German Chocolate Pound Cake Recipe—A Southern Classic!

German Chocolate Pound Cake

I have to give a shout out to the elderly lady in the grocery store I met several weeks ago. 

She told me how she makes her German chocolate pound cake by mixing cake mix and store bought coconut pecan icing together.  

She swore by how good it was, and when I decided on doing a week of boxed mix recipes her words instantly came to mind.

Now, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about the outcome of this! The thought of combining prepared icing into my pound cake seemed a bit odd, but also intriguing.

The result was the most moist pound cake I have ever made. And, it came from a mix!  You seriously could never guess.

This cake disappeared so fast and nobody in my family could stay away from it, myself included.  

You really must give this German chocolate Bundt cake recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Why You’ll Love German Chocolate Pound Cake

• Easy to Make: Using just a box cake mix and a tub of frosting makes it an easy shortcut for a beautiful cake that tastes homemade. Traditional German chocolate cake has layers of frosting and coconut in the center of the cake, while the frosting just gets mixed right in.
• No Extra Bowls: Since you are not making this from scratch, you don’t need a separate large bowl for dry ingredients like your flour mixture or wet ingredients. No need to beat butter and mix wet ingredients and large eggs together. Everything is done in one bowl!
• Great for Any Occasion: This cake is perfect to bring to your next gathering, a bake sale, or special occasion, and everyone loves it!

Ingredients for German Chocolate Pound Cake

• Cake Mix: You’ll need one box of a German chocolate cake mix. 

• Eggs: The eggs help hold the cake batter together and make it rich and moist. 

• Vegetable Oil: A bit of vegetable oil adds extra moisture to the box cake mix.
• Water or Milk: You can use water, but milk (or buttermilk) makes for a richer cake.
• Coconut Pecan Frosting: Instead of icing the cake, this tub of frosting gets stirred inside the cake mix.

How to Make German Chocolate Pound Cake

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Mix the Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl add your cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water or milk. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer or whisk until everything’s well combined.

Add the Icing: Gently fold in the coconut pecan frosting with a rubber spatula into the cake batter. Don’t overmix, just gently stir in the icing.

Prepare Your Bundt Pan: Spray your Bundt pan with baking spray like Baker’s Joy. Or you can lightly grease with a paper towel and oil and flour it well, making sure to get all the crevices. This keeps your German chocolate Bundt cake from sticking.

Notice my vintage Bundt pan?  It was my Grandma Millie’s.  She passed away a couple years ago, and I love that I have this of hers.  I think of her every time that I use it.

Pour and Bake: Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Place it in the oven and bake for an hour.

Cool the Cake: Let your cooled cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then flip it out gently and let it cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.

Ways to Serve German Chocolate Pound Cake

• Scoop of Ice Cream: – A slice of warm cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect combo.
• Topped with Extra Frosting: You can frost the pound cake if you want it to be extra sweet and more traditional.
• With a Warm Drink: This cake is perfect with a hot cup of coffee or even hot chocolate.
• Serve with Whip Cream: Adding whip cream to the top gives it a nice creamy addition and looks pretty when serving.

• With Chocolate Ganache on Top: Just melt chocolate in medium microwave-safe bowl, then drizzle the melted chocolate over the top for a fun twist.

How to Store Leftovers

To store any leftover cake, let the cake cool completely first. Then cover it with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container to keep it fresh.

You can leave it on the counter for a day or two, but if you want it to last longer, pop it in the fridge. Just be sure to let it come back to room temperature before serving so it’s nice and soft again.

Print Pin

German Chocolate Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1 box German Chocolate cake mix
• 1 tub coconut pecan icing
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1⅓ cups water or milk

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine everything except the tub of icing together with an electric mixer or whisk. Then gently stir in the coconut pecan icing.
• Grease and flour a Bundt pan, or spray with Bakers Joy. Pour the cake batter into the pan. Bake for 1 hour.
• Cool in the pan, on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, and cool an additional 10 minutes on the rack before slicing.