Chocolate Peanut Cream Cake: Retro Ad & Recipe

You know I just love these Baker's Chocolate Ads & Recipes. This Chocolate Peanut Cream Cake from July 10, 1939 was specifically marketed as a Summer Cake.

Love the beginning. "Here's a Pal to Summer Desserts! Was it you we heard wishing for a summer cake recipe? We know you'll like this one." The ad goes on to say "It's simply grand to take on picnics--because it keeps so nice and moist." So maybe I'll mix up this cake today.

Wish I could order the "Free Party Book of chocolate foods for every occasion" offered at the end of the  advertisement.

Chocolate Bytes: Heat Wave Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some chocolate news to pass along. Read the story, but stay out of the heat.

Something along the line of when you get lemons, make lemonade, two women in Texas baked up a batch of chocolate chip cookies on the dashboard of their cars.

According to YourStephensvilleTX.com (The Empire Tribune), Daphne Hunt and Karole Schroeder put cookies in the oven to bake. However, the oven was the dash of their cars, which baked the cookies in just a few hours.

After reading news stories on the Web about others trying the same experiment, they told co-workers at Tarleton State University to take a look inside their cars while out on campus.

They both learned that temperatures quickly jumped to 190 degrees in Hunt's car and 170 in Schroeder's.

"It was quite a bit hotter in the cars than I expected. If it's that hot in the cars, it's obviously a danger to kids or pets," Hunt said. "So many kids and pets die from overheating in cars every year. It's frightening."

After baking in direct sunlight for two hours and 45 minutes, Hunt tried a cookie.

"Unbelievable!" she said. "They're not mushy at all, they're completely done. The cookies didn't brown like they would in a conventional oven, but are firm."

"They are great, taste just like oven-baked cookies at home," Schroeder said. "This shows in a safe way just what heat can do to anything inside a car. Definitely a lesson learned.

CHOCOLATE BYTES: Beethovenkugeln

Always love to hear about Chocolate Contests, and this one is local. Can't wait to make these. Article from the DanvillePatch.

19 year old Catherine Shearer of Pleasanton, CA, has won the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship at the Alameda County Fair for her Beethovenkugeln (Beethoven-KOOG-ell-in), a marzipan and cherry confection modeled after her favorite Austrian chocolates.

Shearer competed last year as a youth in three fair contests, including the King Arthur Flour Competition, the Guittard Contest and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship. She won several prizes in those competitions. This year she entered as an adult and says it is more challenging to win in this category. "After last year, I knew what they [the judges] were looking for," said Shearer.

Shearer, who created her award-winning chocolate recipe, says she was inspired from her father's travels when she was a child. "My dad use to go on business trips to Germany and Austria and he used to bring home these amazing chocolates called Mozartkugeln," Shearer commented. "They were named after the composer, Mozart, so I named mine after Beethoven. I wanted to create a recipe that regular people could make that was a symphony of flavors."

Dad wasn't the only positive family influence to help push Shearer take home the blue ribbon. "My mom has always been my No. 1 supporter. Every year she puts up with my weeks of planning, and nail-biting and fretting over details for my other fair entries," Shearer said. "She helped me bounce around ideas for my winning entry for Ghirardelli, and encouraged me when I was about to throw in the towel. She has been my rock, I know that I couldn't have done so well without her."

When asked about her award winning secrets, Shearer says it had to do with innovation. "I came up with my own marzipan recipe. I substitute water for egg whites and bumped up the flavoring with a good quality almond extract," she said.

As the grand prize winner, Shearer won a chocolate basket (Ghirardelli, of course) along with a $150 and a blue ribbon.

Beethovenkugeln (Beethoven-KOOG-ell-in) 

Ingredients:
1 jar maraschino cherries, with stems
1-1/2 cups blanched almonds
1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon good quality almond extract
1 (12 ounce) bag Ghirardelli chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark as desired)

Directions
1. Drain cherries and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.
2. Place almonds and half of the confectioner's sugar in a food processor, blend until almonds are very finely ground. Add rest of confectioner's sugar, pulse until mixed. Add water and almond extract, pulse until mixture clumps and forms a paste. Turn out and knead in remaining 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar until homogenous and workable, akin to the consistency of fondant. Form into 32 balls - they should be slightly larger than the size of your cherries. Place in plastic bag and set aside.
3. Make sure cherries have no residual moisture, patting dry again if necessary. Take one marzipan ball, flatten it, and place one cherry in the center. Cup your hand and work the marzipan around and up the cherry, pinching around stem.
4. In a double boiler, gently melt Ghirardelli chocolate chips until smooth. Dip marzipan covered cherries into melted chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Keep at room temperature until chocolate hardens and serve. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

G is for Goat Cheese: The Picnic Game

I'm going on a Picnic, and G is for Goat Cheese. I'm putting Goat Cheese in my salad and and making a Goat Cheese Chocolate Hazelnut Spread to go on a crunchy baguette to accompany my salad. And, yes, there will be Chocolate--in all three components of these picnic foods.

