German Chocolate cake - wikipedia German Chocolate cake German chocolate cake A German chocolate cake Alternative names German 's chocolate cake Type Layer cake Course Dessert Place of origin United States Region or state Texas Created by Mrs. George Clay Invented 1957 Main ingredients Chocolate cake, icing ( egg yolks, evaporated milk, coconut and pecan ) German chocolate cake, originally German 's chocolate cake, is a layered chocolate cake from the United States filled and topped with a coconut - pecan frosting. It owes its name to an English - American chocolate maker named Samuel German, who developed a formulation of dark baking chocolate that came to be used in the cake recipe. Sweet baking chocolate is traditionally used for the chocolate flavor in the actual cake, but few recipes call for it today. The filling and / or topping is a custard made with egg yolks and evaporated milk ; once the custard is cooked, coconut and pecans are stirred in. Occasionally, a chocolate frosting is spread on the sides of the cake and piped around the circumference of the layers to hold in the filling. Maraschino cherries are occasionally added as a garnish. History Its roots can be traced back to 1852 when American baker Samuel German developed a type of dark baking chocolate for the Baker 's Chocolate Company. The brand name of the product, Baker 's German 's Sweet Chocolate, was named in honor of him. On June 3, 1957, a recipe for `` German 's Chocolate Cake '' appeared as the `` Recipe of the Day '' in The Dallas Morning News. It was created by Mrs. George Clay, a homemaker from 3831 Academy Drive, Dallas, Texas. This recipe used the baking chocolate introduced 105 years prior and became quite popular. General Foods, which owned the Baker 's brand at the time, took notice and distributed the cake recipe to other newspapers in the country. Sales of Baker 's Chocolate are said to have increased by as much as 73 % and the cake would become a national staple. The possessive form ( German 's ) was dropped in subsequent publications, forming the `` German Chocolate Cake '' identity and giving the false impression of a German origin. The recipe still remains popular to this day and has been adopted by baking companies. June 11 is National German Chocolate Cake Day in America. See also Black Forest cake, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, a chocolate and cherry flavored cake that is of German origin Chantilly cake, a chocolate cake similar to German chocolate cake List of desserts Food portal References Jump up ^ Elizabeth McWhorter. `` German Chocolate Cake recipe ''. My Home Cooking. Archived from the original on 2010 - 05 - 15. Retrieved 1 March 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Germanely Chocolate Cake ''. Snopes. February 21, 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2013. ^ Jump up to : Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell ( 2009 ). The Baker Chocolate Company : A Sweet History. Charleston, SC : History Press. ISBN 9781596293533. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Is German Chocolate Cake Really German ? ''. Kitchen Project. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Jump up ^ Linda Stradley ( 2007 ). `` German Chocolate Cake - History of German Chocolate Cake ''. Whats Cooking America. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` American Food Holidays ''. State Symbols USA. Retrieved 1 March 2013. Cake List of cakes Butter cakes Devil 's food cake Gooey butter cake Pound cake Cheesecakes Fiadone Ostkaka Chocolate cakes Batik cake Black Forest cake Blackout cake Chantilly cake Flourless chocolate cake Fudge cake Garash cake German chocolate cake Hedgehog slice Joffre cake Kladdkaka Molten chocolate cake Sachertorte Torta caprese Fruitcakes Apple cake Avocado cake Banana cake Bánh chuối Black bun Bolo rei Cherry cake Clementine cake Dundee cake Fig cake Genoa cake Jewish apple cake Panforte Plum cake Raisin cake Layer cakes Angel cake Buckwheat gateau Dobos torte Esterházy torte Hot milk cake Maria Luisa cake Mille - feuille Cremeschnitte Napoleonka Šampita Tompouce Princess cake Prinzregententorte Rainbow cake Sarawak cake Spekkoek Torte Vínarterta Spit cakes Baumkuchen Kürtőskalács ( Chimney cake ) Šakotis Spettekaka Trdelník Sponge cakes Bánh bò Battenberg cake Boston cream pie Bundt cake Castella Charlotte Donauwelle Frankfurter Kranz French Fancy Frog cake Génoise Gugelhupf Ladyfinger Lamington Madeira cake Madeleine Mantecadas Marble cake Misérable cake Opera cake Pandan cake Paper wrapped cake Red velvet cake Rum cake Shortcake Spice cake Swiss roll Tres leches cake Upside - down cake Walnut and coffee cake Foam cakes and meringue Angel food cake Chiffon cake Dacquoise Kiev cake Pavlova Sans rival Spanische Windtorte Zuger Kirschtorte Yeast cakes Babka Banana bread Banbury cake Cacavellu Campanile Canestru Chorley cake Date and walnut loaf Flies ' graveyard Inuliata Pandoro Rum baba Streuselkuchen Sweetheart cake Welsh cake Special occasions Birthday cake Buccellato Bûche de Noël Christmas cake Doberge cake Groom 's cake Halloween cake King cake Rosca de reyes Kransekake Lekach Marry girl cake Mooncake Pan de Pascua Pop out cake Simnel cake Soul cake Stack cake Stollen Strenna Wedding cake Other Beer cake Better than sex cake Biscuit Bizcocho Bulla cake Cake balls Cake pop Carrot cake Coconut cake Coffee cake Croquembouche Cupcake Cupcone Gingerbread house man Heavy cake Ice cream cake Kuih Lolly cake Muffin Ontbijtkoek Pain d'épices Parkin Petit four Punschkrapfen Ruske kape Teacake Tiramisu Chocolate desserts Cakes Batik cake Black Forest cake Blackout cake Boston cream pie Bûche de Noël Chantilly cake Chocolate brownie Chocolate cake Chokladboll Death by Chocolate Devil 's food cake Éclair Flourless chocolate cake Fudge cake Garash cake German chocolate cake Hedgehog slice Kladdkaka Molten chocolate cake Pain au chocolat Prinzregententorte Red velvet cake Sachertorte Torta caprese Pies and tarts Chocolate creme pie Mississippi mud pie Cookies Chocolate chip cookie Chocolate salami Nanaimo bar Oreos S'mores Ice cream Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream Chocolate ice cream Cookies and Cream Mint chocolate chip Milkshake Sundae Other Banana boat Brigadeiro Chocolate - covered bacon Chocolate - covered potato chips Chocolate crackles Chocolate pudding Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_chocolate_cake&oldid=804138456 '' Categories : Chocolate desserts Cakes American desserts Cuisine of the Southern United States Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Talk About Wikipedia Español فارسی עברית 日本 語 ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 7 October 2017, at 00 : 37. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where did german chocolate cake get its name
Answer: Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate