What part of Germany does German chocolate cake come from?
Category: Society Published: November 16, 2012
By: Christopher S. Baird, author of The Top 50 Science Questions with Surprising Answers and Associate Professor of Physics at West Texas A&M University
German chocolate cake does not come from Germany. According to the book "The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History" by historian Anthony M. Sammarco, the cake uses a chocolate baking bar invented by an American named Sam German. The cake is named after this man, and not the country. In 1852, Sam German developed a sweeter chocolate baking bar for the Baker's Chocolate Co. German's baking bar caught on in popularity due to its high sugar content compared to other chocolates of the day. The recipe for the cake using Sam German's baking bar was not published until a century later in 1957. Over time, the name has been corrupted from "German's chocolate cake" to "German chocolate cake".