Baker’s Chocolate Wasn’t Made For Bakers
I hope this doesn’t ruin your day, but Baker’s Chocolate wasn’t created for bakers, it’s chocolate originally produced in Dorchester, MA by John Hannon with his partner Dr. James Baker. Hannon sailed to the West Indies in 1779 and never came back, so Dr. Baker changed the name to the Baker Chocolate Company.
Additionally, German Chocolate Cake isn’t German. A homemaker from Dallas sent the Dallas Morning News a recipe for German’s Chocolate Cake made with a sweet baking chocolate invented by Samuel German in 1853. (I’m not including the name of the homemaker because she’s listed everywhere as Mrs. Husband’s Name and YOU KNOW that guy never picked up a sifter to help.) I personally don’t believe coconut or nuts belong in dessert so I don’t fw German Chocolate Cake if I can help it.
Here’s where you’re about to get really mad. Here’s where you’re about to blow a gasket. Here’s the thing what will make you absolutely furious like me. Guess which company’s sales increased 73% after the popularization of German Chocolate Cake as a thing Americans were making regularly? That’s right, it’s Baker’s Chocolate Company, Samuel German’s employer in 1853 when he invented the chocolate. (via @parsnip.bsky.social)
Discussion 16 comments
Baker's Chocolate is bad chocolate. German Chocolate Cake is a exactly how you ruin what started as a fine idea. I've seldom been more disappointed than when someone says there's going to be a chocolate cake and it turns out to be German Chocolate Cake. Just throw it all out the window with the Baker's brand chocolate from the baking aisle and frickin Walmart or whatever. Bad vibes all around with this stuff so this whole story adds up.
German Chocolate Cake really is a problem.
And it looks nothing like an actual chocolate cake in Germany, which would be much, much more enjoyable.
Sorry to be the thorn in this discussion, but I love German Chocolate Cake. And I'm pretty sure the versions I get at whatever bakery aren't necessarily made with Baker's chocolate. But I do agree wholeheartedly that actual German cakes are superior to GCCs, something that was cemented in my head after living in Munich for 5 years ... along with the best beer in the world.
I second finding German Chocolate Cake to be delicious. I didn't know before today it wasn't from Germany, but it doesn't change my opinion of it.
ewww. Coconut pretty much doesn’t belong on or in any dessert. Or especially candy bar.
Ooh. Yeah. Um, I'm going to have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you there. I got a recipe for an almost-flourless chocolate cake (just 3 tablespoons of AP flour) from the inside of a Baker's chocolate wrapper back in 1987 and it's NEVER failed to impress when I've made it. Allez Cuisine!
Chocolate Velvet Cake
1 package (4 oz) BAKER'S® GERMAN® Brand Sweet Chocolate, broken in pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
chocolate glaze (recipe follows)
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Blend in egg yolks, one at a time. Beat egg whites until foamy throughout. Gradually add sugar and beat until mixture will form soft peaks. Gently fold in chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly. Pour into greased and floured 8-inch layer pan. Bake at 350°F about 20 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Cake may settle as it cools. Remove from pan and finish cooling upside down on rack. Spread glaze over top and sides. Makes 8 servings.
Chocolate Glaze
Melt 1 package (4 oz.) BAKER'S® GERMAN® Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces, with 3 tablespoons water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stire in 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Cool to thicken if necessary. Makes 2/3 cup.
Note: I like to mix it up and use the semi-sweet in the glaze or cake, or a mix of both.
It's the pecans and coconut I disagree with.
This is the recipe my mother would make me for my birthday.
Does this mean you never have coconut or nuts in yer ice cream?
We make a lot of peanut butter ice cream, which is fine, and sometimes make a rocky road with almonds. We make coconut and pina colada, but the Pina colada is only to swirl with strawberry ice cream... Almond joy ice cream we make occasionally, but I won't eat it.
I really really appreciate people making ice creams with coconut and or nuts. Yum. Thanks!
*cracks open factoid file* Other things named for people: Taco Bell, Mars candy, shrapnel, MySQL, and Main Street in San Francisco.
See also Things Unexpectedly Named After People.
Sort of relatedly, I always find it amazing that Wetzel's Pretzel's is actually named for a founder named Wetzel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetzel%27s_Pretzels
But don't forget that there can be a prior step -- nominative determinism. baker goes into the baking industry because of his name and then invents something that is named for him rather than the profession but he only chose the the profession because of the name
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