German Chocolate Cheesecake: German Chocolate Cake Day

Today is National German Chocolate Cake Day. Oxymoron? Not really. German Chocolate Cake is an American creation that contains the key ingredients of sweet baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans.

In 1852, Sam German created a dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company, and in his honor, the company named it "Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate."

In 1957, probably the first published recipe for German's chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper and supposedly came from a Texas homemaker. The cake quickly gained in popularity and the recipe together with photos spread all over the country. America fell in love with German Chocolate Cake, and food editors were swamped with requests for information on where to buy the chocolate. 

If you follow this blog, you know I like variations on a theme. Here's a great and easy recipe for German Chocolate Cheesecake. Cheesecakes are very easy to make, and they always turn out fantastic! Don't overbake, of course.

There are other German Chocolate Cheesecake recipes out there, but I really like this one. It's a great chocolate cheesecake as is, but the topping really gives it that German Chocolate Cake twist. I've mentioned before, that it's best to use the very best quality ingredients. That goes for the cocoa and cream cheese--and butter! I use Madagascar vanilla, too. Recipe adapted from Catherine Rentz, Columbia, South Carolina, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2000.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients 

Crust
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup ground pecans
3 Tbsp sweet butter, melted

Cheesecake
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (or 3 ounces dark chocolate cooled)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Topping
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup sweet butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup toasted flaked coconut

Preparation 
Stir together first 3 ingredients; press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool.
Beat cream cheese and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Loosen cake from pan; cool. Chill 8 hours.

Stir together evaporated milk and next 4 ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 7 minutes.
Stir in pecans and coconut; spread over cheesecake.