An easy and delicious cake, also known as Earthquake Cake. Coconut and pecans are baked under a German chocolate cake mix, with a cream cheese mixture on top that sinks into the batter as it bakes.

Hurricane Cake

margarine

pecans

coconut

(18.25 chocolate cake mix

cream cheese

confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt and spread 1/2 cup margarine in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle coconut and pecans evenly over the bottom of pan; set aside.


Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour batter over coconut and pecans in pan. In a saucepan over low heat, melt cream cheese and 1/2 cup margarine. Stir in confectioners' sugar until mixture is smooth. Spoon cream cheese mixture randomly over top of cake batter.


Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool and serve from the pan.


This is one of the best cakes I've ever had. I'm not that fond of German Chocolate cake mixes so I used a Devil Foods. The third time I made it, I sprinkled some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the pecan layer and that made it even better. The cake is so moist and delicious. The second day it's even better. Another thing, the first time I made it the pecan/coconut layer stuck to the bottom really bad so the next 3 times I cooked it (yeah it's a big hit), I lined the cake pan with parchment paper with the paper overlapping the sides so when the cake was cooled I could pop it out the pan and put it on a decorative plate. There was no sticking whatsoever.

Delicious. Best to leave it overnight or for several hours though before eating as it needs time to blend and settle.

This cake is great!  I do not use butter in the bottom of the pan.  I just sprinkle the nuts and coconut on the bottom and pour cake batter on top.  The cake comes out of the pan fine that way.

I'm a 13 year-old rookie cook and that recipe was so easy (and there weren't many dishes...) It tasted sooo good! The bottom was hard to get out of the pan but it was worth it!  My whole family loved the recipe, and I plan to make it for my birthday. It stayed moist for days! 
Thank-you Iris, 
you made me look good! 
P.S. It really deserves 6 stars!

Big hit at my office! Thanks for the recipe!

This is actually the Earthquake Cake!  Because this cake is all cracked up on top,(as if the earth had cracked)  and a little note to help make the taste even better try this, use coconut pecan frosting along with the original recipe(coconut and pecans). Just by adding the frosting it just makes it a bit more tasty!

Dang, this is a good cake. I made it in round pans and inverted onto cake plates after thoroughly cooled. It looked great and served well.

This cake is delicious! Its even more yummier if you leave it to refrigerate overnight.

WOW!!  This cake was amazingly fabulous!  I didn't have a chocolate cake mix on hand, but I had a carrot cake mix and thought the combination of coconuts, pecans, etc. would be an excellent blend.  No turning back!  My husband raved about this until it was gone and then wanted me to bake another.  The only other change was I used butter instead of margarine.  I had no sticking to the pan.  This recipe will be in my TOP 3 list of favorites!!  Thank you!

The only change I made was omitting the butter in the bottom of the pan--I just 'pammed' the bottom and there was no sticking.  I received many compliments and will make it again!

VERY GOOD!!  I made this for guests and everyone LOVED it!  I was surprised that the cream cheese mixture sank more than some of the other pictures showed and than I expected.  I made it exactly as the recipe said and it was perfect.  (3 3/4 cup is the 1lb box of powdered sugar)

Of all the cake recipes that I had - my daughter choose to make this one w/ me (I think she really likes the name of the cake ~ which may explain why she choose it). VERY EASY TO MAKE AND VERY GOOD TO EAT!! Even my minor complaint - that the bottom is a pain to get out of the pan - doesn't detract from the taste. Huge hit with this family!! Thanks Iris!

This recipe was so simple and easy. I made two pans last night. We ate one pan warm and then let the other refrigerate overnight. I served it to company this afternoon and they told me it was a 5 star recipe:) Like some of the other reviewers, I also had problems with it getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. This only happened to the pan that was refrigerated. The one we ate warm I had no problem with at all. My family all said that it is more rich when you eat it fresh out of the oven, almost too rich. Nonetheless, this recipe has become a new family favorite. Thanks for sharing!! BTW, its AWESOME with a glass of milk:)

Do not swirl the cream cheese mixture into the cake mixture.  It will just sink to the bottom and create a candy like mixture that is hard to remove from the pan.

Very moist and good. Sprayed pan with cooking spray and worked perfectly.

