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68                            L U S C I O U S  L A Y E R S


                                 German Chocolate Cake



                n the 1950s a spectacular layer cake  cake, although this has confused some
            Iwas making the rounds at Texas and    people because of Texas’s German
             Oklahoma parties and picnics. It was  immigrant heritage. The cake was named
             based on Baker’s German sweet chocolate  for the German chocolate that went into
             and was frosted with a gooey coconut and  it, and the chocolate was named for
             pecan–filled frosting.                 Samuel German—an Englishman who
               According to the Dallas Morning News,  emigrated to Boston and worked at the
             the first recipe for this German Chocolate  Walter Baker Chocolate Company in the
             Cake was printed in that newspaper in  mid-1800s. German was intrigued by
             1957. It came from a Texas homemaker.  the sweet smell of chocolate, and he
             Amazingly, that recipe drove Texas sales  developed his own particular style in
             of German chocolate through the roof. So  1852. It would be named for him but
             Baker company executives, realizing they  manufactured by Baker, which is now
             were in the midst of a public relations  owned by Kraft Foods.
             dream, sent the recipe to more than one  I have found that the classic recipe
             hundred newspaper food editors. U.S.  adapts well to a cake mix as long as you
             sales of German chocolate shot up 73  use buttermilk in the cake batter and as
             percent that year. The cake was on course  long as you make the original homemade
             to become an American classic.        frosting. To intensify the frosting flavor,
               There is nothing German about this  I toast the pecans and coconut first.





           7. Place one cake layer, right side up, on  for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up
           a  serving  platter.  Spread  the  top  with  to  1  week.  Or  freeze  it,  wrapped  in  alu-
           frosting. Place the second layer, right side  minum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6
           up, on top of the first layer and frost the  months.  Thaw  the  cake  overnight  in  the
           top  with  the  remaining  frosting,  leaving  refrigerator before serving.
           the sides unfrosted.

              Store  this  cake,  in  a  cake  saver  or
           under a glass dome, at room temperature
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