This German Chocolate Cream Cheese Snack Cake is such a simple and delicious treat! Cut it into into cake bars for the perfect party dessert!
German Chocolate Cream Cheese Snack Cake
So I’ve noticed online and on Instagram lately that lots of people like to take pictures and post about what they are wearing.
Here’s the thing. I love it and I hate. Not to be confused with “love to hate” it. It’s just some days I love to see it and other days I hate it. It’s not a 50/50 split, either…it’s more like 25% love and 75% hate.
Ok, ok, it’ more like 2% love and 98% hate. Sorry. I cannot tell a lie.
Let me further explain…
My dislike comes purely from jealousy and laziness. So easy, there, outfit-posting-people. I know I am bitter.
Here’s how it usually goes…I scroll through Instagram and see all you people with your polka dots and jaunty indoor-scarfs…all pastel-y and “Amaro” filtered…and then I take a gander at my yoga pants and Target tee and feel like a schlep.
Yes, I know I could take a shower. Yes, I know I could go to Anthro and get vintage, lady-like clothing. But I live in a world where when I vacuum, my kids ask who’s coming over?
I can’t imagine what might happen to their innocent eyes if I put on a fedora to go to the supermarket. No offense fedora-people. I really wish I could pull it off.
What ends up happening, is I end up going on an online shopping binge, buying sweet little blouses and accoutrements that I will end up wearing once…and without fail, the one time I DO dress nicely, I forget to take a photo of myself. Which basically means it didn’t happen.
So I think what I am going to do is take pictures of what I am actually wearing and filter the heck out of it. Take THAT nice-dressing-outfit-posting people.
Yoga pants will certainly look dreamier filtered in “Walden”, right? Ok, maybe “Sierra”.
By the way, totally follow me on Instagram. I won’t make you feel bad about wearing yesterday’s t-shirt again. I get that it’s still clean.
And I do have to mention that on any given day, while wearing said casual-wear, I generally have flour dusted on my pants and frosting in my hair.
Speaking of hair, don’t expect anything more than a ponytail or messy up-do. And by messy up-do I don’t mean a top bun that takes any longer than 3 seconds to get that way. After about 20 years of trying I have given up the casually-cool, hair pulled back in a messy/cute knot. My hair just looks messy, no matter the number of bobby pins or amount of product.
I am not effortless. That’s a fact.
But here’s what I CAN offer you. A super simple cake mix recipe hat LOOKS like it took you a bunch of time, but really only took you minutes. The antitheses to the effortless-looking messy up-do.
Now, to introduce this amazing snack cake recipe.
Ever hear of snack cake?
It’s my new BFF.
Cake that counts as just a snack. Not dessert. A snack. So you can still have dessert, because it’s like, what? I only had a snack today.
Completely brilliant.
How to Make a German Chocolate Cream Cheese Snack Cake
Start with some chopped pecans. You don’t HAVE to use nuts if you’re allergic or just think nuts have no place in baked goods.
I get it.
But nuts are kind of a thing in German Chocolate Cake, so I included them today. I’m trying to stay legit.
Now toast your pecans on a baking sheet for just a few minutes. It makes them better.
Then grab your German Chocolate Cake Mix and mix in the pecans, an egg and some butter…
Press into a 9×13.
Now, grab some cream cheese, some shredded coconut, a few more eggs, a few cups of powdered sugar and some vanilla.
Mix it up and spread it all over your chocolate base.
Then bake. That’s it.
Snack away.
Print
German Chocolate Cream Cheese Snack Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 18 cake bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This German Chocolate Cream Cheese Snack Cake is such a simple and delicious treat! Cut it into into cake bars for the perfect party dessert!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (18.25 oz) box German Chocolate Cake
- 4 eggs, divided
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Spread chopped pecans on baking sheet and bake for 2-3 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven immediately.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°
- Spray a 9×13 pan lightly with cooking spray
- In large bowl combine cake mix, melted butter, 1 egg and toasted pecans. Batter will be thick. Press into prepared pan.
- In mixing bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and remaining 3 eggs and beat until smooth. Add in coconut and stir until incorporated.
- Spread cream cheese mixture on top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 356
- Sugar: 39.2 g
- Sodium: 284.3 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.1 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 67.6 mg
I thank god every day that in my line of work I can wear jeans and a t-shirt. Daily. The fat cells I grow in a petri dish actually do not care what I’m wearing, as it turns out. There are so many times I’ve wanted to make german chocolate cake but didn’t because it seemed like too much effort. Life saver. Right here.
It looks’s great and I was all set to pin it to Pinterest, but you totally lost me on the box of cake mix.
Well, certainly you could sub in your own chocolate cake mix, no problem.
There’s a limited range of cake mixes here in London (and super expensive), so it really does make this from an easy snack into an elaborate project!
Google has tons and tons of recipes on how to make your own cake mix from ingredients most people already have at home, if you’re more interested in skipping a boxed mix (or if you don’t have cake mix available where you are– my sister lives in Germany and had the same issue as Nick in finding some there at a reasonable price!)
I don’t know the conversion to metric measurements, but for a chocolate cake, this is my favorite “fake boxed mix,” or essentially– my own dry mix.
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
You mix that together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months in your pantry. If you want to turn it into a traditional cake instead of using it like in Shelly’s awesome recipe above, you can just add in 3/4 cups milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup butter, and 3 eggs, then bake it at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.
If you need something other than a chocolate mix (such as a prepackaged brownie mix, cookie mix, or other flavor of cake mix) you can find all of those recipes through Google, as well… I make many of my own mixes and keep them in canning jars in the pantry, plus they make great gifts, and there’s no “unknown ingredients” if that’s a concern for you. Definitely worth still pinning this AMAZING looking recipe, because even if you’re anti-boxed mix, you can still taste the great things Shelly is cooking up!
Thanks Jenni! This is great!
I love german chocolate cake!
These sound so freaking tasty!! I looove the look of that topping especially!
I’m a fan of yoga pants and tshirts too. It drives me crazy when I see stay at home moms dressed to the hilt just to go pick up their kids. It’s as if they think the carpool line is a fashion show or something. Drives me crazy!!
Love these bars!
Think you read my mind–I am so not effortless! But my frumpy self is so gonna look good with your snack cake:)
I feel you. When I wear anything besides flip flops or put on a necklace people ask where I’m going. (And really, why do I need to wear heels, make-up, and loads of accessories just to pick up at school?) So, I’m with you. 🙂 Especially on this snack cake!
I don’t get all dressed up to hang out at home and pick up lint and wipe up powdered sugar off my countertops 🙂 I wear the same thing, and it’s casual. I live in flip flops 350 days a year and yoga pants and loose t’s that are comfy!
I could get real comfy with one of your bars!
Oh me too! The online shopping spree begins when I see what others are wearing. Man, when Joy the Baker and Jenna from Eat, Live, Run started their book tours, the credit card bill steeply increased!
Jenna is my Instagram-dresser-idol.
I am embarrassed to say how many clothes of hers that I have bought. Hello, sexy boyfriend jeans…http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=48600&vid=1&pid=243476&scid=243476002
omg you two, i’m the same way!! jenna’s recent book tour pics on IG and her blog post and spun me to wanting to buy that blazer she wore to that book signing..it’s $88 and i don’t know how to stop myself. why does she have to have such adorable fashion sense? i want to hire her to spend all my money on clothes so i can look cute haha
Picture of food > picture of clothing!