German Chocolate Cake Isn't German

German chocolate cake is not in fact from Germany. That may not be new information, but have you thought past it to wonder where this delicious creation actually came from?

A more accurate name for this much loved combination of fluffy chocolate cake, caramel custard, pecans, and coconut cake would be German's chocolate cake, linking it back to a man named Samuel German rather than to Germany. In 1852, German (the man) developed a type of dark baking chocolate called Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate. It wasn't until June 3, 1957, that a definitive recipe for German's Chocolate Cake, written by Mrs. George Clay, appeared in The Dallas Morning News.

The chocolate cake became increasingly popular, and as word of the German's Chocolate Cake recipe spread across America so did sales of Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, increasing by as much as 73 percent. Over time, the possessive in German's was dropped and the cake eventually became known as German Chocolate Cake, a name that leads many to believe it originated in Germany. June 11 is National German Chocolate Cake Day in the United States — the perfect day to celebrate with a slice of chocolate cake.