May 19th - National Devil's Food Cake Day

Today is National Devil’s Food Cake Day. It is hard not to feel guilty about eating something sinfully bad with the devil’s name in it, but when it comes to chocolate all sane judgment should be disregarded. It’s just cake and a small piece won’t hurt. Go ahead enjoy one piece and as long as you do not devour the entire cake (if this happens, remember no judgment, its chocolate, no need to feel guilty about you’re your lack of control over chocolate. It has powers no one can explain) your pants will still fit tomorrow.

Oh how I wish the name of this cake originated from a classic fable of a cake that turned people devilish or maybe even a cake the devil made to hook millions of people on chocolate. Stories aside, the name of this sinfully wonderful cake comes from the reddish tint left by the natural cocoa color. In recent times the Devil's food cake has lost its reddish tint and is known for its rich chocolate color. The change of the color occurred when people started using Dutch-processed cocoa instead of natural cocoa. The Dutch-processed cocoa improves the chocolate taste and changes the color to a deeper dark almost black color.


A couple interesting tidbits about Devil’s Food Cake

Devil's food cake was introduced in the United States in 1902. It quickly became the favorite dessert of the early 1900s.

In the 1940s, a rumor was spread that a customer asked for a copy of the recipe and was given a bill in the amount of $100. According to the rumor, the angry customer, apparently with revenge in mind, then began circulating the recipe along with her story.

In the 1970s, the cakes’ popularity faded when red dye was linked to cancer.


In honor of this day make a devil’s food cake with your family. While you are eating it, make up your own story about how the name for this cake originated. You can write down the imaginative tales your children come up. Take pictures of them making the cake and then take pictures of them with big chocolate smiles, eating the cake. Put it all together in a scrap book with pictures and include your favorite Devil’s food cake recipe.


Just for fun you could make devil horns or halos for your children to wear while making the cake.

Horns & Halos

What you need:
Thin black plastic headbands
Red and silver pipe cleaners
Red construction paper
Glue gun

What to do:
To make the horns, cut out 2 triangles from red construction paper. Form two triangles out of the pipe cleaners and attach the paper to the back of the triangle shaped pipe cleaner. Then attach the triangles to the headband with a hot glue gun.

To make the halo, use two pipe cleaners to form a hoop. Adjust the size accordingly. To make the halo stand off the headband, cut a pipe cleaner in half and attach one end to the hoop and the other end to the headband.


Devil’s Food Cake recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
6 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp of instant coffee granules
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans.

In a small pan melt the butter or margarine with the unsweetened chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

Cream together the sugar and the eggs until light in color. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and temper mixture by beating well Add 1 cup boiled water (still warm) and blend well. Mixture will be very liquid.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture to the chocolate mixture and blend well.

Mix together the vinegar and the milk and stir into the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.