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.
My grandmother always made German chocolate cake at Christmas. She passed away many years ago and I haven’t really thought about it since becoming vegan. But when I ran across this recipe I just had to give it a try. It was absolutely perfect. Everyone loved it and my mom said that my grandmother would be so proud. Thank you for bringing this tradition back to my family.
That’s so sweet Kia. Thanks for sharing and for your wonderful review!