Is German Chocolate Cake Really German?

FoodProject.com has raised an interesting question: Is German Chocolate Cake really German?

According to the folks over at Food Project, a recipe for German Chocolate cake first appeared in 1957 via a Dallas, Texas, newspaper. Sent in from a Dallas homemaker, the trail to track down the origins of this cake goes dry. However, according to Patricia Riso from Kraft Foods, the recipe called for a brand of chocolate bar called "German's" which has been developed
in 1852, by an Englishman named Sam German, for Baker's Chocolate Company.

Food Project says:

"The cake had an immediate and enthusiastic response, and requests about where to find the German's chocolate bar were so numerous that General Foods (who owned Baker's Chocolate) decided to send pictures of the cake to newspapers all around the country.Everywhere the recipe had the same response and the sales for the chocolate exploded.

Now the cake is a regular item in bakeries across the country, and a mix is on the grocery shelves also.

The cake most likely didn't originate from this Dallas housewife. Buttermilk chocolate cakes have been popular in the south for
over 70 years, and Pecans are plentiful in the area also, to make the nice frosting. German's chocolate is similar to a milk chocolate and sweeter than regular baking chocolate."

So, is the cake an orphan of Deutschland? I guess we'll never know...


Thanks to Foodimentary for the tip.