If you love Samoa cookies, this cake is about to feel dangerously personal. This Samoa Cake takes everything we adore about the classic Girl Scout favorite! deep chocolate, gooey caramel, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of chocolate and turns it into a show-stopping dessert that feels equal parts nostalgic and indulgent. It’s rich without being heavy, sweet without being overwhelming, and the kind of cake that instantly makes people ask, “What IS this?” before they’ve even finished their first bite. I love serving this cake when I want something that feels a little extra without needing a million complicated steps. The chocolate cake stays incredibly moist, the caramel coconut topping melts into the top just enough, and that chocolate drizzle ties everything together in the most irresistible way. It’s the kind of dessert that looks bakery-level impressive on a pretty cake stand, but still feels cozy and familiar, especially if you grew up waiting all year for those purple cookie boxes to show up.
Whether you’re making this for a holiday dessert table, a birthday, a potluck, or just because you’re craving something unapologetically decadent, this Samoa Cake delivers every single time. It’s comfort food, celebration dessert, and pure nostalgia all wrapped into one beautiful slice.
If you want a dessert that tastes like your favorite cookie, you need to try this Samoa Cake! It’s full of indulgent flavors.
Samoa Cake is a delectable dessert that tastes like those delicious cookies you can get from your local Girl Scouts every year.
Samoa Cake is a heavenly combination of indulgent flavors and textures that will leave your taste buds craving for more. Whether it’s for a special occasion or just a sweet treat for yourself, it is the perfect addition to any dessert table.
Why You’ll Love This Dessert
- Texture: Moist cake with a tight crumble topped with smooth caramel, crunchy toasted coconut, and melty chocolate drizzle.
- Color: Dark brown cake, golden caramel, golden coconut, and dark brown chocolate drizzle.
- Flavor: Similar to a Samoa cookie. Rich chocolate cake, caramel, and sweet coconut with hints of toasted coconut.
Tips for Making Samoa Bundt Cake
- You don’t have to wait until the cake is completely cool to add the toppings! Spooning the caramel topping over the cake while it is still warm will allow the caramel to run slightly down the sides of the cake, giving it a dramatic look.
- You can add more chocolate stripes or just drizzle it over the entire cake. I recommend going in one direction to keep it similar to a Samoa cookie.
- I used freshly boiled water from a tea kettle. The hot water helps create a very moist cake.
FAQs for Samoa Cake
What flavor is Samoa?
Samoa is a traditional cookie flavor often associated with the famous Girl Scout Cookies. It typically combines chocolate, caramel, and coconut with a shortbread or biscuit base. The flavors are meant to evoke the taste of the popular Samoan dessert, Pani Popo, which features sweetened coconut milk and caramel sauce.
Can you freeze Samoa cake?
I recommend freezing this cake without the caramel and chocolate toppings. Cover with plastic wrap and foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw and cover with fresh toppings when you are ready to serve.
Samoa Cake tastes exactly like the beloved girl scout cookie in a beautiful cake form with fluffy moist cake full of chocolate flavor covered in a caramel frosting and lots of toasted coconut. A drizzle of caramel sauce and chocolate sauce makes it even harder to resist!
I love to bake cakes, and this recipe is one of the best recipes you will ever try! The cake turns out so nice and moist and the flavors are just awesome. Perfect for any occasion– it’s a keeper for sure!
How can I store this cake?
Cover and store at room temperature on the counter for up to 2 days. Due to the high moisture content of the cake and the toppings, this won’t stay very well at room temperature. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The toppings may harden at cooler temperatures.
Variation Options for This Recipe
If you’re looking to spice up a Samoa cake, here are some delicious variations you could try:
- Chocolate Samoa Cake – Add some chocolate chips to the cake batter and frosting to give it a richer, more decadent flavor.
- Coconut Cream Samoa Cake – Add a layer of coconut cream filling between the cake layers and top it off with toasted coconut flakes for extra texture.
- Salted Caramel Samoa Cake – Drizzle a layer of homemade salted caramel sauce in between the cake layers and over the frosting. It will add a sweet and salty contrast to the cake.
- Samoa Poke Cake – Bake a chocolate cake and poke holes before topping it off with a mixture of coconut and condensed milk. Then, sprinkle toasted coconut flakes and drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Samoa Cupcakes: Make this Samoa cake recipe into delicious cupcakes by baking batter into cupcakes and adding toppings like toasted coconut flakes and caramel sauce.
My Final Thoughts
This Samoa Cake is one of those desserts that instantly feels special the moment it hits the table. It is rich, chocolatey, gooey in the best way, and packed with all those familiar Samoa cookie flavors that so many of us love. Between the moist chocolate cake, the caramel coconut topping, and the drizzle of chocolate on top, every bite feels indulgent without being overwhelming. What I love most about this cake is how nostalgic it feels. It brings back that excitement of opening a box of Girl Scout cookies, but in a homemade, bakery style dessert that feels elevated and impressive. It is the kind of cake that makes people stop mid bite and say wow, and it always disappears faster than expected.
This is a perfect dessert for gatherings, holidays, or anytime you want to bake something that feels comforting but still show stopping. If you love Samoa cookies, this cake is an absolute must try. And if you are baking for chocolate lovers, caramel fans, or coconut lovers, this one checks every box and then some.
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Samoa Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 4-ounce semi-sweet chocolate bar, melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
Caramel Coconut Topping
- 24 soft caramels
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup toasted coconut flakes
- Chocolate Topping
- 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and grease a bundt cake pan with butter or shortening. Set aside.
- Start by making the cake. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk thoroughly.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until fluffy.
- Pour in the melted chocolate, and mix until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until the eggs are just mixed.
- Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula, and just when the batter starts to get very thick, pour in the hot water. Continue mixing with a spatula until the batter is smooth.
- Pour the batter into the greased bundt pan, and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick or small knife poked in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Rest the cake on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes, then carefully turn the cake out onto a large plate or platter to continue cooling.
- When the cake has finished cooling, make the caramel coconut topping. Combine the soft caramels and heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan, and melt over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly to make sure the caramels don’t scorch.
- Stir in the coconut flakes, then spoon the mixture over the top of the chocolate bundt cake.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes over the caramel topping.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with a small hole, and drizzle the chocolate over the cake to resemble a Samoa cookie.
- Slice and serve.
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