German Chocolate Cake Cupcake from Martino's

The Original Martino's Bakery has been serving Burbank since 1926, that's 92 years! I'm not sure if they've been in the same location at 335 North Victory Blvd but that's where I was unexpectedly introduced to them. It's a spacious place and it's no thrills appearance makes it easy to miss along the busy streets. Dedicated to providing fresh, delicious, beautiful baked goods, all of the shelves in The Original Martino's are chalk full of them. From pies, cakes and morning danishes, to muffins and cookies, to tea cakes, fruit cakes, cupcakes and cake balls they have it all! 

German Chocolate Cake cupcake from Martino's
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Their cupcakes are reasonably priced at $2.59 each and while their Carrot Cake Cupcake was enticing with it's walnut encrusted cream cheese frosting and cozy spices of the season, I went with a flavor I haven't reviewed before. 

One that you don't see in cupcake form too often. One that because of it's coloring could be considered Thanksgiving appropriate. 

I got a German Chocolate Cake cupcake. 

Traditionally German Chocolate cake is layers of chocolate devils food cake with a coconut-pecan paste like frosting. At first bite I knew this was not a chocolate devils food cake (it wasn't nearly decadent enough) but I couldn't put my finger on it. There was a familiar flavor...rum cake? As I ate on it hit me. It wasn't rum I tasted, it was Kirsch and it reminded me of the other famous German cake, Black Forest Cake. It was a light cake, not buttery or moist but not dry, just light. It didn't have a lot of flavor beyond the familiar taste of a Black Forest Cake. 

German Chocolate Cake cupcake from Martino's
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The frosting was a pulpy blend of coconut, pecan, butter and sugar. Though there was more coconut making up the chunky consistency, the taste of pecan was stronger than coconut. The quarter sized dollop of milk chocolate frosting that might have been there cosmetically to hold the maraschino cherry in place added the perfect amount of sweetness to the mix. You don't see too many cupcakes with bright red cherries on top, maybe Martino's does that on their German Cake cupcakes as a nod to the Black Forest Cake. Over all it's not a very sweet cupcake. As I was eating it I thought to myself it's a great cupcake for people who aren't really into sweets or if your sweet tooth isn't that big. But it did satisfy my sweet tooth that afternoon.