This was superb...I used a regular choc. cake mix and made it into a pudding cake (4 eggs, oil , instant pudding, etc)  I also added my usual 2 dollops of mayo to retain moisture, as well as 2 tbps of hersheys syrup.  I then used 9 in round pans with parchment paper lining.  Really easy to remove.  I inverted it and peeled off the paper in one easy piece. It looked so pretty too!  one more thing, i poured a quarter of the cake batter in each pan, then half the cream cheese  mixture and then the rest of the cake batter.  Just so it would be more even.

I only used 2 tbsp of butter for the bottom, instead of the 1/2 cup.  My cream cheese portion really sunk deep into the cake (I was expecting it to look like the first picture)...BUT the taste was outstanding. My mother, who's birthday this cake was for was in hog heaven, and we had no leftovers at all.  Thanks so much!

I am a certified cake-oholic and this cake didn't quite hit the mark for me.  The best part was the super-moist cake, but my cream cheese mixture sunk to the bottom of the dish and created a sticky goo with the pecans and coconut.  Yes, still tasty, but a long way away from the best cake I've ever eaten!

It tastes great but it's loaded with calories from fat and sugar. To help relieve at least a little of this problem I only used 1 cup of powdered sugar.

I have made this cake for years, and it is a great cake. My version is different though.I use the pecans, and bag of frozen coconut, and no marg. on bottom.Just spray bottom and sides with butter spray. Pour cake batter over that. Melt 1 stick butter, 8oz. cream cheese and 1 box powder sugar.When I put this on top of cake,I let it pour out, like in heavy spurts(don't know how to explain)all around. This way mixture goes to the bottom, and it firms the bottom up when it cools,like having the german chocolate frosting on bottom.I have always made it in a 13x9. Even without the butter on bottom, I've never had problems with it falling apart or sticking.I'm sure is wonderful the way it is here also.

Loved the flavor tried to make them into cupcakes would not recommend, but as a cake it was delish!

I tried this cake because I love german chocolate cake and cheesecake, and I didnt regret it.. the whole family loved this. For some reason this cake taste better the next day after you make it but good luck trying to keep that long. lol

Trust me I made it and its GREAT!! but its really called the Earthquake Cake! but either way its great!

Very good cake &amp; beautiful in a bundt form

Delicious Cake! The reason I did not give this recipe 5 stars is because I had to change a couple of things. I did not add butter to the pan, I simply greased it and I did not melt the cream cheese mixture in a saucepan, I just softened it before mixing with an electric mixer. The cake came out perfect and the top looked like an earthquake. THIS IS AN EARTHQUAKE CAKE!

I baked this yesterday and turned out soooo good.  I did not have coconuts and pecans so instead I used raisins and walnuts.  I brought it to work and they all LOVED IT.  My husband just told me that everyone at his office went crazy for it. Thank you for this yummy recipe.

The cake is great, very moist. I reduced the icing sugar to 2 cups and melted he mixture just enough to pour over the cake. I'm going to double the cream cheese mixture for a quick and easy cheese cake.

Loved, loved this cake!! It was a hit at our dinner party! The only thing I did was as some suggested, I omitted the butter in the bottom of the pan and sprayed pam instead. Will make this again and again!

This was delicious...very chocolatey. I used wax paper on bottom of the pan and turned it out when done. 

I made this for my bookclub and there wasn't one person who didn't ask for the recipe.  I was hesitant to make it because I'm not that crazy about german chocolate cake, but I'm so glad I made it.  It was one of the best cakes I've ever had!

I have made this cake a few times. It is awsome!!! So moist and yummy. If you are looking for a easy, yummy chocolate dessert, look no further.

So good!! It gets better with age too :)  My cream cheese sunk as the others mentioned, but it was still really tasty.  Will make again!

I thought this was GREAT! I didnt have any problems with sinking, etc. But my advice is DEFINITELY make this a day ahead. It gets better the longer it sits.

I made this for dessert tonight and it was great.  I followed the recipe exactly and the topping sort of sunk to the bottom of the pan but it was delicious.  I did find that I had to bake it a little longer but it came out very well.  I'll make this again.

I had put in a search for the exact ingrediants for this cake and saw this recipe pop up and thought I would give it a try. It came out of the oven and I let it cool and couldnt resist trying a little nibble and WOW! This is very tasty, full of flavor but not overpowering. I did what chubbs suggested and turned it out onto a cake board and it makes a great looking cake on the underside. Thanks for this recipe, this one is going to be made alot. 

