a summer rainbow fruit smoothie, but it is not exactly rainbow =D and I ave to mention that I am a new blogger.
My blog is http://www.21stcenturycreativewriting.com
If this includes a cake mix I don’t think it can be called gluten free. Also, please include all ingredients up front. Half way into making this only to find out I had to make a German chocolate cake mix by scratch or run to the store.
Hi Melissa! Yes, we’ve been having issues with pinterest labeling this recipe as gluten free and it isn’t. Our ingredients list is clear, so were you looking at the list that pinterest gives?
Hi, I tried this cake for New Year’s dessert and it was yummy. However, The coconut looked too roasted and I found it a bit difficult to remove from the pan. Wondering if I shld have used a glass dish instead of a dark pan? Also I kept checking to make sure I didn’t leave it in the oven to long. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Hilda! I know that dark pans cook faster – so maybe a glass pan would work better in your oven?
Been using this recipe for many years now. Always a hit! Thank you for sharing
I STARTED BAKING THIS CAKE WHEN I WORKED IN A HOSPITAL KITCHEN WE MADE IT A LITTLE DIFFERENT YOU MAY WANT TO TRY IT. I TOOK AWAY THE NUTS AND COCONUT FOLLOWED THE REST OF YOUR DIRECTIONS AND AFTER CAKE WAS COOLED I WOULD PUT CHOCOLATE GANACHE ON TOP AND SERVE PATIENTS AND STAFF LOVED IT.
YUM! Love the idea of the chocolate ganache!
I really think you should warn people about the pan to use AND using nonfat cream cheese. I had to read about 40 comments before spotting the “do not use Lowe fat cream cheese” suggestion. Of course, I’m making this cake for a church party and already had “lower fat cream cheese.” Hoping it still turns out.
I have made this cake twice now and while the flavor is good, the swirl layer sinks into the cake and it ends up looking nothing like what yours does. What did I do wrong??
can you put the cream cheese mixture in the middle instead of on the top
can you put the cream cheese mixture in the middle instead of putting it on top of cake
Okay no one else is hesitating about a POUND of powdered sugar?? It looks AMAZING, but… Can I cut out of cut down or substitute that sugar? <3
Hi Suzanne! It’s really not as much as you think. 1 pound of powdered sugar = 3 1/2 to 4 cups unsifted. 1 pound = 4 1/2 cups sifted powered sugar.
Mouth watering, calorie free(g), sumptuous love in a 9×13.
My mother in law sent me this recipe years ago. She got it out of her newspaper.It came with a quip “He who eats too much of this cake shall surely cause the earth to quake.”
I have made this cake 3 times. Each time I made sure I took it to work for sharing because this cake is so good I knew I would end up eating it all if left in my fridge. Everyone at work loved it too! So bad for you but so darn GOOD!!
Once the cream cheese mixture is all mixed up it may look like a whole lot to put on top of the cake but use it otherwise you’re just going to have a dry cake
Label the cake “contains nuts” if bringing to a potluck. You could help allergic people avoid a visit to the ER.
This is a wonderful old recipe that my mom shared with me in the 80’s. The only difference (& much easier) is to simply beat softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla-without cooking-& dollop it on top of the cake batter in blobs & DO NOT STIR OR SWIRL. Then it really resembles an earthquake! Also, we never use chocolate chips. The big appeal of German Chocolate flavor is that it has a mild chocolate flavor that, by the way, is greatly enhanced by cinnamon (thanks to Mexican cuisine). Either way, it’s a delectable, luscious cake!!
This cake comes together very quickly and I add a thin chocolate glaze to the top. It our favorite cake ever!
Can u use sweet and low ? My hushand is a diabetic.
Hi Deborah! I haven’t tried it myself.
I cannot stomach pecans or coconut- suggestions for substitute?
How about silvered almonds or walnuts?
Our family has been making the Earthquake Cake since 2000… it’s family tradition now it’s everyone’s favorite for the holidays!
