German Chocolate Cake to Swoon Over - Dinner Tonight - Cooking

Swoon Over German Chocolate Cake

No Comments | Written on February 1, 2012 at 5:00 pm, by The Editors

Take a bite of German chocolate cake and you have a whole new idea of what a cake can be. The rich, moist layers of chocolate cake are good enough to stand on their own, but once they’re slathered with a thick coat of gooey caramel icing studded with pecans and coconut, it’s game over.

But don’t pull out your lederhosen just yet. Alhough the name suggests otherwise, this cake isn’t German at all. It gained popularity in the United States in the 1950s, and took its name from the brand of chocolate used in the recipe: Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. Once the recipe was published in a Texas newspaper in 1957, it caught on like wildfire. Once you’ve tried the five German chocolate cakes below, you’ll understand why. We’ve got cake made with ground pecans, ice-cream-topped German chocolate cupcakes, and a German chocolate cake made even richer with the addition of coffee. If you can’t find happiness in these amazing cakes, then perhaps you just don’t like dessert!

You won’t taste the coffee in this Pecan-Laced German Chocolate (pictured at left), but it makes the chocolate flavor more pronounced. Ground pecans are the other secret ingredient—they give the cake a sweet, nutty taste.

German Chocolate Cake: This cake has a beautiful texture, but it requires attention. Be sure your oven settings are correct and you’ll be rewarded with an extremely moist result.

German Chocolate Cupcakes: Prefer your indulgences in small doses? Bake up some of these German chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate-pecan ice cream “frosting.”

German Chocolate Pound Cake: If you thought German chocolate cake was as decadent as it gets, think again. This buttery pound cake takes the flavors you love over the top.

German Chocolate Nut Cake: A deconstructed version of traditional German chocolate cake is no less delicious. Here, the squares of dense chocolate cake are drizzled with a sweet, rich coconut pecan caramel sauce.