Devil's Food Cake
Enjoy what you love with room to choose
A fork slips into deep cocoa-colored cake, lifting a little smooth frosting. The crumb is soft, the chocolate rich, and cocoa's slight bitterness stays within the sweetness. With a slice before you, its attention-grabbing name begins to make sense.
Devil's food cake appears in early twentieth-century American recipes. One explanation for the name links it to the popular angel food cake: the pale, airy cake became the “angel”, and dark, rich chocolate cake the “devil”. The names add a little theater to dessert.
The chains in the traditional Devil card draw attention to another kind of attraction. Something may begin as pleasure, comfort or satisfaction, then gradually narrow our choices. What we like, why we return to it, and what it costs deserve an honest look.
In placing this cake beside the Devil, we also want to keep the ease of enjoying good food. If you want a slice, taste the cocoa and the texture of the frosting. Notice what you actually enjoy. Liking something is no reason to blame yourself.
This inspiration may help you look at a recurring habit. Does it still feel good? Is its cost still one you are willing to bear? If the answer is changing, seek a little information, time or support so that the next choice comes closer to what you truly want.
Recipe overview
What you’ll need
Cake: butter, sugar, salt, eggs, all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa, baking powder, milk, vanilla. Frosting: butter, vegetable shortening, icing sugar, vanilla, milk or cream, salt
Steps
- 01
Beat butter, sugar and salt until fluffy, then add eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder.
- 02
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and vanilla-flavored milk. Divide among greased cake tins, bake through, unmold and cool completely.
- 03
Beat the frosting ingredients until smooth and fluffy, then spread over the cooled cake.