Shake Things Up With This Easy Chocolate Earthquake Cake

There’s always a time and a place for a multi-layer cake, dressed up in beautiful frosted details. But when you’re searching for a cake to feed a crowd, few things compare to a 9x13 cake served straight out of the pan. 

These rectangular cakes can certainly be paired with your favorite flavor of frosting spread on top, but what if you could skip the step of having to frost the cake after it has baked and cooled altogether? Enter earthquake cake.

I love a no-fuss dessert, and this one-bowl chocolate cake has a cream cheese frosting-like filling baked right into the top of the cake. You can assemble it all at once in a trusty 9x13 and pop the pan in the oven. The cream cheese filling bubbles up to create little cracks and pockets of flavor all over the cake, giving earthquake cake its name. Once the cake has baked, it won’t be long before it’s cool enough to slice right into to serve. 

Each bite is well-balanced with a variety of flavors and textures without being overly sweet. It has a flavor profile similar to a German chocolate cake, but with a cream cheese upgrade.

Serve Warm or Let It Cool

Once the cake is removed from the oven, the cream cheese filling will need a bit of time to cool and set. I like to wait about one hour before cutting a slice and digging in. When the cake is still warm, it’s the ideal balance of gooey textures thanks to melty chocolate chips and the cream cheese filling. 

You can choose to wait a bit longer for the cake to fully cool as well—it’s good for making ahead. Serve it on its own, add a drizzle of caramel sauce, or cut smaller slices and pair it with ice cream.

Earthquake Cake Tips and Tricks

• Use coffee to amp up the flavor: The chocolate cake recipe calls for hot water to be added to the batter at the end, which helps to add moisture. If preferred, swap the water for coffee. The chocolate cake batter is flavorful enough as-is, but the addition of hot coffee will enhance the chocolate notes even more.
• To swirl or not to swirl: My preference is to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate cake batter, creating a pretty pattern on top. This helps to disperse the pockets of cream cheese as well. For more of an “explosion” effect with your cake, you can choose to add smaller dollops of the cream cheese mixture and skip the swirling.
• Place the cream cheese carefully: For this cake, a deep 9x13-inch pan is best, with at least a 2 1/2-inch side wall. Keep the cream cheese mixture from getting too close to the edge of your cake pan to avoid it overflowing into the oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack if you’re concerned about the cake overflowing and making a mess. After all, it’s called an earthquake cake for a reason.

A Clever Shortcut

For slightly quicker prep, skip the homemade chocolate cake batter and use a cake mix in its place. Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box and assemble the rest of the earthquake cake per the recipe.

One Pan Cakes

• Magic Cake (Gâteau Magique)
• Strawberry Spoon Cake
• Easy Devil's Food Cake
  
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Ciambellone
  

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Prepare a 9x13-inch cake pan by greasing it with cooking spray and placing a cut piece of parchment paper at the base to prevent sticking.

Make the coconut pecan base:

In a small bowl, mix the shredded coconut and chopped pecans together. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the prepared cake pan.

Make the cream cheese filling:

In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the softened cream cheese until broken up and smooth. Mix in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Set the mixture aside.

Make the cake batter:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the mixture is free of any large clumps.

Mix in the eggs and oil, and then mix in the milk and vanilla extract until just combined. Stir in the hot water.

Combine the batter and cream cheese mixture:

Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan over the coconut-pecan mixture. Using a spoon, scoop dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the cake batter. Use the end of the spoon or a butter knife to gently swirl the cream cheese mixture through the batter, if desired. It’s best to keep the cream cheese mixture away from the sides of the pan to avoid bubbling out while baking. 

Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.

Bake:

Bake the cake until the chocolate cake is fully cooked, 40 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the chocolate cake edges should come out clean. The cream cheese pockets should be set (not liquidy) but still jiggly. Note that a toothpick inserted in the cream cheese center will not come out clean, as the cake is meant to be gooey. 

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 1 to 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or wait until it has fully cooled.

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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