Devil's Food Cake

I am determined to perfect this cake. My Grandma Roos was famous for her desserts and Devil's Food was one of her specialties. She used to make this for my dad, her "Little Keesie" all the time and it is one of his favorite desserts. The problem was, my Grandma always made the cake as a surprise so nobody ever watched her make it. When she passed away nine years ago, we thought the recipe was gone with her. About two years ago we found the recipe on a card in her recipe box and a few months ago my mom joked that if I really wanted my dad to make me a wooden shoe shelf (because he spends all his woodworking time making toys for the grandbabies) I should learn to make this cake, so I decided to try.

Some recipes are easy - you just do what it says. This cake is not one of those recipes. If the water is not the right temperature, it won't turn out; if the oven shelf is in the wrong position, it won't turn out; if the butter and sugar are not perfectly creamed, it won't turn out. These are all tricks Grandma had perfected but never shared because she never taught anyone to make the cake. The boiled frosting isn't any easier. You heat egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved (under cooking means grainy frosting and raw egg white, overcooking means all the unpleasantness of burnt sugar), then you have to beat it until it is just the right consistency (not long enough makes it runny, too long and it becomes a giant marshmallow).

I have made this cake three times so far. It gets closer each time, but I still haven't perfected it. I made the cake for a Stake Relief Society Meeting last week and it was okay, but not great. It was a little dry and I had to ice it before it was completely cool so the peaks on the icing were saggy. Thelady in front of me in line looked at the cake and (without tasting it) said, "Who would put Fluff on a chocolate cake. That's a little disgusting." I just had to bite my tongue.

If anyone would like to be a test dummy with this cake, let me know. If I eat all of my practice cakes I will end up shaped like it!