We’ve made a German Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe that is better than ever with tender-crumbed chocolate cake sandwiching a thick and rich Coconut-Pecan Filling. The indulgent cake comes together with bold, unsweetened cocoa powder and decadently sweet baking chocolate. Whole buttermilk adds a touch of tang and helps create the airy crumb. The filling combines sweetened flaked coconut with earthy chopped pecans for a beautiful crunch in each bite. Baked in the Nordic Ware 75th Anniversary Braided Bundt® Cake Pan, this German Chocolate Bundt Cake takes on an elegant and beautiful form. With every slope and swirl, this Bundt pan creates an undeniably smooth and consistent bake, with a dessert that releases easily from the pan. Need more chocolate? Once the cake is baked to perfection, cover it with Creamy Chocolate Frosting. Coming together with just four simple ingredients, this buttery frosting can be topped with toasted coconut and chopped pecans for the final step to a picture-perfect masterpiece!
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- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs (200 grams), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 1½ cups (360 grams) whole buttermilk, room temperature
- 6 ounces (175 grams) sweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled*
- Coconut-Pecan Filling (recipe follows)
- Creamy Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)
- Garnish: lightly toasted sweetened flaked coconut, finely chopped toasted pecans
- *We used Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate until combined.
- Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread into an even layer. Tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batter and release air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Measuring 1¼ inches from bottom of cake, cut cake in half horizontally using a large, serrated knife. Using a cake board or cake lifter, remove top half, and set aside. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling evenly on top of bottom half. Replace top half. Spread Creamy Chocolate Frosting on top of cake. Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped pecans, if desired. (Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set frosting for a cleaner cut, if desired).
- ⅔ cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (160 grams) evaporated milk
- 2 large egg yolks (38 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
- 1 cup (110 grams) packed sweetened flaked coconut
- ⅔ cup (69 grams) finely chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks, and salt until smooth. Add butter, and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until butter is melted. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and coats the back of a spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 200°F (93°C), about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla. Pour into a heatproof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2½ tablespoons (38 grams) whole buttermilk
- In a medium bowl, beat butter with hand mixer fitted beater attachments at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add cocoa, and beat at low speed until combined. With mixer on low speed, add confectioners’ sugar, about ½ cup (60 grams) at a time, alternately with buttermilk, about 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, beating until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
Lavishing Layers: We show you how to cut, fill, and cover your Bundt!
- Measuring 1¼ inches from bottom of cake, cut cake in half horizontally using a large, serrated knife. Using a cake board or cake lifter, remove top half, and set aside.
- Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling evenly on top of bottom half. Replace top half.
- Spread Creamy Chocolate Frosting on top of cake. Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped pecans, if desired. (Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set frosting for a cleaner cut, if desired).
Can’t wait to make this cake.