Devil's Food Cake
As decadently dark, sinful, and tempting as its name implies, devil's food cake was invented in the early 1900s as an antipode to the already famed angel food cake. It emerged at a time when baking chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder became readily available and affordable, and has been an all-time favorite ever since.
What is the difference between chocolate cake and devil's food? The addition of chocolate to the batter increased as the price of this ingredient declined, thus creating "chocolate cake" as we know it today. 20th century cookbooks often list chocolate cake and devil's food on the same page. The most predominant difference between the two? Devil's food usually contains a greater proportion of chocolate. Fannie Farmer [1923] doubles the amount of chocolate required for her devil's food (4 ounces compared to 2 ounces for "regular" chocolate cake.). Irma S. Rombauer confirms: "When the larger amount of chocolate is used, it is a black, rich Devil's Food." (Joy of Cooking, 1931 p. 236)
Among a number of other chocolate-battered cakes, the first recipes actually dubbed devil's food appeared in 1902, one published in Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book, and the other in The New Dixie Receipt Book in which it was slyly subtitled "Fit for Angels". By the 1950s, Devil's food had become one of the most popular Betty Crocker cake mix flavors, and today it even has its own national holiday celebrated annually on May 19th.
The traditional frosting for Devil's Food Cake is Seven-Minute Frosting.
Devil's Food Cake
Recipe from Cooking A to Z
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening and butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 cups Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease bottoms of two 8" diameter by 2" deep round cake pans; line bottoms with circles of parchment paper; lightly grease and flour pans and paper.
Stir cocoa into the boiling water until dissolved; set aside.
In a large bowl cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla and salt.
Stir baking soda into buttermilk. Add 1/2 cup flour to egg mixture,; then add 1/3 cup buttermilk mixture. Continue to add flour and buttermilk alternately, beating well after each addition. Stir in cocoa mixture.
Divide batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake until top springs back when gently pressed with finger and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (30 to 35 minutes). Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.
Split the layers, if desired, to create a four-layer extravaganza.
Frost with Chocolate Buttercream.
Serves 8