Anyone tried to make a vegan version of this?
Can it be made without the coconut and pecans?
Yes!
Would there be a way to make this cake in a upright version, maybe change the ratios in order to make it able to be decorated as a freestanding cake?
Hi Elizabeth! This cake is way too moist and dense with gooey frosting baked into it to make it into a layered cake. I don’t think it would hold up well.
I just found this recipe and it was amazing!! Tastes like a mounds bar in cake form :) Huge hit at my house, will be my go to cake from now on I am sure!
Thanks so much for the recipe
Was wondering if you could substitute the bottom layer with the ready made canned frosting.
Hi Shelly! Unfortunately, no. Canned frosting is not designed to be cooked.
Love this cake easy but looks great
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze it?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it!
Well all I can say about this cake is WOW. Followed your recipe but used
Devils Food Cake Mix, We don’t have German chocolate Cake mix here in Australia. That I know of. Turned out like yours. However I only used 3/4 cup icing sugar as I don’t like overly sweet cakes. Must say it was beautiful. Will definitely be making this again and again
I am a retired coal miner/equipment operator. .I have been making this earthquake cake for 35 years for various potlucks we had at the mine it was always a big hit..now I make it for family picnics
We had get together for our anniversary this Earthquake choc. cake turned out excellent . Super big hit at our dinner party. This is an excellent dark, rich cake not really sweet which we prefer. I used an organic cake brand Miss Jones Baking Company and Ghirardelli chocolate dark choc. chip, neither are sugary sweet resulting in a perfectly balanced cake
I made the cake gluten free, and my family loved it. They said they liked it better than the German Chocolate cake I make. Since I can’t find a gluten free German Chocolate cake mix, I just used a chocolate cake mix. Thanks for sharing.
Try lemon cake mix , so very good !
I am planning on making this cake but, you didn’t specify if you are using sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut….thanks!
sweetened shredded coconut!
We’ve postponed our family reunion until sometime in spring. This will be my contribution to the dessert table! Everyone in our house is losing weight eating Keto, so it will be a real treat to nibble on this fantastic dessert & spread the joy for one day!!
This is a really good and thorough recipe for this. It is also very delicious. Some people leave out the chocolate chips.
Out-of-this- world delicious! If your family doesn’t look coconut it can be omitted and the cake will be just as good. Made it many times. Decadent in the extreme!
Can I make this without the coconut and nuts?
Yes!
I have made the chocolate earthquake’ cake twice before and everyone loves it . Now I want to make the lemon one . Thanks for the recipe
Can this be made in a bundt pan?
I bet you could! The baking time will be longer in a bundt pan.
The Earthquake recipe is the absolute best! If you love chocolate and German Chocolate, this recipe is for you. This has become my most asked for dessert with my family. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you.
This is the “least for the most” Least amount of work for the most compliments!. Have served it time and time again. One guest looked at me and said ” this just might be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten in my life” How about that guys!! The bottom video on “how” to apply the cream is very important for the “wow!” appearance. regards…..Dave
My mom used to make this cake for the family. My boys absolutely love this cake. Since she past away I’ve only made one. But it’s going to be put back in our family traditions list. My family can’t wait to get their tastebuds sunk into another earthquake cake.
Ínstead of Germán cake , what can I use? Isn’t easy to find Germán Cake , my mail is :marwasserman@outlook.com
You can use chocolate cake mix or any that you prefer!
Delicious recipe. Was a great hit with family and friends and I was asked for the recipe by several people. I made the recipe as written except after seeing how thin the coconut, pecan, and chocolate chip layers were in the 9 X 13 pan, I tripled the coconut, doubled the pecans, and used a 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Even after tripling the coconut, mine did not have the thick layer that is shown in the photo. It is a fantastic dessert. Very rich!
substitute for pecans?
Walnuts, peanut or omit them!