Earthquake Cake

 

Oh, my goodness, this dessert is such a delight. Chocolate lovers and Cheesecake lovers will love the combination of flavors in this “wreck” of a cake! Coconut and pecans are placed at the bottom of a baking dish. This is topped with German chocolate cake batter and then a cream cheese layer. While the cake bakes, all the ingredients perform a seismic shift and an “earthquake” occurs. All that yummy chocolate and cheesecake, along with coconut and pecans cracks as the cake bakes and cools so that craters, crevices and gorges form, much like Grand Canyon. It is amazing.
A couple of months ago we had a houseful of company for lunch after church one Sunday and one of the gals brought this fabulous cake. Decadent doesn’t even begin to describe this ooey, gooey affair with chocolate! It was so mouthwatering. I could have eaten gobs of this stuff, but restrained myself because I have such a dessert addiction anyway. Besides, I wanted to make sure everyone else got a piece.
Earthquake Cake is a quick and easy dessert that’s great to make for any kind of holiday party, birthday, special occasions like anniversaries or baby showers, and certainly anytime you’re having company! Everyone will rush for a piece of this luscious cake. Quite frankly, it doesn’t need any chocolate syrup poured over top, although I did that for the pictures. It has plenty of flavor, plenty of sugar, and plenty to satisfy any sweet tooth craving without adding chocolate syrup, ice cream or whipped cream. But if you just can’t help yourself–well have at it!
If you’re looking for a wonderful dessert to knock the socks off your family and friends, then Earthquake Cake is the dessert that will do it. It is so delicious everyone will want seconds and thirds. No kidding. So be generous and don’t hog the whole dessert for yourself. Allow everyone else to get a piece, too. Otherwise, you will be scrambling to make a second Earthquake Cake shortly thereafter!
This lovely cake was featured on Recipe Lion, on this post. You may also enjoy my Red Velvet Earthquake Cake!

 

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

This amazing cake is filled with a chocolate layer, a coconut and pecan layer and a cheesecake layer which undergo a seismic shift during baking causing crevices in the cake, and thus, Earthquake Cake. Great dessert for holiday baking and company.

Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from Hannah Noice, Ovilla Road Baptist Church, Ovilla, TX

Recipe type: Cakes and Cheesecakes

Cuisine: American

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
• 8-oz. cream cheese
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease and flour a 9x13” baking dish.
3. Spread pecans and coconut in the bottom of the prepared dish.
4. Mix cake mix according to package directions.
5. Spread over top of pecans and coconut.
6. Melt butter and cream cheese over low to medium heat in small saucepan.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Add powdered sugar and whisk to combine.
9. Spread powdered sugar mixture over top of cake batter in baking dish.
10. Smooth the top.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tests done.
12. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
13. Store covered tightly.
14. After 2 days, store in refrigerator.

Notes

My cake mix required 3 eggs, ⅓ cup canola oil and 1 cup water to make cake according to package directions.

Hannah said the original recipe called for 1 ½ cups coconut but that it totally overwhelmed the cake so she cut it back to ½ cup. I’ve increased the coconut to one cup for a happy medium.

You can also add chocolate chips on the bottom of the dish with the coconut.

Cover cake with foil after about 25 minutes to prevent cream cheese layer from browning too

Source: http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2014/10/04/earthquake-cake/