Earthquake Cake
This Earthquake Cake is an ultra-decadent chocolate dessert for a crowd! It’s easy to assemble using a store-bought chocolate cake mix and a handful of other approachable ingredients. Get ready to impress your family and friends!
I’ve been making Earthquake Cake for years, it’s my niece’s favorite special dessert when she comes to visit. Little did I know, it’s not a widely known cake in other regions of the country. So I’m here to change that and share the recipe with all of you!
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What I love about this cake is it uses less than 10 ingredients that are almost always in my kitchen. It’s quick to assemble with a hand mixer and a couple of bowls and bakes up in a regular casserole dish too.
When it comes to baking it, there’s no need to be perfect! You want the center to be jiggly so it sinks just like ripples in an earthquake. I always serve it warm with ice cream for a restaurant-quality, lava-inspired cake. If you love a great cake, my Peanut Butter Sheet Cake and White Texas Sheet Cake are two other viral favorites from my social media.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Cake with less than 10 ingredients. It’s that simple and easy for beginner bakers or for kids to help out with too!
- Ultra-decadent for a special occasion or gathering. With it’s rich and decadent chocolate center, this Earthquake cake is almost like an extra large lava cake for a crowd.
- Easy to customize with other nuts or chocolate. There are some simple swaps you can make to truly bake this cake to your family’s liking!
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Full Printable Recipe Card Below
- German Chocolate cake mix: The store-bought shortcut that makes this earthquake cake so easy, moist, and delicious!
- Water: Used for the boxed cake mix to help moisten the batter.
- Neutral oil: I like to use canola, vegetable or avocado oil. This is the fat that keeps this cake from being dry.
- Large eggs: Used for binding the cake batter.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Adds that sweet and a little bit of tropical fruity flavor to each bite.
- Chopped pecans: Rich and nutty, plus great texture too!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: The chocolate that adds nice depth of flavor to every bite.
- Cream cheese: Adds rich and creamy flavor and compliments the chocolate flavor nicely.
- Salted butter: Fat that adds lots of flavor and richness.
- Powdered sugar: Used for sweetening the filling and adds texture.
- Vanilla extract: Floral and caramel notes that round out all of the flavors.
Tools You’ll Need
- 13″x9″ Baking Dish
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Dry Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Scoop (3 tablespoon or #20 size)
- Cooling Rack
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
How to Make Earthquake Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs with a hand mixer just until combined Set aside.
- Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by the chopped pecans.
- Pour the cake batter over the coconut and pecans, spreading gently.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in the melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter in random dollops.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.
- Bake 40–45 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still slightly gooey. Cool slightly before serving. The cake will sink, crack, and ripple as it cools.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you layer the cake ingredients correctly in the baking dish. To ensure that your earthquake cake has all the delicious flavors and textures in every bite, this is extremely important!
- Let your cream cheese soften for even and easy mixing before dolloping.
- With this cake you want the center to be slightly jiggly and gooey when you remove it from the oven. It’s supposed to have a dense and creamy center that will crack and ripple (like land after an earthquake!) once it cools.
- Serve this cake with whipped cream or ice cream for the finishing touch! Serving with these two items, takes this cake to a whole new level – it’s insanely delicious.
- Swap flavors. You can substitute the German chocolate cake mix with a variety of flavors. Options like chocolate, red velvet, pumpkin spice, or lemon cake are excellent!
- Don’t like coconut or pecans? You can omit one and double the other or you can omit what you don’t like.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, remove it for 10 to 15 minutes before enjoying to take the chill of the fridge off.
We don’t recommend freezing this cake since it can change the texture once it thaws. You can easily make it in advance, we just like to warm it slightly for serving for the best flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
A chocolate cake base layered with nuts, coconut, and cream cheese for lots of delicious flavor in every bite.
You can add other nuts, different types of chocolate, even almond extra for a twist on the classic.
Yes! It’s a fudgy center that’s extra decadent.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box German Chocolate cake mix
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup neutral oil canola, vegetable or avocado
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, blend together the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs with a hand mixer just until combined Set aside.
- Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by the chopped pecans.
- Pour the cake batter over the coconut and pecans, spreading gently.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Mix in the melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter in random dollops.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.
- Bake 40–45 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still slightly gooey. Cool slightly before serving. The cake will sink, crack, and ripple as it cools.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you layer the cake ingredients correctly in the baking dish. To ensure that your earthquake cake has all the delicious flavors and textures in every bite, this is extremely important!
- Let your cream cheese soften for even and easy mixing before dolloping.
- With this cake you want the center to be slightly jiggly and gooey when you remove it from the oven. It’s supposed to have a dense and creamy center that will crack and ripple (like land after an earthquake!) once it cools.
- Serve this cake with whipped cream or ice cream for the finishing touch! Serving with these two items, takes this cake to a whole new level – it’s insanely delicious.
Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
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Aww!🥹You’re so sweet! Thank you SO much!!!🥰
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Can you use gluten free cake mix?
Yes you can 🙂