The Vietnam War took place from Nov 1, 1955 – Apr 30, 1975. It was during this war that the recipe for German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake was first created, became popular, and by about mid-way through the war variations of the original recipe had already begun to develop.
This 3 layer chocolate cake originally had a cooked coconut pecan custard that was used as the filling and topping. The custard was only used on top and between the layers with the sides left bare and there were no other decorations. It also originally used shortening in the making of its cake and heavy whipping cream in the making of its custard.
Eventually, as it became more and more popular, other bakers began frosting the sides with chocolate frosting and adding maraschino cherries and other decorations — such as shaved chocolate curls for example.
Other spins were also made to the original recipe the most famous (and most popular version then and now) being that made by one of the U.S. presidents. More about that later!
Contrary to popular belief this cake is not from Germany.
It originated in in the 1950s and it was created by Mrs. George Clay, a Texas housewife that lived at 3831 Academy Drive, Dallas, Texas.
She submitted her newly created recipe to a favorite local newspaper recipe column. On June 3, 1957 her recipe was published for Julie Benell’s “Recipe of the Day” column in the newspaper known — both then and now — as the Dallas Morning News.
The original recipe submitted had very few details since it was expected that any respectable and experienced home cook and baker (housewife) would know what to do — which luckily my grandmother, like her mother before her, knew exactly how to go about doing and later wrote down for me.
A little more than 100 years earlier, in 1852, an English-American baker from Massachusetts by the name of Samuel German developed a type of dark baking chocolate for the Baker’s Chocolate Company. The brand name of the product, Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, was so named after him.
Prior to its creation there were only blocks of very bitter, unsweetened chocolate available which required bakers to take additional steps in order to incorporate sugar when tempering it before they could use it in recipes taking care not have the sugar crystallize in the process. Samuel German’s baking chocolate was the first to already be sweetened.
Mrs. Clay used this particular brand of chocolate in the making of her chocolate cake recipe which she called “German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake” — NOT German Chocolate Cake.
General Foods Corporation (not to be confused with General Mills), owner of the Baker’s brand at that time, took notice and had the recipe distributed to newspapers around the country hoping to gain increased recognition and sales of their product called Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate.
There is debate as to whether the name change from German’s to German was a simple mistake by one of the many newspapers to which the recipe was distributed or if it was a calculated marketing ploy to increase sales further by giving the false impression that the cake had more exotic German origins.
Regardless, the effect was the same. As the cake became more and more popular, the sales for Baker’s German’s Chocolate sky rocketed.
It became so popular that it is now a traditional American staple and produced not only homes but also by professional bakeries across the U.S.A. It even has its very own holiday — June 11th. is “National German Chocolate Cake Day” in America.
There are many variations on the original recipe in existence today. I even have my own version that I make every year for my brother’s birthday and which I make but decorate very differently for other times of the year. He likes his birthday cake completely covered over with the custard — so I have to make a double batch and cook it a bit longer to thicken it more.
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A modern day contributor to for the Dallas Morning News, Rebecca White, from Plano, Texas recently decided, in 2018, to publish a more modern day version with much greater detail so even less experienced modern day cooks would know how to prepare it.
White tested out both the 1957 and 1963 published recipes then combined what she thought were the best elements of each recipe into one modernized version.
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Honestly, the instructions to use “chilled” egg whites set off major alarms for me since it is very difficult to get enough air into chilled egg whites and they should always be brought to room temperature before beating to produce a lighter, fluffier well risen cake.
I have not actually tried this version due to that and lack faith that it would produce a good quality cake texture. Also, lacking any baking powder and just using baking soda is going to reduce the flavor imparted by the buttermilk — the chemistry of which I won’t even try to go into since it would take far too long to explain. However, I can only imagine that the cake would be rather heavy, dense, that it will have an underlying bitter taste, as well as lack the usual richness imparted by the buttermilk. Then again I could be wrong — but I’ll leave it to others to actually try it out since I already have the other versions listed further down.
Here is her 2018 modern day combined and updated version:
German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites, chilled
Coconut Pecan Frosting (recipe below)
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F.
Combine the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl, set aside.
With a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate and let cool.
With an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Continue mixing and add the egg yolks to the shortening mixture one at a time. Once the eggs are incorporated, add the melted chocolate.
In multiple batches, add the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.
Once combined, add the vanilla extract.
Place the egg whites into a separate bowl and whip on high with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
Pour the mixture into 3 greased (8- or 9-inch) layer cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Turn out the cakes on cooling racks for further cooling.
