Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Calling all chocolate, caramel, and coconut lovers! This Vegan German Chocolate Cake is for you. Every decadent German chocolate cake recipe comes with three delicious layers: Every slice is loaded with sweetness and just the right amount of chocolate. While Vegan Chocolate Cake is rich and chocolatey, German chocolate cake tastes more like caramel and is always super moist. It’s a real indulgent dessert that would be welcome at any celebration or around the holidays!

German chocolate cake vs. regular chocolate cake

Did you know that German chocolate cake doesn’t actually come from Germany? The recipe was invented in the United States by the baker, Samuel German! German chocolate cake is moist, sweet, and rich. Sounds like a regular chocolate cake, right? The major difference between the two is that German chocolate cake has a layer of caramel-like coconut pecan filling on the inside and on top. It’s also traditionally made with a little less cocoa powder, allowing more room for the coconut and pecan flavors to shine through.

How to make vegan German chocolate cake

Find the complete recipe with measurements below. To start, bake the two layers of chocolate cake: Prepare the coconut pecan filling and chocolate frosting while you wait for the cakes to cool: Whisk the coconut milk and cornstarch together in a bowl or measuring cup. Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Next, add the sugars and coconut milk mixture. Stir until it’s bubbling and looks like a thin caramel. Don’t worry that it seems thin; it thickens up considerably as it cools. Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla, chopped pecans, and coconut flakes. Transfer to a bowl and leave it to cool (you can stick it in the refrigerator to speed this up). Look how thick and caramelly it gets after chilling. Try not to eat it all by the spoonful! The vegan chocolate frosting is a breeze to make: To make the frosting, beat the butter in a bowl until it looks creamy. Add the cocoa, powdered sugar, vanilla, and soy milk. Mix until everything is combined and the frosting looks fluffy. Yum! It’s assembly time! You’re minutes away from enjoying decadent eggless German chocolate cake:

Can it be made gluten free?

Use my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake as a base layer to turn this into a vegan and gluten free German chocolate cake. The coconut pecan filling and chocolate frosting are both naturally gluten free.

Tips and substitutions

Is the frosting too thick? Stir in another tablespoon or two of soy milk. Is the frosting too thin? Keep adding powdered sugar until you have a spreadable frosting.Decorating – To help contain the coconut pecan mixture on top of the cake, use a piping bag to pipe some frosting in a circle around the edge.Make it ahead of time – Feel free to bake the cakes, frosting, and filling 1 to 2 weeks ahead of serving. Wrap the cakes in plastic and refrigerate or freeze. Store the frosting and filling in covered containers in the fridge.

Freezing chocolate cake

The unfrosted baked cakes freeze very well on their own when wrapped in plastic. Alternatively, you can freeze the assembled slices and enjoy them as a quick freezer dessert later on!