This vegan German chocolate cake is so delicious! It’s moist and rich with a coconut pecan filling and a chocolate buttercream frosting.
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 it would be totally great in 9 inch cake pans too.
The cake recipe is super simple and straightforward, no fancy ingredients, but it results in pure chocolate cake perfection, moist and rich and a total delight in taste and texture.
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.
And if you love all things chocolate cake, then you’ll LOVE our most amazing vegan chocolate cake recipe as well.
How To Make Vegan German Chocolate Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add wet ingredients and mix it into a cake batter. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper on the bottom).
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- When the cakes are baked, let them cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are baking, prepare your coconut pecan filling.
- And your chocolate buttercream frosting.
- When your cakes are cooled completely, add all the coconut pecan filling to the middle layer and then all the chocolate buttercream frosting to the top.
- Decorate the cake with coconut flakes, chopped pecans and vegan chocolate chips.
Ingredient Notes
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 whatever is easier to get hold of.
Coconut. I used coconut flakes, which are the quite large flakes of coconut, 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 Frosting
The coconut pecan mix goes in the middle of this vegan German chocolate cake, and a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting goes on the top.
We 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.
Storing and Freezing
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge where they will stay good for 5 days. You can also freeze the frosted cake for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature on the counter before serving.
More Delicious Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan White Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Vegan Coconut Cake
- Vegan Pound Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan German Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake:
- 2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (281g)
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (63g) Unsweetened
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Soy Milk (360ml) or other non-dairy milk
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 ½ Flax Eggs (1 and ½ Tbsp Ground Flaxseeds + 4 and ½ Tbsp Hot Water)
For the Coconut Pecan Filling:
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter (56g)
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- ½ cup Canned Coconut Milk (120ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Coconut Flakes (50g)
- ½ cup Pecans (60g) Chopped
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar (240g)
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder (42g) Unsweetened
- ⅓ cup Vegan Butter (75g)
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For Decoration (Optional):
- Coconut Flakes
- Chopped Pecans
- Vegan Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- 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.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and then add the sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Prepare your flax egg by adding 1 and ½ Tbsp ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then adding in 4 and ½ Tbsp hot water (this equals 1 and ½ flax eggs). Leave it to sit for a minute and become gloopy.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 extra coconut milk a tiny bit at a time to get to the ideal consistency.
- 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.
- Decorate the cake with coconut flakes, chopped pecans and vegan chocolate chips (optional).
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate results or use the ‘spoon and level’ method: spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
- 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.
- You can also make this cake in two 9-inch cake pans.
- Keep the cake stored in the fridge (covered) for 5 days.
Judy says
I made this for my husbands birthday. It was soooo good I almost forgot the cake was for him. Lol. It was moist and super decadent. Thanks so much for sharing this receipe.
Alison Andrews says
Haha, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for the great review Judy.
Char says
This was delicious, even though it’s not really a German chocolate cake. Isn’t German chocolate vegan? I would use it instead of cocoa. But, this cake was so, so delicious. Notably, the crustiness, and the lightness of it were superb. I think it would be great with a fluffy white frosting. Maybe could make it with aquafaba? I’m not a vegan, by the way. So this is rather high praise. You could totally trick omnivores into thinking we’re eating regular cake. ?
Alison Andrews says
Glad you enjoyed it Char! I am always giving my cakes to non-vegans and they never have a clue until I tell them. Hahaha! Thanks for your review! 🙂
Jenny says
Wow. Just made the cake. I actually made it into cupcakes and I will make the pecan icing tomorrow. But I cannot believe how these rose, and how delicious they are. I mean really good! It’s my first time making a cake since being plant based and I was a little nervous with the texture of the raw batter. But wow! it’s just perfect! I subbed unsweetened almond milk for the coconut milk, and raw cane sugar for the white sugar because these are what I had. I cannot wait for the icing! Thank you!!!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome to hear that Jenny! Thanks so much for sharing! Hope the end result is just as good as your results so far. 🙂
Cjwat says
I made this cake. This recipe was awesome.I added pecan filling on the side as well. I used to make the best non vegan german chocolate cake. I could not tell any difference in the taste. I will definitely make this one again.
