Devil's Food Cake is a chocolate lover's dream because of its rich flavour and tender texture. In the United States, May 19 is recognized as National Devil's Food Cake Day due to the widespread adoration of this dessert. Devil's Food cake is chock full of flavour and chocolate. This chocolate cake has a dense, luscious texture. This one is light and airy, like the traditional white or yellow angel food cake. It's hard to pinpoint precisely what sets Devil's Food Cake apart from regular chocolate cake due to variations in recipes and the availability of ingredients during the 20th century. Devil's food cake differs from the standard chocolate cake in several ways. It's a unique combination of flavours that really highlights the chocolate.
Ingredients for the Devil's Food Cake
Instead of milk, several recipes call for boiling water, and some even include coffee to enhance the chocolate flavour. In an interesting combination of science and baking, the increased pH levels from the baking soda give the cake its deeper hue. Cocoa is used instead of chocolate pieces in modern cakes, resulting in an even lighter texture. The classic version calls for baking squares made of bittersweet chocolate.
Chocolate Cake vs Devil's Food Cake
A higher pH level and a deeper, darker mahogany hue are two ways Devil's food cake can be recognized from standard chocolate cakes. Unlike other chocolate cakes, Devil's food cake uses fewer eggs, less butter, and more flour in its preparation.
What's with the Name?
Many people are inquisitive about the origin of the name "Devil's Food Cake." Some have speculated that the term comes from a desire to differentiate the cake from the relatively lighter Angel's food cake. Due to the proliferation of cake varieties throughout time, "devil's food cake" has become a euphemism for any very chocolatey cake that does not include nuts.
Yummy Devil's Food Cake, Image Source: Joyofbaking.com
A Devil's Food Cake in the Pages of History
The August 1898 issue of the "Hagerstown Exponent" in Hagerstown, Indiana, features one of the oldest known Devil's Food cake recipes. The first Devil's Food cake recipe was published in "Mrs Rorer's New CookBook" (1902) by American chef Sarah Tyson Rorer. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which is widely held, was the birthplace of the cake in the 1950s. According to one version of events, a client was so floored by the cake that she requested the recipe. The Waldorf delivered the customer the recipe, along with a charge of $100. That's one pricey slice of cake! Ironically, the red food dye's association with cancer caused Devil's food cake's popularity to decline during the next two decades, beginning in the 1970s.
Too much chocolate
If you're craving something sweet, Devil's food cake is the way to go. To experience the true bliss of the cake, try the chocolate-frosted variety. Pairing a slice with a glass of cold milk or even a hot cup of coffee is pleasurable. This sinfully delicious cake isn't for the soft-hearted or the occasional chocoholic. Those who are genuinely, unabashedly chocolate-obsessed will appreciate this dessert. Recipes for Devil's food cake have evolved through time, with more and more chocolate being added and even plain chocolate being swapped out for cocoa to enhance the flavour. Most people agree that the cake is far more decadent, darker, and airy than standard chocolate cake.