Why is german chocolate cake german

The cake was a hit and the recipe was reprinted in newspapers across the nation. Sales for the baking chocolate skyrocketed, and General Foods which had bought out Baker's Chocolate reported an increase of 73 percent in sales. More than years after German's bars were invented, they became the talk of the town and were used in what would soon become a classic American dessert.

The birth of German chocolate cake in Dallas Shutterstock. Check out our recipe for Mama's German Chocolate Cake. By Meghan Overdeep May 09, Save FB Tweet More. All rights reserved. Close Sign in. My husband, for example, requests German chocolate cake for his birthday every year. And, for a while at least, it seemed that no bridal or baby shower was complete without a batch of red velvet cupcakes. I'm partial to devil's food cake myself, preferably covered in billowy white icing.

One bite takes me straight back to the Devil Dogs of my school lunchbox days. If you ask most people what distinguishes those three common chocolate cakes—red velvet, German chocolate, and devil's food—however, and you'll get no such specificity.

While almost everyone can describe what they love about each, few can say what makes the layers themselves all that different. Even food historians disagree on their origins. I've spent days poring over cookbooks and newspaper articles, reading up on the history of American layer cakes , and found myriad variations and historical theories for each.

Some say the red velvet cake made its debut at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City in s, for example, while others claim it originated in Texas. No one argues that its appearance on Sex and the City accounts for its recent popularity. And did you know that German chocolate cake is not from Germany? Read enough recipes and backstories, and your head may start to spin. Other than the color of red velvet, it can be hard to tell which cake layer is which by sight alone.

What gives them away, usually, are the fillings and frostings , though even those are not entirely consistent. Here, we explain the differences and similarities between this delicious trio. German Chocolate Cake is famous for its filling—it has a rich, sticky-sweet custard studded with coconut flakes and chopped pecans. The sides are traditionally left bare so the cake is easy to recognize, though some variations like this delicious one keep everything under wraps beneath a blanket of dark chocolate frosting.