Today I'm participating in Months of Edible Celebrations Picnic Game. This is my third year, and the food choices get better and better every year. Multiple food bloggers choose a letter and write a post using that Letter -- bringing a fabulous dish to this International Virtual Picnic. Since I'm G, I'm linking to the Letters A-F at the end of this post. On July 1, I hope to link to them all! Thanks, Louise, for setting up the Picnic Game again this year. I know it's a lot of work.

So G is for Goat Cheese, and I'm making a Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Cocoa Nibs drizzled with a Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette! But because we're going to a picnic, you won't want to dress your salad until you get there. But you can make it and take it in a clean container.

Now what's a good salad without a crunchy baguette and cheese? I'm partial to Acme Bakery's baguettes, but whatever you can find. Just make sure your baguette is fresh. Below you'll find a great recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Goat Cheese Spread that I adapted from the Raley's  (supermarket) website. As I've said many times, you can find great and easy recipes in all kinds of places. Remember to always use the very best ingredients, and adapt to your personal taste. I love this spread because it has the tanginess of the Goat Cheese, the sweetness of the chocolate, and the crunchiness of the hazelnuts. The textures, too, can't be beat!

Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Cocoa Nibs

I love salads, and I usually make them up as I go along, so there are no precise measures here.  Let's make this easy, since this is a spontaneous picnic dish...

Greens: I use either Spring Mix or Spinach in this salad. I love how easy it is to grab a bag of prepared organic greens, already rinsed and ready to serve.
 
Goat Cheese: One of my favorite companies that produce goat cheese (and other great goat products) is Redwood Hills Farm. So fresh, so fab! I get fresh goat cheese at my cheese market and crumble it for this salad. Check out your farmer's market or local shop for goat cheese, a heart healthy food!

Walnuts: I like Trader Joe's Candied Walnuts, and I chop them into smaller pieces, so they're the size of the cocoa nibs. Almost any chopped nuts will work. They don't need to be candied--toasted pecans are great in this salad, too.

Cocoa Nibs: Because I am always Dying for Chocolate, I usually throw in a handful of Cocoa nibs (not the chocolate covered kind, but the plain). Gives some added crunch to this salad.

Blueberries (optional): It's summer, so I might add a handful of blueberries, but raspberries or blackberries would be great, too. Not necessary to add berries, but they will add a hint of sweetness to this salad.

Now if I were serving this salad at home, I'd mix everything together and toss with the Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette, but you might want to plate up individual portions.. greens, nuts, cocoa nibs, blueberries and goat cheese ... and drizzle the Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette over each plate.

Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tip: Use the very best balsamic vinegar you have. If you don't you'll need to reduce 'cheap' balsamic vinegar and mix it with sugar. Skip that step and use the best! As I always say, if you use quality ingredients, you'll have a better finished product. That goes for the chocolate, too.

Even though I posted a Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar recipe earlier this month, this recipe is even easier! I've include olive oil for the perfect vinaigrette.

Ingredients
1/2 cup very best quality balsamic vinegar
2 ounces dark Chocolate (75%-85% cacao), chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Dash of salt
Ground pepper to taste

Directions
Combine chocolate and balsamic vinegar in small saucepan.
Cook over low heat for about 2 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted and vinegar is  reduced (so you have a syrup).
Remove from heat and put in medium sized bowl and let cool for a few minutes.
Add oil and whisk until completely combined.
Add salt & pepper & whisk again.
Put in a clean container to take to the 'picnic' or drizzle over your salad (or individual salads) directly.

Chocolate Hazelnut Goat Cheese Spread

Grab a baguette and mix up this spread. Perfect with the salad.

Ingredients
2.5  ounce dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
4  Tbsp chopped hazelnuts, toasted
1- 8 ounce goat cheese log

Directions

Combine chocolate and hazelnuts in food processor and pulse until chocolate and nuts are finely ground. Don't over process.

Roll goat cheese log in mixture, pressing to coat all sides. 

(Lightly moisten cheese with damp hands if mixture doesn't stick)

Have a fun time at the virtual picnic! Check out letters A-F! What a fabulous Feast!

