Ultimate Gooey Earthquake Cake Recipe with Chocolate Caramel and Pecans Made Easy
A rich, gooey chocolate cake layered with caramel and toasted pecans, creating a comforting dessert with a unique ‘earthquake’ effect of molten pockets bursting through a tender cake base.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 50-55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box chocolate cake mix (preferably Devil’s Food for rich flavor)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup water or coffee
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- Optional: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
- Optional: sea salt flakes for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray. Toast chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chocolate cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water or coffee. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Pour half the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Spread gently without pressing down too hard.
- Sprinkle half the chocolate chips evenly over the batter layer. Drizzle half the caramel sauce in spoonfuls on top of the chips. Sprinkle half of the toasted pecans over the caramel.
- Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the gooey layer, allowing some pockets to remain uneven to create the earthquake effect.
- Top with the remaining chocolate chips, caramel sauce, and pecans.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. Check at 35 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the cake portion; it should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Gooey pockets will remain soft.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkle sea salt flakes on top if desired.
Notes
Do not overmix after adding chocolate chips and caramel to keep gooey pockets intact. Use room temperature eggs for fluffier cake. Toast pecans carefully to avoid burning. Check cake at 35 minutes to avoid overbaking. Let cake rest before slicing to set gooey layers. Microwave caramel briefly if too thick before drizzling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of c
- Calories: 350
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 4
Keywords: earthquake cake, gooey chocolate cake, caramel pecan cake, easy chocolate dessert, chocolate caramel cake, pecan dessert, quick cake recipe