By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 3, 2026
Serves 12
741 cal · 55 min
Earthquake Cake
Recipe GLPR2c10b70b4e189d
A decadent chocolate dessert featuring a fudgy cake layer topped with a creamy butter-cream cheese mixture, accented with toasted coconut and pecans. Named for the way the toppings "settle" into cracks and crevices as the cake bakes, creating an earthquake-like texture. Moist, rich, and utterly satisfying.
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Ingredients
8 oz. butter, melted
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 box chocolate cake mix (prepared according to package directions)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the shredded coconut and chopped pecans, mixing until evenly distributed. Spread this mixture across the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the directions on the box. Pour the batter over the coconut-pecan layer in the baking dish.
In a medium bowl, beat together the melted butter, softened cream cheese, and powdered sugar until the mixture is well combined and relatively smooth.
Drop the butter-cream cheese mixture by rounded tablespoonful over the top of the cake batter, spacing the dollops evenly across the surface. Using a sharp knife, gently swirl and run the blade between the dollops to create streaks and cracks in the topping.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The topping may appear slightly sunken or cracked.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the baking dish on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Comments
This is a budget-friendly dump cake where every ingredient is a pantry staple or common sale item at any Charlotte grocery chain—cake mix, butter, cream cheese, pecans, coconut, and powdered sugar all stock year-round at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger, and Walmart. The cost per serving lands well under two dollars, driven entirely by a boxed cake mix rather than scratch baking. The fifty-five-minute time is honest if you count the cooling window, but actual hands-on work is closer to ten minutes, making it realistic for a weeknight. The cake is forgiving, feeds twelve without fuss, and reheats reasonably well in the oven, though it's best served fresh from the cooling period when the pecans retain texture.
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