Earthquake Cake

4 from 1 vote

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, chocolate

Servings: servings

Calories: 361kcal

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 13x9 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

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!

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.

Nutrition