My entire life I thought this was invented in Germany. Looks like I have a Texan to thank for this.

Did Everyone Know This or am I an Idiot?

I'm always down for a piece of cake and one that occasionally catches my eye is a German Chocolate Cake. My entire life, I thought someone in Germany invented this thing. Nope, it was a lady in Dallas, Texas. So why on Earth would we think Germany has anything to do with this.

Samuel German's Chocolates

Yes, the reason we call this cake a German Chocolate Cake is because of the chocolate you're supposed to use. A man, not from Germany, but named Samuel German invented a dark baking chocolate back in the 1850's. To this day, you can still buy this exact chocolate bar. It is now distributed by the Kraft company after they bought the rights to the Baker's brand.

How Did a Texan Invent This Cake?

A Dallas homemaker by the name of George Clay submitted a recipe, for the 'Recipe of the Day' in the Dallas Morning Star on June 13, 1957. The cake quickly took off in North Texas. As I mentioned earlier, Kraft now owns the Baker Brands. Back in 1957, it was General Mills. They took Mrs. Clay's recipe and put in several newspapers throughout the country to see if it would increase sales. It worked and sales for the chocolate increased 73% across the country.

Shouldn't it Technically Be German's Chocolate Cake?

Yes, Mrs. Clay's original recipe called it German's Chocolate Cake, since you had to use German's Chocolate for the recipe. Somewhere along the way, the S dropped and now we think this is some sort of German cake recipe. Nope, made right here in Texas. So I guess technically if you're not using German's Chocolate all these years, your German Chocolate Cake has been a lie.