Description
Easy Earthquake Cake is a delightful layered dessert featuring a luscious chocolate fudge cake base, swirled with a creamy sweetened cream cheese mixture, topped with toasted coconut, crunchy pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. This gooey, rich cake bakes in one pan and is perfect for gatherings or a comforting treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups sweetened coconut, flaked
- 15.25 ounce box chocolate fudge cake mix
- 2¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups pecans, chopped
Wet Ingredients
- 1⅛ cups water (or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cake.
- Toast Coconut: If desired, toast the coconut for enhanced flavor by placing it in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often until golden, or broil it in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
- Mix Cake Batter: In a large bowl, combine the chocolate fudge cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix on low speed just until well combined to preserve the cake’s texture. Set this batter aside.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl, use a mixer to cream together the softened cream cheese, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue mixing until the mixture is creamy and free of lumps. Set aside.
- Prepare Baking Pan: Grease only the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan to help the cake release easily. Evenly spread the toasted coconut, chopped pecans, and semi-sweet chocolate chips on the bottom of the pan, creating a textured base layer.
- Add Cake Batter: Pour the prepared chocolate fudge cake batter over the coconut, nut, and chocolate chip layer. Spread it evenly to cover all the toppings.
- Swirl Cream Cheese: Drop dollops of the cream cheese mixture sporadically over the cake batter. Using a skewer or butter knife, gently swirl the cream cheese into the cake batter to create a marbled effect.
- Bake: Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center remains slightly gooey, typical of the Earthquake Cake texture.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool slightly in the pan before cutting into pieces. This cake is deliciously gooey inside and perfect for serving warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Toasting the coconut is optional but enhances the nutty flavor and adds a slight crunch.
- Greasing only the bottom of the pan helps the cake stick slightly to the sides for a better texture.
- The cake will be gooey and moist inside, so allow it to cool slightly before cutting to maintain structure.
- You can substitute pecans with walnuts or omit nuts for a nut-free version.
- For a stronger chocolate flavor, consider adding an extra ¼ cup of chocolate chips on top before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Earthquake Cake, chocolate fudge cake, cream cheese swirl, coconut, pecan dessert, gooey cake, easy cake recipe, layered cake
