German chocolate sheet cake is a moist, dark cocoa cake baked in one pan and covered, while still warm, with a thick, gooey topping of toasted coconut and pecans. It is the easy way to bring German chocolate cake to a potluck, a birthday or a holiday table, with no layers to stack.
How to make German chocolate sheet cake: Stir boiling water into cocoa and let it cool. Beat it into a batter of sugar, flour, eggs and oil and bake in a 9-by-13-inch pan at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Cook a brown sugar topping, stir in toasted coconut and pecans, spread it over the warm cake and let it set for about 1 hour.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pan. No layers, no filling between them and no frosting the sides.
- Made with cocoa. There is no bar of baking chocolate to chop or melt.
- The coconut-pecan topping. It is cooked on the stove and spread on while the cake is warm.
- Feeds a crowd. One pan cuts into 24 squares.
Ingredient Notes
Dutch-process cocoa. Three-quarters of a cup, mixed with boiling water before it goes into the batter.
Vegetable oil. Three-quarters of a cup. The cake uses oil, not butter.
Eggs. Four large eggs at room temperature.
Cornstarch. It is used twice: 2 tablespoons in the cake and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons in the topping.
Light brown sugar. One packed cup sweetens the topping.
Half-and-half. Three-quarters of a cup for the topping. Milk is an alternative.
Light corn syrup. Two tablespoons. Dark corn syrup is an alternative.
Coconut and pecans. One and a half cups of each, toasted before they go into the topping. The pecans are chopped.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/4 cups water, boiling
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the coconut-pecan topping
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup half-and-half (milk is an alternative)
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (dark corn syrup is an alternative)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups coconut, toasted
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
How to Make German Chocolate Sheet Cake
1. Prepare the pan and cocoa. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan, or line it with parchment and grease the parchment. Stir the boiling water into the cocoa a little at a time until blended. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Mix the cake. Whisk the granulated sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt together. Add the eggs and oil and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add the cocoa mixture in three additions, scraping the bowl after each.
3. Bake. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack while you make the topping.
4. Cook the topping. Whisk the brown sugar, remaining cornstarch and remaining salt together. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the half-and-half, sugar mixture and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, stirring constantly, for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly.
5. Finish and spread. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the remaining vanilla, toasted coconut and toasted pecans. Spread the topping over the warm cake.
6. Let the topping set. Let the cake rest at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the topping sets, then serve in squares.
Do You Need German’s Sweet Chocolate?
Not for this cake. This sheet cake gets all its chocolate from Dutch-process cocoa stirred into boiling water. That hot cocoa mixture is cooled, then beaten into the batter in three additions.
German chocolate sheet cake is also made with a bar of German’s sweet chocolate melted into the batter. Both are German chocolate cake. They are separate recipes, though, so do not swap a chocolate bar into this one.
| Question | Answer for this recipe |
|---|---|
| What chocolate goes in the cake? | Dutch-process cocoa, 3/4 cup |
| Where do the coconut and pecans go? | In the topping, not in the batter |
| What pan? | A 9-by-13-inch pan |
| When does the topping go on? | While the cake is still warm |
| When can I cut it? | After about 1 hour, when the topping has set |
The topping is the part that makes this German chocolate cake and not plain chocolate cake. It is a cooked brown sugar and half-and-half mixture, thickened with a little cornstarch, with toasted coconut and pecans stirred in at the end.
Tips for Success
Why cool the cocoa mixture first?
The recipe has you let it come to room temperature before it goes into the batter with the eggs. Mix the cocoa and boiling water first, so it can cool while you measure everything else.
How do I know the cake is done?
A cake tester pushed into the middle comes out clean. Start checking at 30 minutes.
How long does the topping cook?
Only about 1 to 2 minutes at a gentle simmer, stirring the whole time, until the sugar dissolves and it thickens slightly.
Should the cake be cool before the topping goes on?
No. Spread the topping over the warm cake. Make the topping while the cake rests on the rack, fresh from the oven.
How Long Does It Take?
About 130 minutes. The recipe lists 35 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of baking, and then the topped cake rests for about 1 hour so the topping can set. Do not count on serving it 70 minutes after you start. The hour of setting is part of the recipe.
Variations
Milk. Use milk in place of the half-and-half in the topping.
Dark corn syrup. Use it in place of the light corn syrup.
Layer cake. If you want the tall, stacked version, bake the homemade German chocolate cake.
Storage & Reheating
This cake is served at room temperature and is not reheated. The topping has butter and half-and-half in it, so the careful plan is to refrigerate what is left within 2 hours, in covered containers. USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers.
Individual slices can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
What to Serve With It
For more chocolate, bake the Texas sheet cake, the chocolate turtle cake or the chocolate brownie cake. If the pecans are your favorite part, try the pecan pie dump cake. For a fruit sheet cake on the same table, there is Bea’s blueberry sheet cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need German’s Sweet Chocolate, or can I use cocoa for a sheet cake?
This recipe uses Dutch-process cocoa and no bar chocolate. A sheet cake made with German’s sweet chocolate is a separate recipe.
Does German chocolate contain coconut?
In this cake, the coconut is in the topping, along with the pecans. There is none in the cake batter.
How is German chocolate cake different from chocolate cake?
The topping. German chocolate cake is finished with a cooked coconut and pecan topping instead of a plain chocolate frosting.
Can I freeze German chocolate sheet cake?
Yes. Freeze individual slices for up to 3 months and thaw them in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
I stir the boiling water into the cocoa before anything else, so it has time to cool while I measure the dry ingredients. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
German Chocolate Sheet Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water boiling; for the cake
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa for the cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar for the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour for the cake
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch for the cake
- 2 teaspoons baking powder for the cake
- 1 teaspoon table salt for the cake
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil for the cake
- 4 large eggs at room temperature; for the cake
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the cake
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed; for the topping
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch for the topping
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt for the topping
- 5 tablespoons butter for the topping
- 3/4 cup half-and-half for the topping; milk is an alternative
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup for the topping; dark corn syrup is an alternative
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the topping
- 1 1/2 cups coconut toasted; for the topping
- 1 1/2 cups pecans toasted and chopped; for the topping
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan, or line it with parchment and grease the parchment. Stir the boiling water into the cocoa a little at a time until blended. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the granulated sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt together. Add the eggs and oil and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Add the cocoa mixture in three additions, scraping the bowl after each.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack while you make the topping.
- Whisk the brown sugar, remaining cornstarch and remaining salt together. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the half-and-half, sugar mixture and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, stirring constantly, for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the remaining vanilla, toasted coconut and toasted pecans. Spread the topping over the warm cake.
- Let the cake rest at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the topping sets, then serve in squares.
