Considering my previous post on devilish children’s literature, I couldn’t resist writing about devil’s food cake. According to Linda Stradley at What’s Cooking America, devil’s food cake was originally red, though today it’s dark chocolate probably because of the red food dye scare back in the 1970s.

Red Devil’s Food Cake Recipe
From Diana Rattray of About.com

Red devil’s food cake recipe is similar to red velvet cake, made with buttermilk and red food coloring.

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups sugar
2. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3. 1/2 cup hot melted shortening
4. 2 large eggs, beaten
5. 1 teaspoon liquid red food coloring
6. 2 tablespoons hot brewed coffee
7. 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
10. 2 teaspoons baking powder
11. 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk
12. 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Sift together sugar and cocoa.
2. In mixing bowl, blend the sugar and cocoa with melted shortening. Add beaten eggs; stir to mix well.
3. Blend in hot coffee and food coloring.
4. Sift remaining dry ingredients together; add to the first mixture, alternating with the sour milk or buttermilk and vanilla.
5. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans.
6. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Frost with either fluffy white frosting or fudge frosting.

(Above photo courtesy of OChef.com, who posts a good though slightly more complicated recipe for devil’s food cake.)

Honestly, if you’re pressed for time, Duncan Hines makes a terrific Devil’s Food cake mix. I use it frequently and highly recommend it because it’s moist, delicious, and bakes up well every time you use it. The DH frostings are good, too.

Technorati tags: baking, devil’s food cake, dessert, cake, Duncan Hines

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