I love German Chocolate cake . . . all the gooey coconut is so good to me! However, my husband is not as crazy about it as I am, so if I make a German Chocolate cake, I usually end up eating it all myself. Delicious going down, super hard to work off. 🙂

I found these little bars and knew they would be the perfect alternative to a cake . . . and easy to share with friends and neighbors so that I don’t end up eating them all myself!

German Chocolate Cake Bars Recipe

A delicious chocolate cake with a gooey coconut topping! You can't eat just one of these amazing bars!

24 people

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Save Print

Ingredients

Crust:

▢ 1 box devils food cake mix , (not the kind with pudding added)
▢ ½ cup salted butter
▢ 1 egg

Filling:

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 × 13 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter and egg, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. The crust should not come up the sides. Bake for 7 minutes and remove from the oven. The crust will not look done.
While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, egg, pecans and coconut. Pour evenly over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.
Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Nutrition

Calories: 174 kcal · Carbohydrates: 15 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 13 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 24 mg · Sodium: 189 mg · Potassium: 106 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 7 g · Vitamin A: 141 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 35 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.

Questions & Reviews

misschocolat says:

Oh my god.Lokks like heaven.And i think tehe taste is amazing.I have to try it.Thank you.

Maria says:

Mmm this sounds delicious!!!!! I'm your newest follower!! Love your blog!

Stephanie says:

oh yum! these look great and I love a good bar recipe, thanks!
I am hosting a super fun $25 giveaway on my blog and I would love to have you stop by and enter http://the-still-waters.blogspot.com/2012/03/25-sneakpeeq-giveaway.html

United Chic says:

have you tried to use german chocolate cake mix instead of the devils food mix? would think it would give it a more authentic flavor....

Aimee says:

oh my gosh, i love german chocolate. I made a german chocolate cake for my husbands birthday last week, and it was great but your version looks simpler and just as yummy. Thanks for sharing!

lmld.org

Jocelyn says:

I adore coconut in just about everything!!!! But I would end up eating the entire pan if I made these...and yes, way hard to work off:-)

Kim says:

MMMMM. I love coconut! This would be deadly at my house. Yum!

Alison @ Oopsey Daisy says:

Absolutely dangerous!! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!

Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says:

What an awesome recipes! Love these.

Elena @ La Petite Vie says:

Oh my gosh, these look and sound AMAZING!!! Thanks for the great recipe!

mgmmama says:

Has anyone tried this with one of the boxed gluten free mixes? I know they are slightly smaller.

Karen A. Motley says:

I made these last night and switched out the German Cake Mix with the Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate mix. it has the extra chocolate pack. Holy smokes was this decadent. A big hit with the Mr.

x_overmyhead says:

I made this, but used pillsbury devils food cake with pudding added and it turned out fine, i just followed the directions on how to make that cake instead, so there was just a few changes on ingredients needed. I also drizzled hot caramel over the bars when they were done because you can't have german chocolate cake without that, I don't know what paula deen was thinking...

Mo 'Betta says:

Love the caramel idea! Now I need to run to the store bc I was just getting ready to make these for Father's Day!

Jen Teusink says:

Just made this for my husbands bday tomorrow. I used a box of German chocolate cake mix (yes it had the pudding added to the mix). I followed the recipe above exactly. Turned out great!!

Blairabee says:

This ones a keeper!!! Yummy with vanilla ice cream too! :)

Kari says:

Made these tonight, Yumm! Thank you for the recipe. I used the cake mix with pudding, they turned out fine. Waiting for them to cool so I can cut them up. Hopefully everyone will enjoy them at our Christmas eve get together. Merry Christmas!

Dawn says:

I have a question do you mix the cake mix together and then add butter and the egg, or do you just mix cake mix butter and egg....in other words do I follow directions on box and add in butter and egg too? Or do i just mix the cake mix butter and egg? Thanks Sorry I wasnt wanting to make these today and am alittle confused.

Cyd says:

Do not make the cake mix according to the box. Just add the ingredients that are listed on the recipe. Hope this helps! Cyd (Mother of the Six Sisters)

KJ says:

Can anyone tell me if they have frozen these. I have a party of 70 and I do all the cooking for the buffet and desserts. These would be great, however I need to be able to make them about 3-4 days before and freeze. Thank you, KJ

Cyd says:

These should freeze just fine in an air tight container. :)

Jenn says:

I made this for our family dinner. AMAZING! It was so good I had to freeze what was left so i wouldn't finish it all in one day! So yummy. Thanks for the great recipe!

