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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.
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 :-)