Alison Andrews says
So glad this cake compared well the ones you used to make! Thrilled to hear that. Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂
Lisa S. says
Wow, Alison, this recipe was a hit with my family! Mom always made the old Baker’s German Chocolate cake recipe, but I became allergic to milk protein. Also, I can no longer find the baking chocolate bar that she used. To surprise my brother for his birthday, I followed your recipe but with two variations. I used unsweetened applesauce instead of the flax eggs, and I doubled the filling to use half on top instead of the buttercream frosting. Not only did my brother enjoy the cake, but his wife, who only eats vegan foods, also loved it. With the use of soy milk, I, too, was able to enjoy a delicious cake that brought back fond memories of mom’s cake from 50 years ago! Thanks for sharing this yummy and easy recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lisa! I’m so happy it was a success! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review! 🙂
Nikki says
I don’t have circular pans so I’m thinking of trying it in a square (9X9) or rectangle (33X22) and just making one layer with the filling on top and frosting on the sides. Do you know if either of these pan sizes will work ok? I don’t bake often at all so I don’t want to go buy 2 new pan. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Nikki, it sounds like your rectangular pan is a quarter sheet size. You could use our chocolate sheet cake recipe and then just add this pecan filling to the middle and maybe frosting around the edges. I would just bake it a few minutes longer than directed because you’re using a quarter sheet pan rather than a half sheet. All the best!
Cindel says
I made this cake for my partner’s birthday. Everyone loved it. One of the guests said “if I hadn’t said it was vegan they would have never known”. Thanks for the recipe!
Alison Andrews says
That is totally perfect! I love hearing stuff like this, thanks so much for sharing Cindel! 🙂
Susan Lank says
I made this for my daughters birthday, it was absolutely delicious! Rave review from everyone! Can’t wait to make the coconut cake for my husbands birthday next month!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks for posting Susan! 🙂
Oana says
This cake looks amazing! I love the idea of the filling. I will be making a birthday cake for a friend and I would like to use this filling. However, he avoids palm oil and the vegan butter I can find around my area all contains palm oil. Do you think I could substitute coconut oil for the the vegan butter?
Alison Andrews says
You can make your own vegan butter, we have a recipe for it. 🙂 Otherwise coconut oil might work out fine as well. 🙂
Oana says
Thanks for the suggestion. I will try your vegan butter recipe, it seems quite easy to make. 🙂
Mary says
Your recipes never disappoint! I made this last night and it was another winner. The coconut pecan filling is amazing. I could have eaten all of it, just by itself! Thank you so much for all your work on these recipes and the easy instructions. I cannot believe I made such an amazing and delicious cake! Thank you!! You need your own cooking show!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Mary, that is the best praise! I feel the same way about that coconut filling! And haha, thank you, a youtube cooking show might happen one day! 🙂
Jane says
I’m going to make this, for sure, next family birthday. Unfortunately I may have to sub the filling for something nut free as a family member doesn’t tolerate nuts well. But I’m sure The cake will be good even with a different filling! I love its total lusciousness – if you’re eating cake it might as well be the full deal!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jane, I couldn’t agree more! If you’re going to have cake, it’s the full deal or why bother, hahaha! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Mike Malenock says
Hi! This recipe was posted on facebook by a vegan site. And I’m drooling – in part because I’ve looked at 10 more recipes.
I have a question: Would your cakes work with gluten-free flour? I know you have a gf chocolate cake recipe, but I’m wondering if you (or anyone you know) has tried making your other cakes and muffins with gluten free flour.
Thank you!
Mike
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mike, yes, we have got comments on various cake recipes that the regular flour was switched for gluten-free all purpose flour successfully, as a straight swap. Personally, I think it tends to be too dry as a straight swap in cakes (it works fine like that in our cookie recipes though) so I would increase the oil a bit and maybe add some applesauce as I did with my gluten-free chocolate cake. 🙂
Karen Kitto says
I love the idea of that filling, I’m going to make this. Your creations always fascinate me. Thanks for sharing. ? K ?
Alison Andrews says
The filling is the best! Thanks Karen! 🙂
Bryce says
Do I use unsweetened coconut flakes or sweetened?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Unsweetened. 🙂
calinhorely says
Wow it looks amazing and yummy !
Anna Andrews says
Wow! A super rich, moist excellent cake! Suitable for any festive occasion.