This White German Chocolate Cake pairs homemade white chocolate cake with a baked cheesecake filling and coconut-pecan frosting. It is a rich, make-ahead dessert: plan for cooling and chilling before you slice it.
Before you start: This is a from-scratch recipe, not a cake-mix cake. Use two deep 9-inch pans, a kitchen scale, and an instant-read thermometer. Each cake layer contains cream cheese filling baked inside it; there is no separate cheesecake disk to bake or stack.
Choose the Right White Chocolate and Cream Cheese
White chocolate: Choose a white chocolate bar that lists cocoa butter among its ingredients. You do not need a separate product called “white German chocolate,” and cocoa butter alone cannot replace the chocolate. White baking morsels made with other fats may melt and behave differently.
Cream cheese: Full-fat block cream cheese gives the filling a consistent starting point. Whipped cream cheese and spreadable tubs are not direct replacements. Soften the block before mixing, then add the egg gently rather than whipping the filling.
Buttermilk and baking soda: Use cultured buttermilk for this batter. Keep the listed leavening rather than swapping baking powder for baking soda. Weigh the flour or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it; scooping compacted flour changes the batter.
Coconut-pecan frosting: The default recipe uses sweetened shredded coconut and unsalted chopped pecans. Evaporated milk is unsweetened concentrated milk; sweetened condensed milk is not a 1:1 replacement.
Why the Cheesecake Center Changes Baking and Cooling
A baked cream cheese filling behaves differently from the surrounding cake. The cake crumb can look done before the filling is ready, and a tester that passes through cheesecake may come out creamy even when the cake batter is cooked. Check the cake-only area and the filling separately using the instructions in the recipe card.
Each pan gets cake batter, a share of the filling, and more cake batter. Keep the filling away from the very edge, cover it gently, and avoid swirling if you want a distinct band inside each layer. Chilling firms the filling before stacking and slicing; warm layers can break when moved.
Visual Cues and Common Problems
- Grainy filling: Cold cream cheese is harder to blend smoothly. Scrape the bowl and smooth it before adding the egg.
- Brown top, wet cake underneath: Loosely tent with foil and continue baking. Color alone does not establish doneness.
- Uncertain center: Check the cheesecake filling with a thermometer and the cake-only area with a tester. The filling must reach at least 160°F (71°C); cake batter should leave moist crumbs, not wet streaks.
- Runny frosting: It should coat a spoon after cooking and become more spreadable as it cools. Do not pour hot frosting over the cake.
- Messy slices: Chill the cake, use a sharp knife, and wipe the blade between cuts.
White German Chocolate Cake Recipe
White German Chocolate Cake with Cheesecake Center
Equipment
- Two 9-inch round cake pans, at least 3 inches deep
- Parchment paper
- electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Saucepan and heatproof bowl
- Instant-read thermometer
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cake
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 300 g; spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 4.6 g
- 0.5 teaspoon fine table salt 3 g
- 1 cup unsalted butter 227 g; softened, plus a little for the pans
- 2 cups granulated sugar 396 g
- 4 large eggs 200 g without shells; at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4.2 g
- 6 ounces white chocolate 170 g; choose a bar containing cocoa butter, finely chopped
- 1 cup cultured lowfat buttermilk 245 g; at room temperature
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces full-fat block cream cheese 454 g; softened; not whipped or spreadable cream cheese
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar 99 g
- 1 large egg 50 g without shell
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4.2 g
Coconut-Pecan Frosting
- 1 cup whole evaporated milk 252 g; not sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar 198 g
- 3 large egg yolks 51 g
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter 113.5 g; cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4.2 g
- 1.5 cups sweetened shredded coconut 128 g
- 1 cup chopped pecans 114 g; unsalted
Instructions
Prepare the Pans and Filling
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), with a rack in the middle. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans at least 3 inches deep and line the bottoms with parchment. Do not substitute shallow pans.
