From its culinary beginning as an Aztec ceremonial drink to a popular sippable concoction enjoyed mostly by men (naturally) in 17th century Europe, chocolate has only relatively recently become something you can take a bite out of. In cake prehistory*, before there was a baked good called Devil’s Food, a chocolate cake recipe would result in chocolate icing on butter-based cakes or cakes made from grated chocolate mixed into a batter lightened by whipped egg whites. So when did we get Devil’s Food?
Written record gives us one recipe printed in what I believe (info is scarce) was a newspaper column called Table Talk in April 1893 (shown above). In 1884 there was a mention of Devil’s Food Cake in the Frederick Daily News (Maryland) that called the cake “black as only his satanic majesty can be” (I know, right?). Even though the nomenclature came about much later, I’d argue that the seeds for what would be come to be known as Devil’s Food Cake were planted when the imprisoned Marquis de Sade wrote, in a letter to his wife dated Mary 16, 1779, “The sponge cake is not at all what I asked for. 1st, I wanted it iced all over, underneath and on top, with the same icing as the little cakes; 2nd I wanted it to have chocolate inside, and there isn't even the least trace of chocolate. I beg you to have it sent to me at the first opportunity, and make sure someone trustworthy puts the chocolate in. The cakes must smell of it, as if you are biting into a chocolate bar.”
Even if de Sade planted the seed, Devil’s Food is, quintessentially, a classic American cake which means its story is contemporary. The earliest recipes that we’ve been able to find in published cookbooks come from two 1902 tomes, Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book (Philadelphia) and Women’s Favorite Cook Book by Mrs. Gregory and Friends (Chicago; interestingly, the exact same book was also published that same year under the name The Ideal Cook Book and, in 1907, Canada’s Favorite Cook Book).
These early recipes made lighter cakes in both texture and shade compared to the Devil’s Food Cake we know now. All used squares of unsweetened chocolate—one square generally considered to equal one ounce—either melted or melted into boiling milk or water. The amount of chocolate called for varied somewhat wildly in these late 19th/early 20th century recipes. In the chapter of Victorian Cakes entitled Maud Conquers Kisses, Caroline King’s recipe for Devil’s Food Cake (image follows) uses 3 squares while in Ms. Gregory’s book, just one-half “cake” [square] of Baker’s Chocolate (equal to one-half ounce; not very devilish) is called for.
Modern recipes tend to use cocoa powder, melted dark or bittersweet chocolate, or a combination of both. Same goes for the fat: some use butter, some oil, some call for both. Popular recipes online include those of Stella Parks, Preppy Kitchen, and Sugar Spun Run. Nigella Lawson, Zoë François, Dorrie Greenspan, and Rose Levy Bernabaum all have included a recipe for Devil’s Food Cake in one of their cookbooks.
My first encounter with a cake called Devil’s Food, at least that my memory will give up, is the slices of Definitely Devil’s Food Cake I would get near my old office from the Amy’s Bread sadly shuttered West Village location. (From boyfriend to) Husband and I would split a slice (if I didn’t snag it all for myself) and I have baked it many times using the recipe in her book The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread.
As the years have gone by, our tastes have naturally evolved and, these days, I think our 21st century take on Devil’s Food has become the standard for most anything you’ll find called Chocolate Cake. I staunchly believe that Ina Garten’s deservedly famous Beatty’s Chocolate Cake is definitely Devil’s Food. And, perhaps proving my point, the recipe that I developed for my book, The Baker’s Appendix, is definitely dark and devilish yet generically named Chocolate Cake. From the slice you seek out at your local bakery to Costco’s insane 5.5 pound variation to those baked by home bakers for birthdays and other celebrations, we have all wholeheartedly, and with fork in hand, embraced the Devil—at least when it comes to cake.
* m-w.com gives, as one of a few, the definition for Prehistory as “A history of the antecedents of an event, situation, or thing.” What we, today, think of as cake is a product of the Industrial Revolution and beyond. For many cakes this means that they do not show up in the written record until later in the 19th century. That said, I use the term Cake Prehistory for any part of its story that cannot be verified by written record.
Wonderful read!
Fascinating!