Just made this today and it was sooo delicious! I took someone's advice and added chocolate chips and white choc chips on the bottom layer. Other than that, I followed the exact recipe. Don't pass up on this cake... It won't dissapoint!

I made this cake for a social event and was a big hit; will definitely make it again. Also, did not have the sticking problem with butter/pecans/coconut mixture.

Wow this was actually really good! I was just looking to use up a german chocolate cake mix I had sitting in my cupboard and based on the reviews I decided to make this as a treat for work. It looked really cool when it was done baking, literally like an earthquake broke up a desert or something. And the taste of the cream cheese mixture was really good! Much more like candy and less like cheesecake but still SUPER good. This would be a lot of fun to make for school aged kids when they learn about earthquakes.

Simple - delicious - baked it for a hurricane party last night &amp; can't stop eating it today! Just want to point out that you definitely don't need a whole stick of marge on the bottom - a couple of tablespoons did fine for me - and the calorie count of 548 based on 12 pieces = really massive hunks of cake! You can cut it into 15 or even 20 pieces and they would still be good-size, less guilt-ridden, chunks.

Awesome! Some modifications...
I used only one stick of butter and melted it with the cream cheese in the microwave. I used 4 cups of confectioners sugar. The recipe I had said to bake for 45 minutes and I used the convection setting on my oven and it was perfectly done at this time. When it cooled, I also melted Ghiradelli chocolate over the top.

i havnt made this cake yet, but from all the reviews, it seems delicious, im just a little confused though by the directions. It says to pour the batter into the prepared pan twice? Once over the coconuts and pecans, and again near the end. Am i only supposed to pour half and then the other half later?

Excellent!  I recommend turning it out of the pan.  The coconut and pecans make a great "topping".  Very good, and I agree that it is better the next day!  Thank you.  This is a keeper for me!

Prepared exactly as recipe read.  Wonderful texture.  I saved to my recipe box and noted for my taste I will reduce the confectioners' sugar by 1/2.  Everything else remains the same.  Thanks Iris for a great dessert cake.

OMG - this is one of the best cakes I've had in a long time.  It's absolutely awesome and easy to make.  Everyone wanted the recipe.  I love cakes that don't need icing or toppings.  Try this - you won't be sorry.  I do think the earthquake cake title fits this much better do to the finished appearance.  I did use the low fat cream cheese.  Well heck - it saved a few calories anyways lol.

This was AWESOME! First time I made it was for my friend's BDay who loves coconut &amp; chocolate and it was a BIG hit; even her hubby had two giant helpings and he's really picky! Since then I've made several more times and it was requested again for her BDay this year. A keeper for sure! 

The cake was okay straight out of the oven warm, but absolutely delicious the next day!

Fantastic.  For extra yumminess top with german chocolate frosting (from scratch)...oh so good!!

There were so many recipes like this out there. I went with this one and BOY was it a winner! It's even nice to take to a picnic because the warmer and gooier, the better.

This cake is sooooo good. I took it to work, everyone loved it. It is one the tastiest cakes I have ever had. It is fab.

Originally I thought this cake might be dry, but I was so wrong! The gooey stuff at the bottom totally make this cake delicious. I'm not a fan of coconut so I left it out and it still turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!

i just loved ths cake. made it for my hubby birthday

I used Pam so the cake wouldn't stick and 1/4 cup of margarine &amp; 1/4 cup of Pilsbury Coconut Pecan frosting instead of a whole 1/2 cup of margarine.  The recipe doesn't specify if the coconut is sweetened/unsweetened, but I had unsweetened on hand so I added the frosting for good measure and 1/2 cup of margarine seemed like too much for that first layer  I also sprinkled some of the nuts on the cake mixture before adding the cream cheese mixture and I put a little coconut in the cream cheese mixture too...but anyway too many words, I took this to work today for a potluck/chili cookoff and people loved it!!

So easy and delicious. I used 1/2 the melted butter and used chocolate chips instead of pecans and coconut.

First cake I decided to make on my own..Absolutely Delliicious!! Baked for 4th of July and one other time..Family loved it

I would either halve or eliminate the first butter.  I will make it again, but without the butter.  Usedparchment.

