<Tr> <Th> Main ingredients </Th> <Td> Chocolate cake, icing (egg yolks, evaporated milk, coconut and pecan) </Td> </Tr> <P> German chocolate cake, originally German's chocolate cake, is a layered chocolate cake from the United States filled and topped with a coconut - pecan frosting . It owes its name to an English - American chocolate maker named Samuel German, who developed a formulation of dark baking chocolate that came to be used in the cake recipe . Sweet baking chocolate is traditionally used for the chocolate flavor in the actual cake, but few recipes call for it today . The filling and / or topping is a custard made with egg yolks and evaporated milk; once the custard is cooked, coconut and pecans are stirred in . Occasionally, a chocolate frosting is spread on the sides of the cake and piped around the circumference of the layers to hold in the filling . Maraschino cherries are occasionally added as a garnish . </P> <P> Its roots can be traced back to 1852 when American baker 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 named in honor of him . </P> <P> On June 3, 1957, a recipe for "German's Chocolate Cake" appeared as the "Recipe of the Day" in The Dallas Morning News . It was created by Mrs. George Clay, a homemaker from 3831 Academy Drive, Dallas, Texas . This recipe used the baking chocolate introduced 105 years prior and became quite popular . General Foods, which owned the Baker's brand at the time, took notice and distributed the cake recipe to other newspapers in the country . Sales of Baker's Chocolate are said to have increased by as much as 73% and the cake would become a national staple . The possessive form (German's) was dropped in subsequent publications, forming the "German Chocolate Cake" identity and giving the false impression of a German origin . </P>

Where did german chocolate cake get its name