Earthquake Cake Recipe

A slice of chocolate cake topped with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, and nuts.

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This Earthquake Cake is my latest obsession! A tender, gooey chocolate cake is layered with toastier-than-toasted coconut flakes, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. But the real clincher is the cream cheese frosting that is baked WITH the cake, which seeps into the center and also covers the top to form a crackly layer. It really does look like an earthquake just happened! A great cake to bring to a picnic, BBQ, or game day! Feeds a crowd, too.

Prep Time25

Cook Time45

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 716kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

For the bottom layer:

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut divided (save 1/4 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans divided (save 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

For the cake batter

1 cup butter 2 sticks
1 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs

For cream cheese swirl (reserve 1 cup before pouring on cake batter)

12 ounces cream cheese 1 and 1/2 blocks
3/4 cup butter 1 and 1/2 sticks
5 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

To top the baked cake:

1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (that you toasted previously)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (that you toasted previously)
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup cream cheese frosting (that you reserved previously)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use nonstick spray or butter to thoroughly grease a 9x13 metal pan.*
Prepare the coconut. Add 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut on a dry baking sheet. Place the pan on a middle rack. Toast the coconut at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon. Stick around and stir every 1 minute until it is VERY brown, about to burn but not quite, another 1-4 minutes. Keep on eye on it! You don't want it to burn.
When it's VERY brown, take it out of the oven and immediately transfer to another surface so that it doesn't burn.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut over the bottom of the greased 9x13 pan. Reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted coconut for later. I saved mine in a little bowl.
Prepare the pecans. Add 1 cup chopped pecans to the same baking sheet. Toast the pecans at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, then stir with a wooden spoon. Stick around and stir every 1 minute until the pecans are VERY brown, another 1-4 minutes. Don't walk away!
Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven on. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of the toasted pecans over the toasted coconut in the greased 9x13 pan.
Reserve 1/4 cup of pecans. You can add them right into the same bowl where you are keeping the coconut.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup chocolate chips over the toasted coconut and pecans in the 9x13 pan.
Prepare cake batter. In a 3 quart saucepan, add 1 cup butter, 1 cup water, and 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, sticking around to stir it. Once it boils, take it off the heat.
Let it cool for a minute or two, then stir in 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat well with a whisk.
Add 2 cups all purpose flour, making sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
Add 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or sea salt) and 1 teaspoon baking soda to the flour. Use a small spoon to blend the salt and soda into the flour a little bit using your teaspoon.
Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients into the batter thoroughly. Mix only until well combined and there are only a few lumps. (Don't over mix, or you will get a tough cake)
In a glass measuring cup, add 3/4 cup of sour cream. Add 2 large eggs and beat well until combined.
Add the sour cream and eggs to the saucepan and fold the mixture in using a whisk, stirring only until it is just combined.
Pour the batter into the 9x13 inch pan over the top of the toasted coconut, toasted pecans, and chocolate chips. Spread evenly to the sides and make sure everything gets covered. Set the pan aside.
Prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting. In a separate small pot, add 12 ounces cream cheese (1 and 1/2 blocks) and 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) and set over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until they're almost melted but not quite. Remove from heat.
Use a hand mixer to beat in 5 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix until smooth.
IMPORTANT! Pour about 1 cup of the cream cheese frosting into a liquid measuring cup. Reserve for adding to the baked cake.
After you have reserved 1 cup of frosting, pour the remaining frosting in a drizzle all over the top of the unbaked cake batter in the 9x13 pan. Swirl with a knife for a marbled effect (see photos).
Bake the cake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, until it's pulling away from the edges all the way around.
Check for doneness: The toothpick test is tricky for this cake since it's so moist and there are pockets of chocolate and cream cheese. But if you are careful to insert into the cake portion, you can make it work. There should be moist crumbs but no wet, liquidy batter.
When you jiggle the pan, the cake should not wobble significantly in the center. It should be evenly wobbly all across the surface. (Please add "evenly wobbly" to my tombstone.)
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, add the reserved 1/4 cup toasted coconut and 1/4 cup toasted pecans. Add 1/4 chocolate chips, sprinkling everything evenly over the top of the cake.
Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes. Drizzle the warm cake with the 1 cup of reserved frosting. You don't need to use all of it. I like to save some of it to pass at the table for guests to add the glaze themselves.
Serve the cake warm. Or room temperature is delicious too! IT'S SO GOOD GUYS!!
Storage: I like to store this cake covered on the counter so it doesn't dry out! After about 48 hours, transfer to the fridge so it doesn't go bad. Heat up individual portions in the microwave at 50% power.
Freezing: You can freeze individual portions of this cake, tightly wrapped. Let thaw at room temperature, then heat in the microwave at 50% power.

Notes

*A glass pan will work in a pinch, but you will have to increase the bake time by a couple minutes. Glass does not conduct heat as well as metal. This cake is so gooey that a metal pan is preferable to make sure it gets baked all the way through!

Nutrition