OMG I need to get ahold of my best friend Debbie Finney Sutton and David and we need to go out to a bakery and have a slice of Cake because June 11is National German Chocolate Cake Day #GermanChocolateCakeDay. This is our favorite Cake of all times and I should also invite my sister. As for Charlie before you ask me what about him he doesn’t do Desserts. Smart kid or crazy kid you tell me…
If you have the opportunity to today you should run to the kitchen or store to snag a German Chocolate Cake on National German Chocolate Cake Day, which is June 11th. I know you’re celebrating and if I was able to I would be as well. 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 is a 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, German actually don’t know anything about it.
The Baker’s Chocolate Company, first created this distinct variety of dark baking Chocolate in 1852. In the creators 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.
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.” Mrs. George Clay 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!
LET’S CELEBRATE NATIONAL GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY
- German Chocolate Cake can taste gourmet, inexperienced bakers should have no fear. German Chocolate Cake isn’t hard to make! Round up friends or family to share the kitchen space with you, and create your own homemade German Chocolate Cake.
- Since your friends are already over to help you bake, employ their taste buds as well! After you make your own German Chocolate Cake hold a blind taste test with some store-bought ones. The homemade one has got to be the best but doesn’t it?
FACTS ABOUT GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Depending on who you ask, German Chocolate Cake forefather Sam German was either American or English.
- Originally named for the man who created the kind of baking Chocolate used in the Cake, ‘German’s Chocolate Cake’ gradually lost the ‘s’ since its invention in the 1950s.
- While a regular Cake can be simple to make, German Chocolate Cakes requires Eggs to be specifically separated and beaten and the process is a lot more intense!
- !If you order German Chocolate Cake in Germany, you’re likely to be served little more than a blank stare because an American invention through and through, German Chocolate Cake isn’t well-known anywhere outside the Country.
- Did you know German Chocolate Cake isn’t just American, it’s Texan. The recipe for German Chocolate Cake was an original concoction by a Texas housewife.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY
- Who doesn’t love about German Chocolate Cake which is Chocolate featuring rich, Fudgy cake layers improved by a nutty & sweet Pecan and Coconut frosting making German Chocolate Cake the ultimate indulgence, and we’re grateful there’s a holiday to excuse the overeating we plan to do.
- Contrary to popular belief, German Chocolate Cake is a great American classic so much so that it doesn’t even exist in Germany!
- It’s easy to just buy a German Chocolate Cake, but it’s so much more fun to whip the Cake up from scratch inviting friends or family to help is a delicious way to spend the afternoon.
EQUIPMENT
- 3 9-inch round baking pans OR
- 2 9-inch round baking pans and a cupcake pan
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
- 1 4oz package BAKER’S GERMAN’S Sweet Chocolate
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 large eggs separated
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup Buttermilk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cover bottoms of either THREE 9-inch round cake pans or TWO 9-inch round cake pans (some batter will be set aside for cupcakes if using TWO pans*) with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray.
- Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
- Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Add egg whites to cake batter and gently fold in until blended but do not over mix. Pour into prepared pans. If using three pans, divide batter evenly, if making two layers, place approximately 1/3 of the batter into each pan, and the remaining batter can be used for cupcakes.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans to loosen the cake from the sides to prevent sticking. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Remove from pans and transfer to wire racks. Cool completely prior to frosting with.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
INSTRUCTIONS
- Beat egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Add coconut and nuts; mix well.
- Cool to desired consistency prior to frosting.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
