Try this Earthquake Cake recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 package chocolate cake mix plus ingredients called for on box
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened
- chocolate ice cream (optional)
- Carbohydrate 409.624401768321 g
- Cholesterol 244.025000310935 mg
- Fat 289.553063483889 g
- Fiber 40.0834169819874 g
- Protein 27.443245005454 g
- Saturated Fat 163.642963410489 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (780g)
- Sodium 946.425334167305 mg
- Sugar 369.540984786334 g
- Trans Fat 14.1843303430979 g
- Calories 4028 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13†pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare cake batter according to package directions.
- Sprinkle your coconut and peans onto bottom of prepared pan, then spread your cake mix over the top, set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.
- Beat with a mixer until combined and dollop the mixture over the cake and then spread out.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake for about 50 minutes or until center is set.
- Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
While traditional chocolate sheet cakes rely on a uniform crumb and simple frosting, earthquake cake upends standard baking physics by layering raw mix over a bed of coconut and pecans before dolloping a heavy cream cheese mixture directly onto the surface. This unconventional layering causes the dense dairy dollops to sink and churn into the batter during the fifty-minute bake time at 350 degrees, forming distinctive craters and ridges as the structural elements shift.
Fat from the half-cup of melted butter and the full package of cream cheese interacts with the starches in the boxed mix to inhibit gluten development, yielding an exceptionally rich, fudge-like texture that actually improves over the course of twenty-four hours. Allowing the baked dessert to rest overnight in the refrigerator lets the high concentration of powdered sugar fully bind with the dairy moisture, solidifying the gooey center into a dense, truffle-like consistency.
Refrigeration extends the usable window of this high-sugar, high-fat dessert up to five days when stored in an airtight container. Cold slices can be consumed directly from the refrigerator for a firmer, more distinct separation between the chocolate cake layer and the sugary cheese strata, or individual portions can be microwaved for twenty seconds to restore the original molten consistency.
Leftover portions freeze remarkably well for up to two months if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Thaw frozen slices overnight in the refrigerator rather than on the counter to preserve the integrity of the cream cheese layer without introducing excess condensation into the crumb.