Traci says:

Made these for our family reunion this weekend. They were a hit! Thank you....and so easy!

Liz says:

These were easy, yummy, and fun to make something different. However, I had a difficult time finding the correct baking time. After the suggested time on the recipe mine were still raw, so I baked them until they looked done and the edges were way over cooked. But the middle was tasty! Look forward to making them again and finding the perfect baking time.

Natalie says:

This recipe does not work. I did all of the steps as they said on this recipe and the edges burned but the center stayed uncooked. I did not work. It was horrible. DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE

Tei says:

I've made these quite a few times since coming across your recipe and mine have always turned out perfect. They are some yummy and everyone loves them. For those of you who can't get it to cook right, oven times vary & also depend on your altitude + was the oven preheated, etc.. If it looks undercooked keep cooking until it appears done. If your edges are burning perhaps you didn't spread out the coconut mixture evenly throughout and there's too much sitting in the middle. If you did & it still starts to burn put some foil around the edges. Just because the recipe didn't work for you or maybe you are an inexperienced baker and couldnt think of other reasons that the recipe might not be working or how to fix them, I don't think you should tell people not to use it. I mean It's obviously working for others like myself so did you ever stop to think It's not the recipe but perhaps you? Just calling it as I see it.

Tanisha says:

It's enormous that you are getting ideas from this article as well as from our dialogue made at this place. Here is my web-site web hosting reviews consumer reports

Melissa says:

This is one of the best desserts I've ever made. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out perfectly!

Tisa says:

Just finished making these a little bit ago!!! They are delicious!!!! Super easy to make! I followed the directions exactly!! Thanks for the recipe! I am now taking them to my sons school for one of the teachers birthdays!!!

Emily says:

These sound delicious! I do not have cake mix at home but I do have brownie mix..would the substitution work??

Cyd says:

Hi Emily, We have only made this using the cake mix. Brownie mix batter is heavier than a cake batter. I'm sure if you follow the package directions on mixing it up and baking times that it would work fine as a brownie bottom. It will be different from our recipe. Hope it all turns out well....sounds delicious!

Sharri says:

OMG THESE R SO GOOD! THEY TURNED OUT GREAT AND I AM TRYING SO BAD NOT TO EAT THEM ALL AS I MADE THEM FOR MY HUSBAND FOR FATHERS DAY!

Tina says:

What happens if I forgot the egg in the filling....opps!

izzy says:

I've made this recipe about a dozen times now for a Co worker, turns out excellent everytime, i experimented with brownie mix this time -worked but very messy to form into the pan but the taste was perfect, also made one with lemon cake mix and added lemon extract and used coconut and white chocolate chips for the topping. .OMG...omm nomm nomm

Rachel says:

I' always like to try new recipes of chocolate cakes and I might just try this one as well :)

Sarah says:

Thankyou for this amazing recipe.. tried it last Saturday. . It was absolutely delicious..

Join The Discussion

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misschocolat says:

Oh my god.Lokks like heaven.And i think tehe taste is amazing.I have to try it.Thank you.
Maria says:

Mmm this sounds delicious!!!!! I'm your newest follower!! Love your blog!
Stephanie says:

oh yum! these look great and I love a good bar recipe, thanks!
I am hosting a super fun $25 giveaway on my blog and I would love to have you stop by and enter http://the-still-waters.blogspot.com/2012/03/25-sneakpeeq-giveaway.html
United Chic says:

have you tried to use german chocolate cake mix instead of the devils food mix? would think it would give it a more authentic flavor....
Aimee says:

oh my gosh, i love german chocolate. I made a german chocolate cake for my husbands birthday last week, and it was great but your version looks simpler and just as yummy. Thanks for sharing!

lmld.org
Jocelyn says:

I adore coconut in just about everything!!!! But I would end up eating the entire pan if I made these...and yes, way hard to work off:-)
Kim says:

MMMMM. I love coconut! This would be deadly at my house. Yum!
Alison @ Oopsey Daisy says:

Absolutely dangerous!! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says:

What an awesome recipes! Love these.
Elena @ La Petite Vie says:

Oh my gosh, these look and sound AMAZING!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
mgmmama says:

Has anyone tried this with one of the boxed gluten free mixes? I know they are slightly smaller.
Karen A. Motley says:

I made these last night and switched out the German Cake Mix with the Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate mix. it has the extra chocolate pack. Holy smokes was this decadent. A big hit with the Mr.
x_overmyhead says:

I made this, but used pillsbury devils food cake with pudding added and it turned out fine, i just followed the directions on how to make that cake instead, so there was just a few changes on ingredients needed. I also drizzled hot caramel over the bars when they were done because you can't have german chocolate cake without that, I don't know what paula deen was thinking...
Mo 'Betta says:

