The Country Cook

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE

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5 from 7 votes

German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake starts with a cake mix swirled with a cheesecake filling and topped with the most amazing homemade frosting!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE

Y’all, this cake recipe is so amazingly wonderful. It’s what happens when German Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake decide to get together and do a little hanky panky. The base of this cake starts off with a boxed cake mix (yay!) but the cheesecake layer and the frosting are from scratch. And the frosting, oh the frosting. It is heaven. The cake weighs about 2 tons when all is said and done, but it is so worth it (kinda like pregnancy).
German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

CAKE + CHEESECAKE

My co-workers actually renamed this cake. The actual name given to this cake is “German Chocolate Cheesecake.” However, when I told them what I was bringing to share, they were expecting cheesecake with a German chocolate topping. Noooo, it’s a German chocolate cake with cheesecake running through it, I told them. So they ask, “Well, why isn’t it called German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake?” I said, “I don’t know, this is just what they call it. Will you just eat it?” And they did. And they loved it. And they keep asking for more. They are a spoiled bunch.
German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake recipe from The Country Cook

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
for the cake:
German chocolate cake mix
(plus ingredients needed per package directions, usually eggs, oil & water)

cream cheese filling:
cream cheese
sugar
eggs

German Chocolate cake frosting:
sugar
evaporated milk
salted butter
egg yolks
vanilla extract
sweetened flaked coconut
chopped pecansGerman Chocolate cake mix, eggs, oil, water, coconut pecan frosting

HOW TO MAKE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE:

Prepare cake batter according to package directions; set aside. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour half of the cake batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining cake batter over top; spread to edge of pan.
cheesecake filling mixed with chocolate cake batter
Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour. For the frosting, in a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans. Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cooled cake.
spreading homemade German Chocolate cake frosting onto chocolate cake
Refrigerate leftovers.
German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
Makes about 16 servings
German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
Enjoy!

Originally published: April 2011
Updated & Republished: June 2019

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German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE CAKE

German Chocolate Cheesecake Cake starts with a cake mix swirled with a cheesecake filling and topped with the most amazing homemade frosting!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: German Chocolate Cheesecake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 478kcal
Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 box German chocolate cake mix
  • ingredients needed per package directions eggs, oil & water

For the cheesecake filling:

  • 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten

For the coconut pecan frosting:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, cubed
  • 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-1/2 cups sweetened flaked or shredded coconut
  • 1-1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Prepare German chocolate cake batter according to package directions; set aside.

For the cheesecake filling:

  • In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  • Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

To prepare cake:

  • Pour half of the prepared German chocolate cake batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • Gently pour cream cheese mixture over batter. Gently spoon remaining cake batter over top; spread to edge of pan.
  • Bake at 325° for 70-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour.

For the coconut pecan frosting:

  • In a saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and egg yolks Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thickened and a thermometer reads 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
  • Remove from the heat.
  • Stir in vanilla; fold in coconut and pecans.
  • Cool until frosting reaches spreading consistency.
  • Frost cooled cake.

Notes

Refrigerate leftovers.

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 429mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 2.6mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

About Brandie @ The Country Cook

I’m a regular home cook, like most of you, doing my best to get a good meal on the table for my family. I like to say the recipes on here are recipes for the busy cook (you know who you are). You can still get a good meal on the table, with a few shortcuts to help you along the way. I hope you’ll find lots of recipes here that you’ll love and hopefully will become family favorites. Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Holly

    Bran, you ROCK girl!! I could not have imagined a better recipe for you to share!! Thank you so much for being my guest!! I am honored : )

    Reply

  2. The Country Cook

    Love ya Holly. I really hope your readers enjoy it as much as we did. Thank you SO much for asking me to be a part of your blog! Such an honor and you've become such a great friend – thank you!

    Reply

  7. Tina

    Oh my gosh! This looks like the perfect dessert to make me WANT to stay an extra half hour at the gym! I just added the ingredients to my shopping list! Thanks Brandie!!
    PS..everywhere I wear my jewelry, I get compliments!

    Reply

  8. Melynda

    Serious? I cannot wait to make this. I really like cheesecake where it is shared in another dessert, rather than just pure cheesecake. This looks perfect. thanks.

    Reply

  9. Rosemary

    I Love cheesecake . . . love German chocolate cake. I can imagine just how luscious the combo is! I'll be getting this recipe for sure! And I'll check out your guest post, too.

    Reply

  10. The Country Cook

    Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I really hope you enjoy this cake if you try it. Y'all are the best and your support continues to humble me!

    Reply

  11. RavieNomNoms

    Wow that looks amazing! I think german chocolate cake is under rated and then to add the cheesecake into it? OH MAN, this is incredible!

    Reply

  16. MrsJenB

    You. so. crazy.

    Seriously, my jaw dropped at the title alone. THEN I saw the picture and lost control of my senses. I woke up on the floor.

    Maybe not. But you know what I mean. 😉

    Reply

  18. Mateja ^_^

    Wonderful combination and as I'm lately all into cheesecakes off I go……………have a great weekend 🙂

    Reply

  19. Candace

    I can't think of a better combination than German Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake. It's like the best of both worlds. You are awesome!

    Reply

  27. Rachel

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, you've got me drooling! That looks incredible! I'm your newest follower . . . can't wait to try out some of your recipes!

    Reply

  30. A little bit of everything

    i love german chocolate but never heard of german chocolate cheesecake but I love it already. I bet it tasted heavenly. Thanks for sharing Brandie

    Reply

  31. Tiffany @ No Ordinary Homestead

    Wow — glad that has zero calories in it 🙂 Sounds delish! And now I must go check out your whoopie pies & the eclair cake which looks DIVINE!

    Reply

  34. Amy @ A Little Nosh

    My husband love love loves german chocolate cake so I'm sure this would put him over the edge. Looks delicious!

    (Found you on Made by You Monday)

    Reply

  36. Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels

    I love german chocolate cake but german chocolate cheesecake cake sounds even better! I've never seen a cake like this before. I have to make it asap. Thanks so the recipe. 🙂

    Reply

  37. The Mom Chef

    Oh heaven's preserve us, that looks sinfully delicious. I think I could put away a good amount of that. I love anything with cheesecake. Wow.

    Reply

  41. Andrea

    Made this today for my Mom's birthday and everyone loved it!! We have been taking turns trying your recipes and they have ALL been great. You have a such wonderful collection of family friendly recipes with accessible ingredients and easy to follow instructions. Thank you for sharing! :o)

    Reply

  42. Patty C.

    Just wondering — for the frosting, could you substitute sweetened condensed milk for the evaporated milk, and eliminate the sugar, or will that make the frosting too runny?

    Reply

  45. Anonymous

    I cannot eat gluten. Can I make the German Chocolate Cake from scratch using gluten free flour and the cook times would still be the same. The recipe looks wonderful and I love German Choco Cake. Thanks

    Reply

  46. Donna

    5 stars
    Just made this cake and it TOTALLY, TOTALLY Rocks!! So GOOD! My family loves it (with the exception of my youngest son, he doesn’t like chocolate…crazy ain’t it??)!! This is definitely a KEEPER! Thank you, Brandie!! 🙂

    Reply

  47. Mary

    5 stars
    This is a fabulous cake! Very easy to make too. I haven’t made a German Chocolate cake in years! Great twist. This is a keeper. Thank you.

    Reply

  48. gina

    Hi Brandie!

    This recipe looks wonderful. I wonder, have you tried to make a version of it as a “poke” cake? I am considering altering your recipe by using a no-bake cheesecake, poking holes in the baked German chocolate cake, pouring over that the no-bake cheesecake and after that cools, using your frosting recipe to top it off. Do you think this would be a grand disaster? I am not a great cook so I don’t know if I am crazy to attempt this or not. My son’s birthday is coming up and he loves German chocolate and loves cheesecake so…… Thanks for posting this and thanks for letting me bounce my plan off you for your thoughts!

    Reply

  49. Pat

    5 stars
    This recipe was very easy to follow. The cake is delicious and so moist. I made this for a family dinner and it disappeared in no time. Great cake and will definitely be on my repeat recipe list. Strongly recommend this recipe.

    Reply

  51. Cookies4kids

    5 stars
    This is a fantastic recipe in that it’s so versatile. You can use any chocolate cake mix or your favorite doctored cake mix. I had some leftover chocolate filling from a poke cake so I made a few holes and used that up also. The flavors of the cream cheese and topping are over the top, and the pieces are firm and easy to handle. I swear it was even better after it had been frozen. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

  52. Lucy Wilson

    My sister made it for mother’s day last year. I make cheesecake all the time, (my own recipe) and was super excited to do so myself. However, after I put it in the oven, I realized I didn’t add the eggs correctly to the cream cheese layer. Your instructions should be a little more clear as to how many eggs are used in that layer. I only added 1 bc 3 are called for in the cake. So, needless to say, I was very confused. Crossing my fingers it comes out ok.

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      Hi Lucy! Thanks so much for the feedback! I updated the recipe card and hopefully that will make things a bit more clear to anyone who had the same confusion as you. Thank you!

      Reply

      • Lucy Wilson

        5 stars
        Thank you! Just so you know, it still came out great! Lol It was just more like a cream cheese filling! As you can see, I still gave this recipe 5stars! Everyone absolutely loved it!

  56. Helen Haine

    5 stars
    Hi i used a carrot cake box cake mix. It was delicious but all the cream cheese mix went to the bottom. I was wondering did i not put enough cake mix on the bottom or was the cake mix too.light compared to the German chocolate mix. I didn’t put any icing on it also.

    Reply

    • Brandie @ The Country Cook

      I never would have thought of carrot cake! How different! So, the carrot cake batter isn’t as dense as chocolate cake batter so that was probably the issue. Also, yes, perhaps a little bit more of the cake batter on the bottom would’ve helped. 🙂

      Reply

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