German Chocolate Cake: A Divine Dessert
The German chocolate cake has been a much-loved dessert of the Americans for more than half a century now. This rich layered chocolate cake rarely fails to impress with its delicious taste.
History: An American in every bite
This sweet wonder originated in the United States. The cake derives its name from Samuel German, an English-American chocolate maker. He created a dark baking chocolate formulation in 1852. The formulation was marketed under the brand name of Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
In 1957, the Dallas Morning Star published a recipe for German’s Chocolate Cake. It was contributed by Mrs. George Clay, a homemaker from Dallas. She used Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate in her recipe. It received an enthusiastic response. General Foods, the owner of the Baker’s brand, noticed this and distributed the recipe to various other newspapers. This made the recipe popular across the country. Soon there were requests for repeated publication of the recipe. In subsequent publications, the word German’s was replaced by German. Thus, the cake came to be known as German Chocolate Cake.
Facts: As Fascinating As The Cake Itself
• In America, 11th June is celebrated as National German Chocolate Cake Day
• After the recipe’s publication, sales of Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate increased by 73%
Ingredients and Preparation: Baking An Irresistible Cake
Here is a German Chocolate Cake recipe to indulge your sweet tooth:
Preparation Time: 30 min
Baking Time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
• German sweet chocolate: 4 ounces (chopped)
• Sugar: 2 cups
• Eggs: 4 (separated)
• Water: 1/2 cup
• Butter: 1 cup (softened)
• Cake flour: 2-1/2 cups
• Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
• Buttermilk: 1 cup
• Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
For Frosting
• Evaporated milk: 1-1/2 cups
• Sugar: 1-1/2 cups
• Egg yolks: 5 (beaten)
• Coconut: 2 cups (flaked)
• Butter: 3/4 cup
• Vanilla extract: 1-1/2 teaspoons
• Pecans: 1-1/2 cups (chopped)
For Icing
• Semi-sweet Chocolate: 2 ounces
• Shortening: 1 teaspoon
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Take three round baking pans of 9-inch size and grease them. Line them with greased waxed paper and set aside.
• In a small pan take chocolate and water. Melt them over low heat. Allow to cool.
• Take a large bowl and beat sugar and butter till the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
• Add 4 egg yolks to the mixture, one at a time. Beat the mixture after each addition.
• Blend melted chocolate and vanilla extract with the mixture.
• In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, and baking soda.
• Add the flour mix to the sugar mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Beat well after each addition to make a nice batter.
• Beat the 4 egg whites in another bowl until stiff peaks form. Add to the batter and stir to blend.
• Pour the batter into the three pans.
• Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Take out from oven and allow to cool.
• For frosting: In a small saucepan take milk, sugar, butter and egg yolks. Stir continuously over low heat to form a thick golden brown mixture. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, coconut and pecans. Cool till the mixture becomes thick enough to be spread. On each cake layer spread 1/3 of the frosting mixture. Stack the layers.
• For icing: Melt chocolate and shortening in a microwave and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.
Nutrition Info: A High-Calorie Treat
Each serving (1 slice) contains:
Calories: 910
Cholesterol: 237 mg
Carbohydrate: 103 g
Fat: 53 g (Saturated fat 28 g)
Protein: 11 g
Sodium: 511 mg
Fibre: 4 g
Surprise your loved ones by making this German Chocolate Cake and enjoy a sweet treat.
