• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Prep-Ahead Meals Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Gardening
  • Kid’s Activities
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Budgeting Tips
↑

Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living

  • Cookbooks
    • Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches
    • Prep-Ahead Meals From Scratch
  • Recipe Index
  • Members Area
    • Member Login
    • Join Us
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Garden
  • DIY
  • Kids
  • Budget

You are here: Home / Gluten-Free Flavor-Full / Gluten-Free German Chocolate Cake with Dairy-Free Topping

Gluten-Free German Chocolate Cake with Dairy-Free Topping

June 10, 2015 by Alea Milham 16 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
1925 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

A delicious recipe for Gluten-Free German Chocolate Cake. The German Chocolate recipe includes substitutions to make it Dairy-Free.

German Chocolate Cake is at the top of my list of favorite desserts. Which is why I don’t make it very often! Especially since I like to create an extra thick topping that is piled on top rather than running off like a glaze. When I make it, I ask the kids to hide it from me, but the trail of cake crumbs usually gives away the hiding spot.

The best solution I have found for my lack of self-control is to make this cake when we have company and then encourage them to take some home when they leave. The last time I was slicing it for guests to take home a friend called me on it and said, “So you want us to eat it for breakfast instead of you?’ I told her that was my exactly intention and she said, “I don’t have a problem with that”. Now, that’s a good friend!

gluten-free, dairy-free German chocolate Cake Recipe with Topping

This is a great recipe to serve when you some of your guests cannot consume dairy. It is so easy to replace the dairy found in the recipe with coconut or almond products without compromising the original flavor of the recipe. If you don’t have German’s Sweet Chocolate you use one of these substitutes.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Gluten-Free German Chocolate Cake with Dairy-Free Topping
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
40 mins
Total time
55 mins
 
Author: Alea
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 4 squares German's Sweet Chocolate
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ½ cup tapioca flour
  • ¼ cup potato starch
  • ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup oil
  • 4 eggs
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
German Cake Topping:
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • ½ cup coconut oil (or butter)
  • 1 teaspoon gf vanilla
  • 1 cup almond milk (coconut milk or milk)
  • 3 cups shredded coconut
  • 2 cups finely chopped pecans
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13×9 pan.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Melt for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval, until melted.
  4. Add the oil, water, eggs, and vanilla to the chocolate. Stir until thoroughly combined.
  5. Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are completely incorporated.
  6. Stir in pecans.
  7. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
German Cake Topping Directions:
  1. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, coconut oil (or butter), vanilla and milk in a medium sauce pan.
  2. Cook over a medium flame for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
  3. Remove from the heat and add the coconut and pecans.
  4. Let the topping cool and thicken for about 30 minutes. Then spread it over the top of the cooled cake.
3.1.05

 

More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes:

  • Gluten-Free Cola Cake
  • Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
  • Gluten-Free Earthquake Cake
  • Gluten-Free Mocha Fudge Cake
  • Gluten-Free Hummingbird Bundt Cake
  • Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Snack Cake
1925 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Daisy says

    March 28, 2023 at 10:46 am

    Can I use soy milk?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      March 29, 2023 at 12:46 pm

      Yes, you can.

      Reply
  2. Cindy says

    April 5, 2022 at 9:28 am

    This is an awesome German Chocolate Cake! I have made it several times in my family loves it! However, the last two times I have made it the cake rises above the edge of the pan while in the oven and then collapses while still baking. I’m wondering if the baking powder is causing it to do that? I recently started using using Bob’s Red Mill double acting baking powder. Maybe it is “double acting” and I should only use 1 tsp?

    Reply
  3. Simone says

    January 6, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    I only made the topping. Used brown sugar. I stirred the whole time it cooked because I was worried about scrambled eggs. Came out AMAZING. German chocolate cake topping is one of my favorite things. Currently dairy, gluten and soy free while breastfeeding. I will use this recipe going forward. Easy and delicious! I might just make it sometime to eat by itself… Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Gracy says

    June 15, 2020 at 9:58 pm

    Very excited to try this recipe. What kind of rice flour did you use – white rice flour, brown rice flour, sweet white rice flour? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      June 16, 2020 at 1:54 pm

      white rice flour

      Reply
  5. Tressa says

    October 13, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Can I just use a gluten free flour blend instead of specificly
    ½ cup rice flour
    ½ cup tapioca flour
    ¼ cup potato starch
    ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      October 13, 2016 at 3:15 pm

      Yes, you can.

      Reply
  6. Sophie says

    December 18, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    This was one of the best gluten-free cake recipes I have made, thanks so much for sharing it! The cake is perfectly moist and decadent with chocolate. Awesome.

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    October 11, 2013 at 7:37 pm

    When you state “4 squares German’s Sweet Chocolate” are you meaning 4 bars (4 x 4oz) or are you meaning 4 oz?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      October 11, 2013 at 9:47 pm

      I mean 4 – 1 oz. squares of chocolate. The packaging may have changed, but it used to come in a box with individually wrapped 1 oz. squares.

      Reply
  8. Pop Chef says

    September 23, 2013 at 11:01 am

    Maybe I’d be more than happy to take some with me if I’d be your guest. Thanks for the post.

    Reply
  9. Terry Klausmeier says

    June 29, 2013 at 4:02 pm

    Just made the topping – I had made German Chocolate cupcakes (not gluten free( and needed a topping. It is delicious…I will try the gluten free cake recipe next time around! Thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply
  10. Anna-Marie says

    September 19, 2012 at 12:42 pm

    Do you have suggestions to make this sugar free? Since the use of sugar does affect consistency?

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      September 24, 2012 at 11:20 pm

      I have never tried baking with stevia or other sugar substitutes. I have made a German Chocolate Cake Sweetened with Brown Rice Syrup. Please let me know if you make a sugar-free/reduced sugar German Chocolate Cake; I would love to know how it turns out!

      Reply
  11. Rogene says

    September 11, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    I like your topping recipe. I’ve never tried making a gluten free german chocolate cake — maybe it’s time to give it a try.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Rate this recipe:  

Search

Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches by Alea Milham

Recent Articles:

Grain-Free Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins

Grain-free Sweet Potato Muffins with Chai Spices

Grain-Free Sweet Potato Muffins with Chai Spices

Gluten-Free Substitutions for the Recipes in Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches

Gluten-Free Substitutions for the Recipes in Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches

Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch Where to Buy

BROWSE:

  • Blog
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipe Index
  • Members Area

ABOUT:

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

Copyright ©2025, Premeditated Leftovers™. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs