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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 Recipes From The First Year
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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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Can you decrease the amount of powdered sugar, seems like an awful lot?
The powdered sugar is needed to create the cream cheese frosting swirl!
This is a great cake. I’ve made it for over 20 years. We called it an upside down German chocolate cake.
will box gluten free cake mix also work
Yes it will!
Excellent and easy.
OMG!!! Made to share & adding the cream cheese mix in any order is AWESOME!!! YOWZA!!!!! This is beyond delish!!!
I ABSOLUTELY love to cook & bake..& have been doing so for almost 60 yrs…
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for sharing this AMAZING recipe, Beth!!
Has now become a FAV!!!
I use unsweetened coconut…& definitely a tad more of the choc chips & pecans!!!
Keep up the GREAT work of sharing..
Looks amazing! Has anyone made this as mini cakes or large cupcakes? If so, would you mind sharing bake time?
This feels like a silly question but have you tried it with a choc cake mix from
Scratch? Only asking because I’m vegan so I’d need to make a vegan choc cake batter and then everything else has easy vegan alternatives:)
I haven’t tried this recipe without a cake mix!
This has been my go to dessert for 10 years. Every time I make it I’m asked for the recipe, so I have probably referred at least 100 people to this blog over the years!
Can the coconut be omitted in this recipe? I love baking but alot of my kids and friends don’t like coconut.
Yes, you can omit the coconut.
I love this cake, but the original recipe tells you not to swirl the filling into the cake which causes it to crack on the top as the cake bakes and that’s how it got its name earthquake cake. The top should look cracked when done.