This earthquake cake is a chocolate cake loaded with coconut, pecans, cream cheese and chocolate chips. A super gooey and delicious cake that ALWAYS gets rave reviews!
Looking for something a little different to serve at your next gathering? This chocolate earthquake cake is filled to the brim with goodies and starts with a cake mix which means it’s super easy to make. Serve this cake alongside other sweet treats such as cheesecake stuffed strawberries and crock pot candy for a dazzling dessert display.
Let me first start by saying that this earthquake cake is not the prettiest cake out there – but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor! This is one fabulous cake loaded with pretty much everything you can imagine – chocolate, pecans, coconut AND cream cheese. It also happens to be super easy to make!
Earthquake Cake ingredients
You will need pecans, coconut flakes, chocolate cake mix, oil, eggs, water, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and chocolate chips to make this cake.
How do you make earthquake cake?
Start by placing shredded coconut and chopped pecans at the bottom of a cake pan. Next, prepare your chocolate cake batter according to the package directions, and pour the cake mixture over the coconut and pecans. Beat the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar together until smooth. Place dollops of the cream cheese mixture all over the top of the cake, then add a sprinkle of chocolate chips. Bake until the cake is set. Let the cake cool, then cut it into squares and enjoy!
Tips for the perfect cake
- Make sure your 9″x13″ baking dish is at least 2 inches deep, preferably deeper. If your pan isn’t as deep, try a larger pan or put your pan on a baking sheet before you place it in the oven in case of any overflow of batter.
- Your cake will have lots of cracks and tunnels and pockets full of delicious flavor. If the look of the craters bothers you, you can always sprinkle some more chocolate chips into the gaps after it comes out of the oven, they’ll melt from the heat of the warm cake and be totally delicious.
- This cake can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- I recommend using a chocolate fudge cake mix, but a standard chocolate, German chocolate cake mix, or devil’s food cake will also work well.
Recipe FAQs
They call this cake an earthquake cake because it looks like there’s been an earthquake when you pull it out of the oven!
You can freeze earthquake cake for up to 2 months. You can wrap the entire cake in foil, or cut it into slices and cover the individual pieces in either foil or plastic wrap.
Flavor Variations
This cake is fabulous as-is, but there are many different ways to customize the flavors to your tastes!
- Chocolate: Instead of semisweet chocolate chips, try using a different type of chip such as milk chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter.
- Nuts: No pecans on hand? Almonds, walnuts or peanuts are also great choices.
- Add-Ins: You can add other ingredients such as chopped candy bars, peanut butter cups, maraschino cherries, a drizzle of caramel sauce, a dash of vanilla extract or even mini marshmallows.
This earthquake cake feeds a crowd, which means it’s perfect for potlucks, birthday parties and other special occasions. No one will ever guess that this cake starts with a box of mix, they’ll think you made the whole thing from scratch!
If you love chocolate, this earthquake cake is an absolute must try. For an extra special treat, try adding a drizzle of chocolate frosting or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My family requests it constantly, and I’m always happy to oblige!
More decadent desserts
- Funfetti Cookies
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Microwave Caramels
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Cake
Earthquake Cake Video
Earthquake Cake
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
- eggs, oil and water according to cake mix package
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray.
- Place the pecans and coconut in an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
- Prepare the cake mix according to package directions and pour the cake batter over the coconut and pecans.
- Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth. Add the butter and beat until combined.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture and beat on low speed until smooth.
- Place dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the cake.
- Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until the cake has set.
- Cool, cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from South Your Mouth.
- Make sure your 9″x13″ pan is at least 2 inches deep, preferably deeper. If your pan isn’t as deep, try a larger pan or put your pan on a baking sheet before you place it in the oven in case of any overflow of batter.
Perfectly fantastic cake! I took it to my bible study potluck & everyone loved it
With shrinkflation, how many ounces is the box mix in this recipe?
The ounces in the box mix actually doesn’t matter for this recipe, since you’re using the eggs, oil and water as listed on the cake mix box. The recipe was tested with a 15.25 ounce box, but a little larger or smaller would also be just fine!
I can’t find an option to print this recipe. A print recipe button would be super helpful. Thanks
There is a red printer icon right under the recipe name in the recipe card!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese? I’m making this for a potluck tomorrow and I’m so excited to try it! Sounds delicious 😊
I typically refrigerate it after 8 hours at room temp!
My goodness gracious was this cake amazing! I had everything on-hand to make this sweet treat!
This is such a tasty looking cake! I’m a huge fan of anything with cream cheese, so this is a must-try for sure. Can’t wait to make it myself!
Wow! This earthquake cake has everything my family loves, coconut, pecans, and lots of chocolate. Can’t wait to make this.
This is by far the best cake I’ve ever made or eaten! It is just phenomenal. I can’t believe I lived my entire life not knowing about this.
This cake looks fantastic. Thanks for the great recipe.
One of the best cakes I’ve ever made it’s delish
Can it be baked in a bundle pan?
This recipe will not work properly in a bundt pan!
I did not make any changes. I believe it was Duncan Hines.
I made this yesterday! Very good and easy but mine looked like a regular cake. It was like all the cream cheese and chocolate chips melted and went to the bottom. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hmmmm, it’s hard to say. Did you make any changes to the recipe? What brand of cake mix?
This is probably one of the best cakes I’ve ever made!
Hello, I don’t can buy any cake mix here in Austria…is it possible to use a brownie cake recipe instead??
thank you
Barbara
Yes any chocolate cake will work!
This recipe is amazing!
I followed the directions as written and baked it 5 minutes longer until the middle was just set.
I will probably leave out the pecans next time as I didn’t really enjoy them at the bottom of this cake.