German Cake? It’s Actually German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake.
Before getting into the German chocolate cake history, let’s jump right into this tip: Don’t go to Germany looking for German chocolate cake.
German Chocolate Cake History
There are a number of classic desserts that have been around for decades, German chocolate cake can certainly be included in that list. But did you know that this iconic coconut-pecan frosting over chocolate cake is not at all from Germany? It’s from Texas.
The cake dates back to 1957 when the recipe, German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake, debuted in The Dallas Morning News from a local homemaker, Mrs. George Clay. “German’s” was the name not because of the country or cultural origins, but rather for the ingredient – Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
At the time, Baker’s was a family-run and well-established 105-year-old brand from Massachusetts (and it still produces products today). Baker’s hired an English immigrant by the name of Samuel German who produced chocolate already mixed with sugar (as opposed to the other blocks on the market made of pure chocolate). The product was such a hit that Baker’s recognized Samuel German as the creator, hence Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
It is also interesting to note that “Baker’s” was merely the surname of the business owners and not a family of bakers. While German was also the surname of the Englishman, and not at all referring to the country.
Back to the cake’s history…General Foods, who produced Baker’s German’s in the 1950s, learned about the published recipe and joined in on further advertising the recipe using Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. The recipe spread nationwide and the chocolate was a sensation increasing sales by as much as 73%.
As the recipe reprinted, the name got lost in translation – meaning, the name went from German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake to German Chocolate Cake. This left readers, unaware of the cake and chocolate histories, with the lasting impression that this was most certainly a classic European dessert.
Fun(ny) fact: President Lyndon B. John served the cake in 1963 to the German chancellor at the time during a state dinner. While there is no written document about how the chancellor reacted, it can be assumed he did not recognize the iconic cake in his homeland.
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