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Sinful Samoa Cake

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This chocolate cake is filled with a decadent coconut caramel cream cheese and frosted with a fudgy dark chocolate buttercream. It is piled high with toasted coconut and drizzled with caramel and chocolate. 

A picture of a chocolate and caramel cake on a white cake plate

You know it’s going to be a good week when samoas are involved.  If you don’t believe me, I have 25 samoa recipes just waiting to prove my point. That means plenty of toasted coconut, caramel, chocolate and more chocolate. The Girl Scouts are out and about on street slinging those wonderfully addicting cookies and I am sitting back trying to resist the urge to eat an entire box.

a top down view of a samoa cake

The only way I can avoid eating a whole box is by using them in a dessert. This Sinful Samoa Cake could not be any more decadent. You start with a basic chocolate cake, then layer in coconut caramel cream cheese. The cake is frosted with a rich, fudgy dark chocolate buttercream. I couldn’t think of a better way to top this cake then with a pile of toasted coconut slathered in more chocolate and caramel.

I didn’t originally set to out to make a samoa cake; it just sort of happened. I am SO glad that it did. I almost couldn’t wait long enough to get through my photo shoot to take a bite.

A slice of samoa cake on a plate

A slice of chocolate cake with a caramel cream cheese filling

Let’s break it down. The chocolate cake recipe should be your favorite chocolate cake. I didn’t do anything special, I just used a box of my favorite cake mix and made some alternations. When I do bake from scratch, I always make my Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe. It’s light and fluffy and seriously THE BEST!

I really wanted to incorporate a “cheesecake” element into this cake, so I decided on a caramel cream cheese filling. The softer the cream cheese, the easier it is to spread on the cake. I wanted to add a bit of texture to the cheesecake, so I mixed in a cup of toasted coconut.

an overhead photo of a fork slicing into a piece of chocolate cake

The fudgy dark chocolate buttercream is made with Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. Now you can use any cocoa powder of course, but I always prefer dark chocolate. It is sweetened so you don’t get such a bitter taste. You could definitely dig into that buttercream with a spoon.

While the frosting is still soft, start to pile the toasted coconut on top of the cake. Save a little bit to garnish at the end. Then I drizzled this with caramel sauce and fudge sauce. I keep jars of caramel and hot fudge sauce in my refrigerator. You should heat up the hot fudge so it’s warm but not too hot and then drizzle over the cake.

A fork with a piece of chocolate cake on it

Since there is a layer of cream cheese, this cake should be kept refrigerated. If you try to cut it straight out of the refrigerator, the frosting will be firm. So I like to let it sit on the counter for about a half hour before cutting into it. It’s hard to wait but I promise it is worth it.

A picture of a chocolate and caramel cake on a white cake plate

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A slice of Samoa cake on a white plate.

Samoa Cake

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
  • Yield: 8-10 servings

Description

This Samoa cookie cake is a decadent chocolate cake layered with caramel coconut cream cheese, wrapped in fudgy chocolate frosting. It’s an easy homemade cake recipe inspired by the iconic Girl Scout Cookies!

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 1 ½ cups (285g) Granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (118 ml) Vegetable oil
  • 3 Large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118 ml) Full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2 cups (280g) All-purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (40 g) Cocoa powder, sifted (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons (9 g) Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon (2 g) Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) Salt
  • 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) Hot brewed coffee

For the Filling

  • 8 ounces (226g) Full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup Caramel sauce
  • ¼ cup (48g) Granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) Pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (90g) Sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

For the Frosting

  • 2 cups (454g) Unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 cup (111g) Cocoa powder, sifted (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • 5 cups (650g) Powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) Pure vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) Heavy whipping cream

Topping

  • ¾ cup – 1 cup toasted coconut
  • 2 ounces dark chocolate (chocolate chips or a finely chopped chocolate bar)
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • Additional Caramel sauce for drizzle

Instructions

For the Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round baking pans, line the bottom with parchment paper, and grease and flour the sides of the pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the eggs and oil are well incorporated and the batter is lighter in color. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, followed by half of the coffee, and mix until the flour is just incorporated at a low speed. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and coffee. Beat until all of the ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes.  Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Toast the Coconut

  1. While the oven is still warm, toast the coconut. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the coconut thinly on the baking sheet.
  2. Bake at 350°F for 5-10 minutes until it reaches the desired color. Turn the coconut with a spatula once it starts to cook to prevent burning. Keep a close eye on it because it can burn quickly once it starts to toast.
  3. Transfer the coconut to a plate to prevent it from further cooking. Cool completely.

For the Filling

  1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar at a medium high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add caramel sauce and vanilla extract until well combined. Finally, add toasted coconut and mix into cream cheese. Set aside.

For the Frosting

  1. Cut the butter into pieces (about 1 tablespoon in size). Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter is really light and fluffy. Next, beat the cocoa powder into the butter until well-mixed.
  2. Alternate adding 2 cups of powdered sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients: vanilla extract & heavy cream. Ensure the powdered sugar is well combined, and whip for 1-2 minutes before adding more powdered sugar. Once all the powdered sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes to whip additional air into the frosting.

