German chocolate cake

Why does the frosting contain coconut? Coconuts are tropical and Germany isn't.

• Potatoes aren't native to Ireland either OP.

• The flakes remind them fondly of the ashes filling the air from the camps.

• I it is because of the kind of chocolate that was traditionally used. It's origin is not Germany at all, rather German sweet chocolate as it was called and developed in the mid 19th century. I no longer see chocolate labeled as German sweet chocolate in the stores. Years ago I often made the very best home made fudge ever made. It was Mamie Eisenhowers recipe, available online and it calls for that chocolate.

• the germans used pine bark - this was the closest thing.

• This is such a Grumpy/Rumpy/Umpy/whatever his name is now thread.

• Don't! I get a pang and find myself missing that cretin! He amused.

• "German's" is actually a brand name owned by "Bakers Chocolate," which in turn is owned by Kraft Foods. Turns out German was a guy's name, not the country.

• OP this may shock you, but the cocoa tree is also tropical plant.

• I love it. Mama made it from scratch once a year for Christmas Day dinner. It was gorgeous and moist and OMG, SO GOOD. We're taking melt in your mouth. The German chocolate is what made the difference. It was diffeent from regular chocolate cake. It makes me sad to think of it.

• The German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany but with the 'inventor' who was named German. I don't even think there is German chocolate cake in Germany.

• [quote]Mama made it from scratch once a year for Christmas Day dinner. It was gorgeous and moist and OMG, SO GOOD. And here I thought her only gifts involved declaring the moistness of her mussy!

• I worked in a German restaurant and the chef used to make Black Forest cake. The customers would complain that there werent any cherries in the cake. The chef was German and insisted Black Forest cake in Germany did not have cherries in it, and he vasint goink to put no damn cherries in hees cake, shieskopfs!

• What R10 said.

• At least it's not a pineapple.

  Herr%20Schultz%2C%20gassy.%20

• R12, Either you chef was an idiot or he was Swiss (perhaps both). The name Black Forest cake comes from the fact that the cake resembles elements of the traditional Black Forrest folk dress. See below. The cherries represent the enormous pompons on the hat. Schwarzwaldkuchen is regulated under German law. The cake must have cherries, a cherry filling, and cherry brandy to be sold as Schwarzwaldkuchen in Germany. Apparently, there is a Swiss pastry that is also called Schwarzwaldkuchen that is different. I have no idea whether it includes cherries.

  http://rememberingletters.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/germany-gutacher-costume-from-the-black-forest.jpg

• That brown coconut frosting looks like cat puke.

• Fucking hate this cake. Worst dessert ever.

• I spent most of my life thinking that German chocolate was similar to Swiss chocolate. But in recent years I have read that what R10 says is true. If you don't like the coconut icing, I can suggest a cake that is even better than German chocolate and no icing is needed. Hershey bar cake, which was very popular for a short time in the 1950's. 2 sticks of butter 2 cups of sugar 4 eggs 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup of buttermilk 8 Hershey bars, melted (about 12 oz.) 1/2 cup of Hershey syrup 1 tsp Vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda optional: 1 cup chopped nuts--I use roasted almonds cream butter and proceed with usual cake-making bake in a large bundt pan for an hour @ 350F or until done

• The Hershey bar cake needs bars from the 50s made in the US with sugar and not the Latin-American HFCS sludge of now.

• R15, he was German, but he trained in Switzerland.

• My favorite German Chocolate Cake recipe is from the 1997 version of Joy of Cooking, helmed by Ethan Becker.

• Is that true, r15? I adore black forest cake, probably my favorite dessert.

  Herr%20Fattie

• It's now called "African American Wilderness Refugee Cake"

• I was never a big "HFCS is Satan's ingredient" person but R19 is right. I couldn't figure out what was fucking up recipes that I'd been using for years. It was the HFCS in the chocolate.

• Lutherans have it at every bake sell. They must think it's German.

• It was first developed by Samuel German in 1852.

  http://www.joyofbaking.com/GermanChocolate.html

• Was Gernan German?

• Ironically, German chocolate cake is Jewish.

• My favorite - My grandmother baked it for me on my birthdays.

• Are there any Germans (from Germany) posting here who can say whether the American "German Chocolate Cake" can now be found in Germany? It's sort of like how spaghetti and meatballs were never found in that combination in Italy due to its being developed in the United States by Italian-Americans but has some degree of popularity in Italy today. The name "German" was a brand name of chocolate and the cake recipe was developed as a way of selling the chocolate, but it soon became confused with the German people and their cuisine(s).

  Anonymous