Updated February 20, 2024
Observed annually on May 19th, National Devil’s Food Cake Day is enjoyed by chocolate cake lovers throughout the country and around the world.
- 1785 – The first birthday cake was originally a cake given as an offering on a person’s birthday. The first reference to ‘birthday cake’ came in 1785.
- 1898 – Recipes for Devil’s Food cakes often appeared alongside recipes for Angel Food cakes. One of the earliest recipes appeared in the August 10, 1898, edition of the Hagerstown Exponent of Hagerstown, Indiana. While earlier chocolate cake recipes existed before this one, Devil’s Food Cake is uniquely different from other chocolate cakes.
- 1902 – The first printed recipe appeared in 1902, in Sarah Tyson Rorer’s book, Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book. Unlike the modern version, this original recipe used melted chocolate and baking powder, which calls for cocoa and baking soda.
- 1905 – Devil’s food cake was introduced in the United States in the early 20th century, with the recipe in print as early as 1905.
- 1950s – Many believe that the cake was originally created at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
- 1970s – Devil’s food cake’s popularity decreases following the linkage of red food dye to cancer.
- Devil’s Food Cake is a heavenly chocolate cake. It differs from a regular chocolate cake by its darker color and tends to be more moist and airy. Devil’s Food cake recipes use hot or boiling water as the primary liquid. Cocoa is typically utilized in the batter, as opposed to chocolate, and coffee can be added for a distinctive flavor. A delicious chocolate frosting usually accompanies the cake.
- Devil’s food cake is considered a counterpart to the white or yellow angel food cake.
- A similar cake, the red velvet cake, is closely linked to a devil’s food cake, and in some turn-of-the-century cookbooks the two names may have been interchangeable.
- Some think it was named the opposite of “Angel Food Cake”, as it is opposite in flavor and texture.
- Some think it’s called Devil’s Food because it is full of sinful chocolate.
- Some suggest that the more indulgent a dessert sounds, the more we like it, so that’s why it’s got the Devil in its name.
- It’s richer than regular chocolate cake. It usually has a reddish color caused by a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and baking soda used in traditional recipes.
- It’s similar to red velvet cake, except red velvet uses a white frosting, while Devil’s Food has a chocolate frosting.
- According to Cooksinfo.com, Devil’s Food Cake originated in the southern United States.
- One would be surprised to know that Devil’s food cake has fewer calories than a regular chocolate cake. There are about 242 calories in one slice of Devil’s food cake with chocolate frosting, while the same size slice of regular chocolate cake without frosting has about 340 calories.
- The proverb ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it’ first appeared in the early 16th century. The proverb ‘a piece of cake’ was not coined until the 20th century.
- The word ‘cake’ comes from Middle English kake, and is probably a borrowing from Old Norse.
- The meaning of ‘cake’ has changed over time, and the first cake was: A comparatively small flattened sort of bread, round, oval, or otherwise regularly shaped, and usually baked hard on both sides by being turned during the process.
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