Whether you’re running to the kitchen or store to snag your German chocolate cake on National German Chocolate Cake Day, June 11, we know you’re celebrating. The traditionally chocolate cake features rich chocolate layers coated in sweet and nutty pecan frosting — but the dessert isn’t actually German! German chocolate cake was named after an English-American named Sam German, creator of a specific baking chocolate at the Baker’s Chocolate Company.
German chocolate cake — the fudge-y, nutty, and oh-so-sweet dessert that we all thought was German! The treat is defined by its rich chocolate cake layers, which are stuck together with coconut-pecan frosting and often topped with maraschino cherries. While many Americans think German chocolate originates from Germany, you’d be hard-pressed to find a German who knows of it.
Sam German, an English-American chocolate-maker for The Baker’s Chocolate Company, first created his distinct variety of dark baking chocolate in 1852. In his honor, the Baker’s Chocolate Company named the creation after him, dubbing it ‘Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.’ This sets the stage for the culinary invention of German chocolate cake, and explains the origin misnomer!
German chocolate cake wasn’t actually born until around a century later, in 1957. In Dallas, Texas, housewife Mrs. George Clay sent in her cake recipe to be featured as ‘Recipe of the Day’ on “The Dallas Morning News.” She had called it ‘German’s Chocolate Cake’ after the baking chocolate she used. Over time, however, the ‘s’ has been dropped from the recipe.
Unsurprisingly, the recipe took off, spreading mostly through word of mouth. Sales of Baker’s Chocolate reportedly increased 73% in a year as bakers scrambled to make more German chocolate cake. The owner of Baker’s brand, General Foods, began to distribute the cake recipe to other bakers nationwide. Today, many baking companies still make the decadent dessert!