This was very good! I took it to work and it was gone in a flash. The only change i made was i toasted the coconut and the pecans before adding them to the bottom of the pan.  i think i had trouble w/the cream cheese element of this recipe, though. After melting the margarine, cream cheese, and adding the powdered suger, i ended up with more of a thin sauce, making it difficult to "spoon randomly over cake batter", since it ended up covering the entire thing, anyway. In spite of my question about the cream cheese "sauce", it was delish, and i'd make it again. 

Fantastic and so easy!  Also good with chopped walnuts.

I should state up front that I am not a chocolate lover, especially a chocolate cake lover.  With that said, I was a little dissappointed in this cake.  I found all the ingredients being things I love (aside from the chocolate cake).  I just expected more I suppose.  I served it warm and then went back later and tried a piece that was cool.  It did taste better after cooling.  My brother in law (whose not a cake eater either) said it was the best cake he'd ever had.  So it's all in opinion.

I skipped adding the butter on the bottom of the pan. Instead I sprayed the pan with Pam for baking. I didn't have any trouble with it sticking. You can always put down parchment paper and that would help the sticking, but I would also spray that. Most of my cream cheese sunk to the bottom so it was a layer of the pecans and coconut and then the cream cheese then the cake. It was very good and my husband ate most of it and he is not a cake person.

Really delicious. Everybody loved it at the party I took it too. Used parchment paper as one reviewer suggested and inverted cake onto serving dish. It stuck just a little at the corners but not too badly. Also sprinkled chocolate chips on bottom of pan with the coconut and pecans. Used 1/4 c of margarine instead of 1/2 cup.

Moist and delicious (used black magic cake) but not loved by my family.  Amy and Dad B enjoyed it ( and Corynn).  Very much like an upside down German chocolate cake.

I would give this 10 stars if I could. I made this for my birthday. I only used 1/4 cup margarine with the coconut. I used almonds because that is what I had on hand. I only used about 1 cup of powdered sugar. I baked it in a bundt pan instead. Very decadent and yummy!!!

Amazing Recipe!  Very easy, very moist and a fun dessert to make as well.  After I made it I was concerned that it didn't come out right b/c it didn't look all that pretty and I didn't have coconut so I had to use mini chocolate chips.  It was wonderful...I'm sure it's even better with the right ingredients, but next time I think I'll buy coconut but use the chocolate chips too.

Easy to make and pretty tasty, not decadent.  I used parchment paper (no margarine on the base) and added 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips as well.  I also used butter in the cream cheese instead of margarine, and only used about 2/3 of the cream cheese mixture.

This cake is really good, I would have given it 5 stars but I could not bring myself to making the cake exactly as it ( I mean using 3 3/4 cups of confectioners sugar) so instead I used 2 cups and that was plenty!!! Nevertheless this recipe is a keeper!!! Thanks for posting it.

This this deliciously evil, just sinful. There is only one way to describe the taste "more" b/c you just can't get enough. I made this for work and it went fast.  I didn't change a thing only took the advice of another reviewer with laying the bottom with parchment paper.

I love this cake. It hits the mark when you need something sweet. Cream cheese, pecans, coconut, and chocolate....how can you go wrong? The only thing that would make it better is peanut butter. Now that's a thought!

Delicious and rich, a huge hit at a recent bbq with friends.  Used a general box chocolate cake but it worked fine.  Great recipe, many thanks.

I love this cake and had been planning on baking it all week. Then as I pulled out all the ingredients today I realized that what I thought was a chocolate cake mix in the cupboard was a spice cake mix.  It was too late to run to the store and still finish baking so I went ahead with the substitution. It turned out great. I would do this again (on purpose the next time) and perhaps leave the coconut out and toss in some butterscotch chips. It would probably also be good with some finely grated carrots in the spice cake mix too!

I've made this great cake many times.  For those of you who don't like the cream cheese and other ingredients sticking to the bottom of your cake pan, try this:  Put 1/3 or 1/2 of the cake batter in a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Then, put the coconut, pecans on the batter, followed by the  cream cheese mix. Then, put the rest of the cake batter on top and bake as directed. It still gets rave reviews. I prefer using 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with the cream cheese and butter.

Not the prettiest cake ever, but deffinatly one of the most tasty. a lot like a german chocolate, but much better awsome with coffee. Simple easy to make and anyone that like chocolate will love it.

Oh my! Made this this morning and we just ate a piece tonight. It is definitely a keeper. So good and so easy. I used a devils food cake mix.

