Earthquake Cake Recipe

Why have a plain old chocolate cake when you could have an earthquake cake? Now, you may be wondering one crucial question: What in the world is an earthquake cake? Luckily, recipe developer Jessica Morone of Jess Loves Baking is here to explain. "An earthquake cake is a chocolate cake that, after being baked, has a lot of cracks and crevices, so it looks like it has been through an earthquake," she says. "Traditionally, they are made with chocolate cake mix, coconut, pecans and have a cream cheese filling."

Chocolate cake, coconut, pecans, and cream cheese all baked together in one decadent treat? Sounds pretty good to us. "My favorite thing about this cake is how rich and delicious it is," Morone continues. "The cream cheese inside it makes it so ooey-gooey and the pecans, chocolate chips and coconut give it a nice crunch." A cake is no doubt at its best when it has a little bit of everything — sweetness, texture, and maybe a hint of creaminess from some ice cream — and this earthquake cake definitely checks all the boxes.

For this earthquake cake recipe, you'll need chopped pecans, coconut flakes, a box of chocolate cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, semisweet chocolate chips, cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and ice cream or whipped cream for topping.

"You can absolutely swap some of the ingredients," Morone notes. "Any flavor of cake mix will work, and you can change up the pecans for another type of nut, or use different types of chocolate chips (vanilla chips, for example)." However, if you want to make the most "traditional" version of earthquake cake, follow Morone's recipe exactly.

Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In the bottom of the pan, sprinkle the coconut flakes and chopped pecans, which will serve as the crunchy bottom layer for the cake.

Grab a large bowl and add the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Mix these ingredients until they're well-combined and you have a nice, smooth batter. Pour the batter right over the layer of coconut and pecans, then sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter.

Now, add the cream cheese to a separate large bowl and beat it with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the melted butter and continue beating. Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar, continuing to beat until you have a smooth cream cheese mixture.

Plop down dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter, then use a knife to swirl the cream cheese into the cake. Pop the cake into the oven and allow it to bake for 35-40 minutes — you'll know it's done when the center is set.

Once the cake is done baking, allow it to cool, then cut it into slices and serve. Morone recommends topping the cake with ice cream or whipped cream, though she also has some other suggestions. "Instead of ice cream or whipped cream you could just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, or serve it without anything on top," she says. "The cake is so rich it really goes well with something lighter and creamier to balance the flavors." With each bite you take, you'll likely notice all of the cracks in the cake, a delicious reminder of exactly what makes this dessert an earthquake cake!