Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Moist and rich 2-layer vegan German chocolate cake with a coconut pecan filling and a chocolate buttercream frosting. Mega-chocolatey.

Oooh yum, this vegan German chocolate cake is two layers of delicious vegan chocolate cake with a coconut pecan filling and a rich chocolate buttercream frosting on top!

Traditionally a German chocolate cake uses sweet German chocolate in the cake itself, and then the filling is made with egg yolks, so of course we are straying from the traditional here with our vegan adaptation but the result is so good I don’t think anyone would complain!

We made this cake in 8-inch cake pans but the layers are so nice and fat I actually ‘think’ it would be totally fine in 9 inch cake pans too. Update: yes it totally works in 9-inch cake pans as well.

The cake recipe is super simple and straightforward, no fancy ingredients, but it results in pure chocolate cake perfection, moist and spongey and a total delight in taste and texture.

But the main attraction in a German chocolate cake is the coconut pecan filling! It’s really the stand out feature of this cake and what makes it unique and special.

It’s a mix of vegan butter, brown sugar, coconut milk, coconut flakes (or shredded coconut) and pecans! You can use roasted pecans or raw. I was planning to use roasted pecans but was only able to get raw pecans when making this cake, and I wasn’t in the mood to roast them first, so I just used them as they were and it was totally delicious. So use whichever version you prefer or is easier to get hold of.

Same thing for the coconut, I used coconut flakes, which are the quite large flakes of coconut you can see below, but you can also use shredded coconut, which is the slightly smaller version, just don’t use dessicated coconut because that won’t work well here.

The gorgeous coconut pecan mix goes in the middle of this vegan German chocolate cake, and a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting goes on the top. I made enough for a very thick layer of frosting on top, so I’m pretty sure if you want to frost the sides as well, you’ll have enough frosting to do so without increasing the recipe.

I was a fan of keeping the sides bare so you can show off that lovely coconut pecan layer.

I really hope you will love this vegan German chocolate cake, it has:

• 2-Layers of moist rich chocolate cake
• A coconut pecan filling
• A chocolate buttercream frosting
• All the chocolate flavor you can dream of combined with coconut/pecan filling! It’s too good!

Keep leftovers covered in the fridge where they will stay good for 5 days.

So let us know what you think of this vegan German chocolate cake in the comments and please rate the recipe too!

We have a large selection of delicious vegan cake recipes, here are a few of the options:

1. Vegan Lemon Cake
2. Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
3. Vegan White Cake
4. Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
5. Vegan Coconut Cake
6. Vegan Pound Cake

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Vegan German Chocolate Cake

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★★★★★

4.9 from 30 reviews

• Author: Alison Andrews
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Moist and rich 2-layer vegan German chocolate cake with a coconut pecan filling and a chocolate buttercream frosting. Mega-chocolatey!

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Ingredients

For the Vegan Chocolate Cake:

• 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) All Purpose Flour*
• 3/4 cup (63g) Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
• 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) White Granulated Sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Soy Milk*
• 3 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) Canola Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp White Vinegar*
• 1 and 1/2 Flax Eggs (1 and 1/2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseeds + 4 and 1/2 Tbsp Hot Water)

For the Coconut Pecan Filling:

• 1/4 cup (56g) Vegan Butter
• 1/2 cup (100g) Light Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) Coconut Milk
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup (50g) Coconut Flakes*
• 1/2 cup (60g) Pecans (Chopped)*

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

• 2 cups (240g) Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 cup (42g) Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup (75g) Vegan Butter
• 3 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp Coconut Milk*
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For Decoration (Optional):

• Coconut Flakes
• Chopped Pecans
• Vegan Chocolate Chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 8 inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and then add the sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
3. Prepare your flax egg by adding 1 and 1/2 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding in 4 and 1/2 Tbsp hot water (this equals 1 and 1/2 flax eggs). Leave it to sit for a minute and become gloopy.
4. Add in the soy milk, vanilla extract, oil, vinegar and flax eggs to your dry ingredients and mix in. Use a hand whisk to briefly mix it all together removing any lumps (tiny lumps are fine) but being careful not to overmix.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and then place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before adding filling or frosting.
6. While the cakes are baking, prepare your coconut pecan filling. Mix the cornstarch into the cold coconut milk and whisk so that it’s well mixed in. Then add the vegan butter to a saucepan and let it melt before you add the brown sugar and coconut milk/cornstarch mix. Stir constantly until the mixture boils and starts to thicken, then remove it from the heat and add in the vanilla, coconut flakes and chopped pecans. Set aside to cool completely before using.
7. Prepare your chocolate buttercream frosting. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, 3 Tbsp of coconut milk and vanilla extract to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Start off at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until it’s very thick and smooth. If needed, add in around 1/2 tsp of extra coconut milk to get to the ideal consistency. I prefer to add this in last, only if needed, as you want this to be thick, but it still should be spreadable. If it’s still too thick, add in more coconut milk a drop at a time until you get the right consistency.
8. When the cakes are completely cool and your coconut/pecan filling is completely cold, then you can finalize your cake. Add all the coconut/pecan filling to the middle layer and then all the chocolate buttercream to the top. If you want to frost the sides as well you can do that, there is enough frosting to allow for this.
9. Decorate the cake with coconut flakes, chopped pecans and vegan chocolate chips (optional).

Notes

*Weigh your flour for the most accurate results.

*You can switch the soy milk in the cake for another non-dairy milk like almond milk if you prefer.

*White vinegar is interchangeable with apple cider vinegar in this recipe.

*Coconut Flakes or Shredded Coconut are basically the same thing, but shredded coconut pieces are generally smaller, but you can use either/or.

*Pecans can be raw or roasted.

*I used coconut milk in the frosting as I already had a can of coconut milk open for use in the coconut/pecan filling. However, if you want to use a different non-dairy milk such as soy or almond, you can also do that.

• Category: Baking, Dessert, Cakes
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Vegan

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 12)
• Calories: 562
• Sugar: 53.7g
• Sodium: 385mg
• Fat: 26.4g
• Saturated Fat: 9.4g
• Carbohydrates: 80.2g
• Fiber: 5.3g
• Protein: 6.2g

Keywords: vegan german chocolate cake