German's® Sweet
Chocolate is a dark baking chocolate created by
the Walter Baker & Company employee, Samuel
German (hence the name), who developed the chocolate in 1852.
He thought this type of chocolate would be convenient for bakers as the sugar is
already added to it. It is sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate and contains a
blend of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, flavorings, and lecithin.
Baker's® sells this chocolate
which can be found on the baking isle of most grocery stores.
The most famous recipe containing German's® Sweet
Chocolate
is German Chocolate Cake (recipe
here). This cake is very rich and consists of three layers of moist
chocolate cake with a rich, sweet, gooey caramel flavored frosting, laced with
coconut and pecans, in between. A German Chocolate Cake leaves its sides bare,
so we can see both the frosting and the layers of chocolate cake.
So what is the history of the
German Chocolate Cake? Its origin is hard to pinpoint but we do know it is all
American. Richard Sax in Classic Home Desserts says this cake was being
made in the 1920's and eventually became popular nationwide after a recipe
appeared in a 1957 food column of a Dallas newspaper. While the name "German"
Chocolate Cake seems to suggest a tie to Germany, the name refers to the type of
chocolate used in the cake which, in turn, is named after Samuel German.
Baker's and German's are trademarks of Kraft Foods Inc.
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