A is for Artichokes Steamed and Dressed with Mayonnaise

B is for Baked Beans

C is for Cauliflower Tabbouleh

D is for Dunkin' Donuts - with Maple Syrup & Honey Frosting

E is for Eggplant Casserole

F is for Frosty Summer Salad with Cranberry, Pineapple & Beets

P is for Pudding: Retro Chocolate Pudding Ads & Recipes

Today is National Chocolate Pudding Day, and yes, you can make your own pudding from scratch. I usually do. But it's amazing what a revolutionary powdered chocolate pudding made on the American food landscape. 

According to Jell-O history, chocolate was introduced into the Jell-O family early on but discontinued in 1927. In 1936, chocolate returned to the Jell-O lineup, this time as an instant pudding made with milk. Just an FYI, today there are several Jell-o chocolate pudding flavors including Devil's Food, Double Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge and Oreo Cookies 'n Creme.

Jell-O Pudding in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s jumped on the advertising bandwagon of this easy yet versatile dessert. I was especially taken by the Jell-O Chocolate Pudding Ad campaign of the 60s. So for your pleasure on this yummy holiday, I give you the Jell-O "Now, pudding is..." Each advertisement includes a recipe, too. Advertisements appeared in Life Magazine.

Now, pudding is cheesecake: May 26, 1967

Now, pudding is pop: June 23, 1967

Now, pudding is napoleons: April 28, 1967
 

Now, pudding is torte: September 15, 1967

Now, pudding is eclairs: January 19, 1968

Now, pudding is fudge: March 8, 1968

Now, pudding is Boston Cream Pie: March 29, 1968

Now, pudding is brownies: October 11, 1968

Now, pudding is Bavarian: July 12, 1968

ROYAL CHOCOLATE: The Queen's Coronation & Jubilee

The NewWales reports that Commemorative Tins of Chocolate marking the Queen's Coronation in 1953  have been discovered untouched over half a century later.

I found the news today particularly serendipitous because my neighbor stopped by early this morning with a 400 gram Cadbury's Dairy Milk Bar she brought back from London. The bar she brought, if this huge chunk of chocolate (see photo below) could be called that,  commemorates the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

According to the Swansea Council staff at the West Glamorgan Archive Service made the discovery of the Coronation Commemorative Tins during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations when opening up a Swansea Corporation file in the Civic Centre that had been undisturbed for nearly 60 years. The file contained two special Coronation celebration tins of Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate.

The navy blue tins are in a good condition. They were accompanied by a compliment slip that said the items were aimed at commemorating the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. "The chocolate looks in good condition and still smells like normal milk chocolate, but I wouldn't personally recommend tasting it after its being in storage for nearly 60 years!"

 I think I'll eat the Cadbury's Chocolate that Jeni brought back from London!

Pussycat, Pussycat, where you have been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen.

Charles Chocolates REOPENING

From SF Eater comes the news that Charles Chocolates will reopen in San Francisco in October!  Can't wait for Charles Chocolates to reopen!

"Chuck Siegel revealed that he has repurchased the assets back from his former investor that forced the shutter, and the company is readying a big relaunch in the Inner Mission/Potrero Hill. Siegel signed a seven-year lease for a new 7600-square foot candy kitchen, retail space, and cafe at 535 Florida Street, the former Potrero Brewing Co. space. The kitchen begins production on September 1, with the store and cafe to debut on October 1. 
 
Both will feature classic Charles Chocolates confections as well as fresh creations, including new bars and a line of varietal honey ganaches. The cafe will serve items such as made-to-order s'mores, brownies, cookies, and frozen hot chocolate.

Siegel also plans to dedicate time and energy to using his kitchen as an incubator to mentor up-and-coming chocolatiers. He credits the kind advice of local food luminaries such as Alice Medrich and Joseph Schmidt as crucial to helping him get his start as a self-taught confectioner."

CHOCOLATE PRALINE CAKE: National Praline Day

Today is National Praline Day.  Last year I posted several chocolate praline recipes. You can actually eat pralines in several different incarnations--or even drink your pralines, as in Praline Pecan Liqueur.

Another easy way to get your praline fix today (with chocolate) would be to eat some Praline or Butter Pecan Ice Cream with a covering of chocolate syrup. Hence the Vintage Ad from 1951 for Borden's Praline Pecan Ice Cream. But another variation on Pralines would be Chocolate Praline Cake. See below for two recipes.. one  is a traditional three tier chocolate cake with Ganache Filling and Praline Frosting, and the other a Chocolate Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting. With both cakes, it's all about the Praline frosting. 

