Garten first discovered Beatty's Chocolate Cake while having dinner with her friend Michael Grimm, who runs Bridgehampton Florist in the heart of the Hamptons and frequently appears on "Barefoot Contessa."
"He actually served this cake to me once at dinner and I just begged him for the recipe," Garten said on an episode featuring the cake. "I didn't have to beg very hard."
Beatty was Grimm's grandmother. Monte Mathews, a friend of Grimm's, shared the story behind the famous cake on his blog Chewing The Fat.
"His grandfather had a milk route in Pennsylvania Dutch country and Beatty used to bake this cake to take to the customers on his milk deliveries," Mathews wrote. "I urge you to try this cake with a tall glass of icy cold milk. It will take your breath away."
Garten's version of the cake has become so famous you can even buy it on Goldbelly. But I wanted to try making it at home first — it was time to get baking!