Once completely cooled, add a generous layer of coconut pecan frosting to the top of one cake. Top with an additional layer of cake. Continue this step until all cake and frosting is used.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
Place 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup diced, unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a saucepan. Warm over medium heat until the butter melts. Stir occasionally. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups coconut flakes and 1 cup chopped pecans. With an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, beat until the frosting is thick enough to spread.
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You may not even recognize the true original recipe when comparing it to many of the more modern versions! My own version does not even use German’s chocolate and the cake is even lighter and fluffier than the original 50s and LBJ 60s versions that my grandmother and mother used.
President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) was the first well known person to present a different spin on the original recipe — when serving the cake at his Johnson City ranch for a luncheon with German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard — erroneously believing like so many others that he was providing German Chancellor Erhard with a treat from his German homeland.
The LBJ version, however, used butter in place of the shortening for the cake and used evaporated milk in place of the heavy whipping cream for the custard.
This 1960s LBJ spin on the original recipe also made its way into the Dallas Morning News in 1963 — before the birth of my sister later that same year — and who is pictured here in January of 1964 laying on the bed beside our maternal grandfather:
It is this LBJ twist on the original recipe that is most often presented — inaccurately — as being the original. It also became the most popular version.
However, the original 1950s recipe — according to and as hand written by my grandmother is as follows:
German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake
2-1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
1 cup shortening, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Grease and flour 3 nine inch round cake pans.
Sift the flour at least three times.
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together into a bowl, set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and let cool.
Cream the shortening. Add the sugar and cream until fluffy.
Add the egg yolks to the shortening mixture one at a time beating well after each.
Add the chocolate. Blend well.
Stir a portion of the dry sifted ingredients into the chocolate mixture at a time, alternating with the buttermilk, beating after each addition until combined.
Beat in the vanilla extract to combine.
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites gently into the cake batter.
Spoon into 3 prepared 9-inch cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until done.
Cool for 15 minutes before turning out to finish cooling.
Make the custard and frost the top of each layer placed on the cake stand.
Cover with dome and chill. Remove and allow to rest uncovered 30 to 45 minutes before serving.
Coconut Pecan Custard
Mix together 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, 3 beaten egg yolks, 1/2 cup diced, unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Set aside.
Melt butter in a pan on low heat. Stir occasionally. If turns brown pour out and start over.
Pour custard mixture into pan very slowly while continuously beating. If the eggs cook and clumps form pour out and start over.
Bring to a simmer while stirring and cook custard, beating continuously, until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups coconut flakes and 1 cup chopped pecans. Beat until thick enough to spread.
This is my mother’s recipe using the popular 1963 version:
LBJ’s German’s Sweet Chocolate Cake
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
Grease and flour 3 nine inch round cake pans. Set aside.
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together into a bowl three times and set aside.
Separate the eggs and set aside.
Place a metal bowl over top a pan of boiling hot water, add the chocolate, stir gently but continuously just until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
Cream the butter with an electric hand mixer.
Add the sugar and cream until fluffy, about 2 minutes, using an electric hand mixer.
Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture one at a time. Beat well after each addition to incorporate.
Once the eggs have been fully incorporated, add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.
Add the dry sifted ingredients, stirring then beating into the chocolate mixture in three separate batches, alternating with 1/3 cup buttermilk.
Place the now room temperature egg whites into a separate bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter until fully incorporated and the whites are no longer visible.
Pour equal amounts of the cake batter into the prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a spatula carefully around the rims. Turn out the cakes to cool completely.
Once cakes have completely cooled, prepare the custard. Add a third of the coconut pecan custard on top top of each added layer of cake.
Cover with cake lid and chill until half an hour before ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Coconut Pecan Custard
In small bowl, whisk 3 egg yolks until pale yellow. Add 1 cup Carnation evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together. Set aside.
Put 1 stick (1/2 cup) of thinly sliced pats of unsalted butter into a saucepan.
Warm over low-medium heat just until the butter melts. Stir occasionally.
Slowly add the custard mixture to the pan while rapidly whisking continuously.
Increase the heat and bring custard to a simmer over medium heat while stirring.
As soon as it begins to bubble slightly, begin rapidly whisking continuously until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Pour the custard into a bowl.
Stir in 1-1/2 cups coconut flakes and 1 cup chopped pecans.
Beat with an electric hand mixer until thick enough to spread.
Set aside to finish cooling completely and to further thicken so as not to ooze out and down the sides of the cake.
For my own version:
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