Love the caramel idea! Now I need to run to the store bc I was just getting ready to make these for Father's Day!
Jen Teusink says:

Just made this for my husbands bday tomorrow. I used a box of German chocolate cake mix (yes it had the pudding added to the mix). I followed the recipe above exactly. Turned out great!!
Blairabee says:

This ones a keeper!!! Yummy with vanilla ice cream too! :)
Kari says:

Made these tonight, Yumm! Thank you for the recipe. I used the cake mix with pudding, they turned out fine. Waiting for them to cool so I can cut them up. Hopefully everyone will enjoy them at our Christmas eve get together. Merry Christmas!
Dawn says:

I have a question do you mix the cake mix together and then add butter and the egg, or do you just mix cake mix butter and egg....in other words do I follow directions on box and add in butter and egg too? Or do i just mix the cake mix butter and egg? Thanks Sorry I wasnt wanting to make these today and am alittle confused.
Cyd says:

Do not make the cake mix according to the box. Just add the ingredients that are listed on the recipe. Hope this helps! Cyd (Mother of the Six Sisters)
KJ says:

Can anyone tell me if they have frozen these. I have a party of 70 and I do all the cooking for the buffet and desserts. These would be great, however I need to be able to make them about 3-4 days before and freeze. Thank you, KJ
Cyd says:

These should freeze just fine in an air tight container. :)
Jenn says:

I made this for our family dinner. AMAZING! It was so good I had to freeze what was left so i wouldn't finish it all in one day! So yummy. Thanks for the great recipe!
Traci says:

Made these for our family reunion this weekend. They were a hit! Thank you....and so easy!
Liz says:

These were easy, yummy, and fun to make something different. However, I had a difficult time finding the correct baking time. After the suggested time on the recipe mine were still raw, so I baked them until they looked done and the edges were way over cooked. But the middle was tasty! Look forward to making them again and finding the perfect baking time.
Natalie says:

This recipe does not work. I did all of the steps as they said on this recipe and the edges burned but the center stayed uncooked. I did not work. It was horrible. DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE
Tei says:

I've made these quite a few times since coming across your recipe and mine have always turned out perfect. They are some yummy and everyone loves them. For those of you who can't get it to cook right, oven times vary & also depend on your altitude + was the oven preheated, etc.. If it looks undercooked keep cooking until it appears done. If your edges are burning perhaps you didn't spread out the coconut mixture evenly throughout and there's too much sitting in the middle. If you did & it still starts to burn put some foil around the edges. Just because the recipe didn't work for you or maybe you are an inexperienced baker and couldnt think of other reasons that the recipe might not be working or how to fix them, I don't think you should tell people not to use it. I mean It's obviously working for others like myself so did you ever stop to think It's not the recipe but perhaps you? Just calling it as I see it.
Tanisha says:

It's enormous that you are getting ideas from this article as well as from our dialogue made at this place. Here is my web-site web hosting reviews consumer reports
Melissa says:

This is one of the best desserts I've ever made. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out perfectly!
Tisa says:

Just finished making these a little bit ago!!! They are delicious!!!! Super easy to make! I followed the directions exactly!! Thanks for the recipe! I am now taking them to my sons school for one of the teachers birthdays!!!
Emily says:

These sound delicious! I do not have cake mix at home but I do have brownie mix..would the substitution work??
Cyd says:

Hi Emily, We have only made this using the cake mix. Brownie mix batter is heavier than a cake batter. I'm sure if you follow the package directions on mixing it up and baking times that it would work fine as a brownie bottom. It will be different from our recipe. Hope it all turns out well....sounds delicious!
Sharri says:

OMG THESE R SO GOOD! THEY TURNED OUT GREAT AND I AM TRYING SO BAD NOT TO EAT THEM ALL AS I MADE THEM FOR MY HUSBAND FOR FATHERS DAY!
Tina says:

What happens if I forgot the egg in the filling....opps!
izzy says:

I've made this recipe about a dozen times now for a Co worker, turns out excellent everytime, i experimented with brownie mix this time -worked but very messy to form into the pan but the taste was perfect, also made one with lemon cake mix and added lemon extract and used coconut and white chocolate chips for the topping. .OMG...omm nomm nomm
Rachel says:

I' always like to try new recipes of chocolate cakes and I might just try this one as well :)
Sarah says:

Thankyou for this amazing recipe.. tried it last Saturday. . It was absolutely delicious..