Earthquake Cake

Earthquake Cake is a delicious chocolate cake that is loaded with toasted coconut, pecans, sweet cream cheese and of course chocolate chips. It's a gooey and delicious cake recipe that everyone always loves!

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Earthquake Cake is a delicious chocolate cake that is loaded with toasted coconut, pecans, sweet cream cheese, and of course, chocolate chips. It's a gooey and delicious cake recipe that everyone always loves!

READER FAVORITE RECIPES:

Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea | Chicken and Dumplings | German Chocolate Cake

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CRATER CAKE

This award winning cake recipe is known by so many different names. Earthquake Cake, German Chocolate Upside Down Cake, Hurricane Cake. In other words, no matter what you decide to call it, it tastes amazing! 

This cake is always a hit when you serve it for the holidays, church functions, potlucks, and family gatherings. It travels extremely well. Just bake, cool, cover, and go!

There's no messy frosting to worry about! The inside of the cake is where all of the sweetness is at!

HOW DO YOU MAKE AN EARTHQUAKE CAKE

ONE: I like to use a simple chocolate cake box mix to start. Add the ingredients on the back of the box and mix together. 

TWO: Toast your coconut to give it a nice toasted flavor and place on the bottom of your 9x13 baking dish. I like to sprinkle pecans on the bottom too!

THREE: Pour your chocolate cake mix over the coconut and pecans. 

FOUR: Whip together the cream cheese ingredients and drop by spoonfuls on top of the chocolate cake mix.

FIVE: Put it in the oven and bake!

SIX: When it comes out of the oven I immediately sprinkle chocolate chips, pecans, and more toasted coconut. 

PEANUT BUTTER EARTHQUAKE CAKE

If you are a peanut butter lover and want to try and change up this recipe, it's actually very simple! Grab your peanut butter, peanut butter chips, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 

For example, add peanut butter to the cream cheese layer in place of the butter. In addition to the chocolate chips, you could add peanut butter chips, or even Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to the top of the cake as soon as you pull it out of the oven. 

RECIPE TIPS AND TRICKS

• Don't add chocolate chips to the top of the cake before you put it into the oven. They will sink down into the mixture and completely melt. You won't get those bites of chocolate in your cake, but instead you'll end up with a layer of dark cream cheese stuff on the bottom of the pan. 
• Don't use a devils food cake no matter what you read on the internet! Your cream cheese layer won't hold up where it should be in the middle of the cake. I tried a Devil's Food Chocolate Cake mix and it was a no from me. I much prefer having a visible layer of cream cheese. 
• You can easily swap out the pecans and replace with walnuts, or another favorite nut. In addition to adding another nut, you could completely take them out of this recipe if you are serving where someone might have a nut allergy. 

I'd love to know if you tried this recipe, and what you thought in the comments below! For example, did you add ingredients? Tell us about it. Our readers love to change things up!

Earthquake Cake

Earthquake Cake is a delicious chocolate cake that is loaded with toasted coconut, pecans, sweet cream cheese and of course chocolate chips. It's a gooey and delicious cake recipe that everyone always loves!

Love this recipe? Give it a 5 Star Rating

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 491 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups flaked sweetened coconut (divided)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups pecans (chopped)
• ▢ 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Butter Recipe Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients on box to make cake (eggs, butter, water))
• ▢ 1 8 oz block cream cheese (softened)
• ▢ ½ cup salted butter (softened)
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

 

• In a small baking dish sprinkle coconut and place into the oven on a broil. Watch coconut carefully and take out of the oven when it is toasted and has turned a nice golden brown.

  NOTE: Coconut burns quickly. This should only take 1-3 minutes to “toast”
• Prepare cake mix according to directions and set aside.
• In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract. Stir well until no lumps remain. Add powdered sugar and stir until well combined.
• In the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish layer coconut and pecans. Pour cake mix over the top. Dollop the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cake.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

  Check the cake at 40 minutes. Depending on how hot your oven runs, the type of baking dish you use (non-stick or glass) cook times will vary.
• The toothpick test will not work on this cake. I recommend taking the cake out of the oven when the top is no longer giggly.

  Mine took 50 minutes in a white deep sided baking dish.
• Once the cake is out of the oven immediately top with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans.
• It is best to let this cake cool before serving. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 244IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg

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