This Vegan German Chocolate Cake features a soft, fudgy cake layer topped with a simple coconut pecan caramel. Perfect for special occasions or when you’re simply craving a classic, indulgent slice!
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make the best vegan German chocolate cake you need 2 components:
- 1/2 batch of our basic Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe
- A rich and gooey coconut pecan filling made with 8 basic ingredients:
For the Coconut Pecan Filling
- Vegan heavy cream: Creates a rich, creamy base for the filling. We like Trader Joe’s Vegan Heavy Whipping Cream or Country Crock Plant Cream.
- Cornstarch: Helps thicken the filling without using eggs. A little goes a long way – whisk it thoroughly into the cream to prevent clumps.
- Vegan butter: Adds richness and helps achieve that smooth, caramel-like consistency.
- Brown sugar: Adds deep caramel notes and gives the filling its classic gooey thickness. Dark brown sugar will add the richest flavor, but light brown sugar or even coconut sugar works well, too!
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the flavor and rounds out the sweetness with its signature warmth.
- Pecans: Absolutely key for that nutty, crunchy German chocolate cake texture! For best results, use raw, unsalted pecans.
- Shredded coconut: Adds chewy texture and a subtle sweetness. We recommend unsweetened shredded coconut to keep the filling from being overly sweet.
- Salt: A small pinch balances the sweetness and brings out the nutty, caramelized flavors.
How to Make Vegan German Chocolate Cake
Prep work
- Toast the pecans. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the pecans evenly on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 minutes. Allow to cool, then chop the pecans into small pieces. Set aside.
- Bake 1/2 recipe of our vegan chocolate cake. We have the ingredients and step by step instructions with photos in our Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe post! We baked ours in an 8-inch square pan, but a round cake pan works as well.
Make the Coconut Pecan topping
- Dissolve the cornstarch. Combine the vegan heavy cream and cornstarch in a measuring cup and whisk together until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
- Melt the butter and sugar. Add the cream and cornstarch mixture to a medium saucepan along with the vegan butter and brown sugar. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly until the butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture bubbles, continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture should be pretty thin but will thicken as it cools.
- Stir in the vanilla, salt, pecans,and coconut. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Then stir in the chopped pecans and shredded coconut.
- Cool. Transfer to a heatproof bowl or container and cool to room temperature. Stir the filling occasionally so it cools evenly.
Assemble
- Enjoy. Once the cake and topping are cool, assemble. Spread the coconut pecan filling on top of the cake, slice, serve!
Find the full printable recipe here: Vegan German Chocolate Cake
