Vegan German Chocolate Cake With Caramel Pecan Frosting

I love vegan cakes like my Vegan Birthday Cake and 2-Ingredient No-Bake Chocolate Cake, but sometimes, I want to bake something more refined, more classic. An authentic German chocolate cake is ultra-moist and extremely sweet! It’s a decadent chocolate cake with three sweet layers, including two layers of gooey caramel-like layer loaded with shredded coconut and pecan and one layer of chocolate buttercream. So be ready for the same sweet, decadent experience with this vegan chocolate German cake recipe. A pretty sweet, indulgent chocolate cake perfect for a Christmas celebration or any special occasion!

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make a double layer German chocolate cake without eggs or dairy, you will need:

All-Purpose Flour – I didn’t try all-purpose gluten-free flour or other flour for this recipe. I don’t recommend substitution for healthier flour, like almond flour or coconut flour. This won’t work. Cornstarch – this is your binder since it’s an egg-free chocolate cake. Don’t replace this with a flax egg, or the cake won’t be as moist, and moisture is the signature of a German chocolate cake! Sugar – white sugar or low GI cane sugar. You can also use sugar-free alternatives like allulose. Cocoa Powder – I use unsweetened Belgian cocoa powder to make it easier to balance the sweetness. Baking Powder and Baking Soda – to give the cake its fluffy texture. Soy Milk – or coconut milk to keep the cake ultra-moist. Other non-dairy milk like almond milk or oat milk dry out the crumb of the cake. Apple Cider Vinegar – or lemon juice. This is used to curdle the soy milk and create vegan buttercream. Espresso Powder – This is optional, but it enhances the chocolate flavor of the cake. Avocado Oil – or any vegetable oil like canola oil. Hot Water – Not boiling, hot from the tap. This will enhance the moist crumb of the cake. Vanilla Extract – For flavor.

How To Make A Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Start by making the chocolate cake. A German chocolate cake is an ultra-moist with a rich, sweet dark chocolate flavor. There are two fillings used in a vegan German chocolate cake recipe. One tastes like gooey caramel. It’s brownish in color and full of bites of coconut and pecan nuts. The other filling is a thick, sweet chocolate buttercream, usually used on top of the cake only, not to cover the sides. While the cakes are baking, prepare the fillings.

Coconut Pecan Cream

The coconut layer in the center and top of a German chocolate cake taste like gooey caramel. It usually includes egg yolk, so here are the ingredients to make a vegan gooey caramel filling for your vegan chocolate cake:

Vegan Butter – Or margarine. Brown Sugar – You can also use coconut sugar or brown erythritol. Cornstarch – For thickness. Canned Coconut Milk – or any dairy-free milk you like. Almond milk will work well here, but coconut enhances the coconut flavor of the frosting. Vanilla Extract – for flavor. Chopped Pecans – Or chopped walnuts. Shredded Coconut – It’s optional if you don’t like coconut.

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

The particularity of a German chocolate cake is the extra chocolate buttercream layer on top of the cake. An authentic German cake usually doesn’t cover the cake’s sides with buttercream, so you only need a small batch of vegan buttercream for this recipe. The ingredients to make the best vegan German chocolate cake frosting are:

Vegan Butter – or margarine. Powdered Sugar – or powdered sweetener. Vanilla – for flavor. Cocoa Powder – I recommend using unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder to make it easier to balance the sweetness.

Assembling The Cake

To assemble the cake, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature.

Storage Instructions

You must refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before slicing, or it can be crumbly. This cake can be made up to 3 days before and stored in a sealed cake box in the fridge. Freeze leftover slices if desired in a sealed container and thaw in the fridge the day before eating.