To Assemble and Decorate

  1. Level off the cakes by removing any domes. Place a dollop of frosting on your cake board and place the bottom layer of cake centered on the cake board.
  2. Spread the caramel cream cheese filling evenly over the first layer with an offset spatula. Add the second layer of cake, inverted (so the bottom of the cake layer is now the top of the cake). Apply a crumb coat the cake and put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Proceed to frost the top and sides of the cake.
  3. Combine the chopped chocolate with the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stir and repeat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow it to cool for a few minutes.
  4. Spread the toasted coconut over top of the frosted cake and then drizzle the melted chocolate over top and additional caramel sauce.
  5. Finally, use a large open star tip (Ateco 846) and add rosettes to the boarder of the cake.

Notes

  • If using two 9″ pans, baking times will be altered accordingly.
  • Keep an eye on the coconut while toasting. Watch the coconut carefully while bakes. Exactly baking times will vary depending on the quality and moisture in the coconut, as well as the oven temperature.
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Recipe you might like from my friends:

No-bake Samoa Cheesecake from Life Love and Sugar

Samoa Surprise Cupcakes from Beth Cakes

Samoa Pudding Cookies from Chef In Training

Samoa Cookie Pie from Averie Cooks

 Other recipes you might like:

Samoa Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Samoa Cookie Ice Cream Cake

Leave a Comment

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45 Responses
  1. Claudene Rosado

    Made this last weekend!! Everyone has loved it so far! It wasn’t difficult to make and came out so good! I did experience some crumbling when cutting as well, as another review posted but not a deal breaker. Still a 5 star cake!!! Will definitely be adding to my arsenal of recipes. 🙂






  2. Kelly

    My sister made this cake for Thanksgiving and it was seriously the best cake I’ve ever eaten. Thank you so much!






  3. Christina

    I make this cake every year for my brother’s birthday around the 4th of July. It has become a tradition that everyone looks forward to 🙂






  4. Tanja

    Dear Juliane,
    do you have a recipe for the “1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix”. I don’t want to use Cake Mix. It is very unusual here.
    Thanks, Tanja

  5. Dana

    I made this cake yesterday and it looked beautiful. But when I went to cut it all of the cake crumbled. It really wasn’t dry and still tasted good. I’m not sure if it was due to the freezing? Tasted great but disappointing presentation.

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Did you freeze the whole cake or just the cake layers before they were frosted? I don’t have a lot of experience freezing cakes but if you froze the whole cake, you want to be sure to serve it once it’s reached room temperature.

  6. Chelsea Clawson

    That icing is a nightmare to spread on the cake. Followed the recipe exactly, and I beat the icing multiple times trying to get it fluffier. It just wants to peel right off the cake as you try to ice it.

  7. Amy

    I was very excited about this cake. I’m not sure what went wrong though. I followed the instructions for the filling, but it had a very bitter taste ? I ended up throwing the whole thing away

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Hi Amy, I am so sorry. I can’t imagine with all the chocolate and caramel that the flavor was bitter. Do you know if it was the filling that was bitter or the cake itself?

  8. Susie C

    Hi, The girl scouts are out in force & really want to make this but my question is, how many boxes does it take to go around this beauty of a cake ?? I need to get the cookies asap before they go away !

    Thanks,
    Susie

  9. Andrea Davila

    I was very excited to try this recipe because I LOVE Samoas!! I was disappointed that the actual cake was a wee bit dry. I followed the recipe to the letter, so not sure what went wrong.

  10. tanya

    My goodness Julianne, this is the best Samoa recipe I have ever seen! This cake is outrageous! The ONLY thing I don’t like about it,is it’s not here in front of me.

  11. Trish - Mom On Timeout

    You are seriously the cake MASTER Julianne. Gorgeous, fabulous, totally sinful. Pinned, stumbled, and sharing on FB today…can you feel the love? 😉

  12. Aimee @ ShugarySweets

    OMG!!! This look amazing. Samoas are my favorite of all the GS cookies!! Dying and drooling here….

  13. Mandy @Mandy's Recipe Box

    This does look absolutely sinful! And delicious. You can’t go wrong when Girl Scout cookies are involved!

  14. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness

    You know what is crazy?! I had my first Samoa last year! In Canada we only have two kinds of girlscout cookies: chocolate and vanilla. BORING,
    Now, I am totally obsessed with them and I am SO glad you accidentally made this beauty! Pinning!

  15. Beth @ bethcakes

    OH wow! Um yeah, sinful is a good word for this. Seriously decadent! I have a couple boxes of Samoas that should probably be made into this cake. 🙂

  16. June Burns

    Wow that looks just incredible! Samoas were always my favorite girl scout cookie, this looks like a great use for them 🙂

  17. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Holy crap, do I want a slice of this!!! Oh my gawd. and I just bought some samoas last week! Did you know the girl scouts are calling them caramel delites now? I saw the box as I was purchasing them and was like these are Samoas right? The poor little girl scout didn’t know what to say to me 😛

  18. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough

    Well I’m really glad this cake just “happened,” too, because HOLY YUM. I need a slice for second breakfast!

  19. Sarah | Broma Bakery

    I’m kind of in a food coma from just LOOKING at it! Now I just need an occasion to bake this powerhouse of a cake… Pinned!

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