Devil's food cake is a moist, rich chocolate
layer cake
A layer cake (US English) or sandwich cake (UK English) is a cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by a filling such as frosting, jam, or other preserves. Most cake recipes can be adapted for layer cakes; butte ...
.
Because of differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the 20th century, it is difficult to precisely qualify what distinguishes devil's food from the more standard
chocolate cake
Chocolate cake or chocolate gâteau (from ) is a cake flavored with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, or both. It can also have other ingredients such as fudge, vanilla creme, and other sweeteners.
History
The history of chocolate cake goes b ...
. However, it traditionally has more chocolate than a regular chocolate cake, making it darker in color and with a heavier texture.
Devil's food cake was invented in the United States in the early 20th century.
Ingredients
Devil's food cake traditionally uses unsweetened
chocolate baking squares in lieu of unsweetened cocoa powder. However, contemporary recipes typically use cocoa powder for its convenience over the more traditional chocolate baking squares. Also, because of its reduced amount of cocoa butter, cocoa powder has a more intense chocolate flavor than unsweetened chocolate. Moreover, coffee is frequently added as a liquid to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Some recipes use hot or boiling water as the cake's main liquid, rather than milk. Its antithetical counterpart, the
angel food cake
Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from ...
, is a very light white cake that uses stiffly beaten egg whites and no dairy.
Devil's food cake is sometimes distinguished from other chocolate cakes by the use of additional
baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt (chemistry), salt compose ...
(sodium bicarbonate), which raises the
pH level and makes the cake a deeper and darker mahogany color.
Devil's food cake incorporates
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
(or a substitute), flour, and less egg than other chocolate cakes.
Presentation
The cake is often paired with a rich
chocolate frosting.
History
Recipes for devil's food cakes appeared in two cookbooks published in 1902.
Chocolate cake had become popular in the late 19th century, eventually leading toward development of devil's food cake.
The name probably had several sources of inspiration, including the culinary term
''deviled'' to describe flavorful foods like
deviled eggs and the contrast of this dark, dense, flavorful cake with the light and airy
angel food cake
Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from ...
.
The name has inspired humorous comments; one of the first printed recipes declares it to be "Fit for Angels", and another early recipe recommends topping it with
divinity
Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...
frosting.
The first commercial
cake mix
A baking mix is a mixed formulation of ingredients used for the cooking of baked goods. Baking mixes may be commercially manufactured or homemade. Baking mixes that cater to particular dietary needs, such as vegan, gluten-free, or kosher bakin ...
for devil's food cake was marketed by P. Duff and Sons, Inc. of Pennsylvania in the 1930s.
See also
*
Angel food cake
Angel food cake, or angel cake, is a type of sponge cake made with egg whites, flour, and sugar. A whipping agent, such as cream of tartar, is commonly added. It differs from other cakes because it uses no butter. Its aerated texture comes from ...
*
List of cakes
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of desserts
A dessert is typically the sweet Course (food), course that, after the entrée and main course, concludes a meal in the culture of many countries, particularly western world, Western culture. The course usually consists of sweet foods, but may ...
*
Mississippi mud pie
Mississippi mud pie is a chocolate-based dessert pie that is likely to have originated in the U.S. state of Mississippi, hence the name. It typically contains a gooey Chocolate syrup, chocolate sauce, brownie and chocolate custard on top of a cru ...
*
Red velvet cake
Red velvet cake is a red-colored layer cake with cream cheese or ermine icing. The origin of the cake is unknown, although it is popular in the Southern United States and has been served as a dessert at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria hotel s ...
*
The Cookie Carnival
''The Cookie Carnival'' is an animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and originally released as part of the '' Silly Symphonies'' series on May 25, 1935. It is a Cinderella story involving a cookie girl who wishes to be queen at ...
References
External links
History of cakes, including Devil's Food Cake@
The Food Timeline
Lynne Olver (1958–2015) was a librarian and food historian, and the sole author of the ''Food Timeline'' website.
Personal life
Olver graduated from the University of Albany (SUNY). She was a librarian at the Morris County Library, New Jer ...
{{Chocolate desserts
Chocolate desserts
American cakes
Layer cakes
Chocolate cakes