This is actually called earthquake cake. It is very good but I used a chocolate fudge cake mix rather than the German chocolate one and mixed in a few chocolate chips before putting over top the coconut and nuts.

Not bad but not deserving of its 4 1/2 star rating.  Tastes like German chocolate cake except all mixed up.  Personally I would prefer the classic German chocolate cake.

I made this for a cookout on this holiday weekend and got raving reviews from everyone who tasted it.  I sprayed the pan with Pam and had no trouble getting the pieces out.  I also took another reviewer's suggestion and added some semi-sweet chocolate chunks to the pecan/coconut layer and toasted the pecans and coconut to enhance their flavors.  This was an "ugly", but very good cake that I plan on making over and over again.

My son said that this is 10 stars out of 5.  My husband said that this cake was one of his favorites.  This is definitely a hit in my house.  I will definitely make this again.  Thanks for the awesome recipe!

Just made this.  OMG!!!!  Sooo good.  I had no pecans so I used almonds.  Also had no confectioners' sugar, so I used Fruit sugar (really finely ground sugar).  I only used 1 cup. Turned out amazing!!!!  Others have said that it stuck to the pan.  I put the nuts in before adding the coconut, came out of the pan perfect.  Thanks for a keeper!

This is very good.  I made it for my husband and now he requests it whenever we are going to cookouts or having company over! Very rich and delicious.

Thank you thank you thank you for this delicious recipe! I'm not a beginner cook, nor am I an expert, but this recipe is fantastic! I followed it exactly, (I excluded coconut, no one I know likes it 'cept me... )= and used butter instead of margarine and replaced it with chocolate chips! Yum!) and it turned out perfect! I also added ganache to make it rich, and my mother loved it! (Made it yesterday for today) So in conclusion, this recipe was beautifully done, so thank you very much!

This was an easy recipe and it was so good. Tasted better cold from the frig. Delicious. Huge success with work and home. I'm loved ??

Delicious. I did not change anything with the recipe and it was perfect

I made this for my moms birthday and it was perfect. I do not care for german chocolate so I used regular chocolate cake mix and it was still awesome! I agree with other reviews its even better on day 2. Thank you so much. Everyone loved it!

it came out pretty good.  I'm going to skip the butter with the coconut and peacan.  it was a bit too much.  but, everyone loved it.

It was very good.  I used butter instead of margarine.  They titled the recipe incorrectly, it is Earthquake Cake, not Hurricane Cake.  And these is a misprint in the directions.  Skip the first sentence in step 3.  The batter goes in the pan on top of the pecans and coconut, then the cream cheese mixture goes on top of the batter.

I added chocolate frosting, store bought and heated in the microwave before pouring over the cooled cake. It is very rich, and I will make it again!!

I'm a little bit confused about this recipe.  I'm not sure if its supposed to be as greasy and wet as it turned out- thanks to the margarine on the bottom of the pan... I used less than the .5 cup the recipe called for and I found that serving it seemed sloppy from all the margarine...  I baked it for 45 minutes because it was just so jiggly after 35-40 minutes... and I baked them for another 25 minutes after we had a piece because it was so "moist" it didn't seem fully baked... but... even after another 25 minutes in the oven, it is the exact same.   It tastes alright, but I wont be making this again...

Took this to a New Orleans night dinner and everyone loved it.  I agree with another reviewer that it tastes better after it sits a bit.  Thanks for the recipe.

I'm not sure what I did wrong cause it sounded great, but to me it just tasted like german choc cake.  Also, i did not understand the directions either and had 2 other people read them and they were confused as well.  It says to pour the cake batter over the pecans and coconut on the bottom of the prepared 9x13  pan and then to pour the cream cheese/ sugar mixture over that.  Then it says to pour into prepared pan?  What other prepared pan and why?  Am I missing something????
Roberta W.

I used butter instead of margarine.  Like many others, my cream cheese batter fell to the bottom of the cake.  When I served pieces, I made sure to flip the piece over so the cream cheese/coconut/pecan was on top just like a frosting.  I had chilled the cake for a while in the fridge, so it did not stick.  It was delicious!

Best cake ever thats all there is to say!

yes it is gooey but delicious!  Thanks for sharing.

hurricane cake

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 5 minutes

Servings: 5

Author : Iris

Ingredients

Instructions

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