- Beat the softened cream cheese with the filling sugar until smooth. Add the filling egg and vanilla; mix on low just until combined, scraping the bowl. Cover and refrigerate while making the cake batter.
Make the White Chocolate Cake Batter
- Place the chopped white chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water; keep the bowl above the water. Stir until melted, then remove from the heat and let cool until lukewarm but still fluid.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Beat the softened cake butter and cake sugar until lighter and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the cake eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions. Mix in the cake vanilla and lukewarm melted white chocolate.
- On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions; begin and end with flour. Stop once no dry flour remains. Scrape the bowl and fold briefly to combine; do not keep beating.
Fill, Bake, and Cool
- Divide half of the cake batter equally between the two prepared pans, spreading it over the bottoms. Divide all of the cheesecake filling equally between the pans and gently spread it over the batter, leaving about a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Divide the remaining cake batter equally between the pans and spread it gently over the filling without swirling. Keep each pan no more than two-thirds full; if there is excess batter, bake it separately rather than overfilling.
- Bake the pans side by side with space between them. Begin checking at 40 minutes; about 50 minutes is a guide, not a fixed endpoint. The tops should be set and lightly golden, and a tester in a cake-only area near the edge should show moist crumbs without wet batter. Check the cheesecake filling at the center with an instant-read thermometer: it must reach at least 160°F (71°C). Continue baking if either the cake batter or filling is not done; loosely tent the tops with foil if they brown too quickly.
- Cool in the pans on a rack for about 20 minutes. Loosen the edges and carefully turn out the layers, supporting them with a plate or rack; remove the parchment. Continue cooling until no longer warm, allowing about 1 hour total cooling time. Refrigerate the supported layers for at least 2 hours to firm the filling. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C).
Cook the Coconut-Pecan Frosting
- While the cake bakes, whisk the evaporated milk, frosting sugar, egg yolks, and frosting butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 10 to 12 minutes. Verify it reaches at least 160°F (71°C); do not rely on the clock alone or let it boil vigorously.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the frosting vanilla, sweetened coconut, and pecans. Transfer to a shallow heatproof container and let cool until spreadable. Refrigerate within 2 hours; if chilled until firm, let it soften briefly before spreading.
Assemble and Serve
- Place one chilled cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about one-third of the coconut-pecan frosting over it, add the second layer, then spread the remaining frosting over the top and, if desired, the sides. Keep the cake refrigerated until serving. Cut into 12 equal slices with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.
Notes
Nutrition
Make Ahead, Refrigerate, and Freeze
This cake needs refrigeration because of its cheesecake filling and cooked egg-yolk frosting. Store it covered at 40°F (4°C) or colder and use it within 3 to 4 days. Refrigerate perishable components within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the room is above 90°F (32°C). These limits follow FoodSafety.gov guidance.
For a simpler schedule, bake and chill the layers and prepare the frosting the day before serving. Keep both refrigerated, then assemble the cake when the filling is firm. The make-ahead time counts toward the storage period.
Freeze well-wrapped individual slices for up to 2 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or let a slice stand briefly before eating; reheating is unnecessary and can soften the filling.
Questions Before You Bake
Can I use cake mix instead?
Not as a direct substitution in this recipe. A boxed mix changes the batter amount, added ingredients, and baking behavior, so follow a recipe developed for that specific mix instead.
Is the cheesecake center a separate layer?
Here, the filling is divided between the two cake pans and baked inside each cake layer. It is not a separately baked cheesecake disk.
Can I double the recipe?
Double the ingredients and use four matching deep 9-inch pans, baking in batches if necessary. Do not pour a doubled batch into the original two pans or double the baking time automatically.
Can I replace the pecans?
For a different flavor, replace the chopped pecans with the same weight of chopped walnuts. This still contains nuts, and the nutrition values will differ.
More Cakes for Your Dessert Table
For a simpler cake without a cheesecake filling, try vanilla almond cake. If coconut is your favorite part, explore coconut cloud cake; for a standalone cheesecake, see our classic New York cheesecake.