So what is Praline?
1) a confection of nuts and sugar: as in almonds cooked in boiling sugar until brown and crisp
2) a patty of creamy brown sugar and pecan meats

The original praline was a sweet confection made of almonds and some sort of creamy sugary caramelized coating. Lots of stories about how the Praline came to New Orleans and the South. One is that Pralines were first made in the home of 17th century French diplomat Cesar du Plessis Praslin by one of his chefs. The name "Praslin" eventually evolved into "praline." I don't buy that story since they were already popular in Europe in a slightly different version. Another story is that pralines were brought over from France by the Ursuline nuns, who settled in New Orleans in 1727. This makes sense since Pralines were already in the French tradition. Almonds were in short supply, so cooks began substituting the nuts of the native Louisiana pecan trees, thus the modern pecan pralines were born. Praline pecans were known as individual pecans covered in the sugary coating. The new pecan pralines quickly spread throughout New Orleans and became a common confection in the area.

Because New Orleans was a thriving port, people from all over the world came through, and the praline spread with them. Many people are unaware of the candy’s historical origin, and the praline is thought of as a southern confection not necessarily specific to New Orleans. Some believe the pecan praline is a Texan candy, whereas others assume it came from Savannah. The pronunciation of the candy is a bit of a point of contention as well. In New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast, where there are many communities settled by the French, the pronunciation is prah-leen, with the long aaah sound, which is closer to that of the candy’s namesake du Plessis-Praslin. Other regions of the country, including parts of Texas, Georgia, and New England have anglicized the term and pronounce it pray-leen. Other terms for pralines include pecan pralines, pecan candy, plarines and pecan patties.

Go here for Praline Candy Recipes.

So my motto today is "Let Them Eat Cake" since I'm more of a cake baker than candy maker.

This first recipe is one of my go-to Chocolate Bundt Cake, but any good chocolate bundt cake will work. It's all in the frosting. As a matter of fact a good sour cream or yogurt chocolate bundt cake would be great, too.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE BUNDT CAKE 

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons Instant Coffee Granules (I use Starbucks instant espresso packs)
7 ounces dark chocolate (65-75% Cacao), chopped
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup sweet butter, softened
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla
3 large eggs

FOR CAKE:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 10-inch Bundt pan.
Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl. Bring water and coffee granules to boil in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth.
Beat sugar, butter and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs; beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture alternately with chocolate mixture.
Pour into prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until long wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.
Place on plate. Pour Praline Frosting over the top of the cake letting it drip down the sides.

PRALINE FROSTING  (from Southern Living, see below for link)

 Ingredients
1/4 cup sweet butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation 
Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, and boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat, and whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
Stir in toasted pecans, stirring gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly.
Pour immediately over cake.

Photo: Southern Living Chocolate Praline Cake. Beautiful!

CHOCOLATE PRALINE CAKE

This is my favorite "real" Chocolate Praline Cake. It's from Southern Living, November 2001, and I'm so glad I found it again on the internet, my copy having been stashed inside a cookbook, somewhere. This recipe is all about the praline candy frosting! Yummy... on this cake or just about any chocolate cake!

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/4 cup DARK cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Ganache
Praline Frosting
Garnish: pecan halves  

Preparation
Cook first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth; remove butter mixture from heat.
Beat buttermilk, 2 eggs, baking soda, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add butter mixture to buttermilk mixture, beating until well blended.
Combine sugar, flour, and salt; gradually add to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended.
Coat 3 (9-inch) round cakepans with cooking spray, and line pans with wax paper. Pour cake batter evenly into pans.
Bake at 350° for 18 to 22 minutes or until cake is set. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.
Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread about 1/2 cup Chocolate Ganache between cake layers, and spread remaining ganache on sides of cake.
Pour Praline Frosting slowly over the center of cake, gently spreading to edges, allowing some frosting to run over sides.
Garnish with pecan halves

Chocolate Ganache 
Ingredients 
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Preparation 
Microwave chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a glass bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 to 3 minutes or until morsels are melted. Whisk until smooth.
Gradually add butter, whisking until smooth.
Cool, whisking often, 15 minutes or until spreading consistency.

Praline Frosting 
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation 
Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, and boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat, and whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
Stir in toasted pecans, stirring gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly.
Pour immediately over cake.

Chocolate Typewriter Cake: World Typewriter Day

Today is World Typewriter Day. I'll bet there are a lot of young people who don't know what a typewriter is.. really. Well, I'm a sucker for old typewriters. My first stories were written on my mother's old Royal. I remember the sound of the keys, the clang of the return, and the sound of crisp paper rolling through the carriage.

Today old typewriter keys are mostly used for jewelry. Occasionally I see old typewriters at antique shows, but I know they're destined for window dressing in someone's noir-themed office -- an office that actually has space for this big clunker, not like mine which is so crammed with books that there's little space left.

So now just about everyone uses a computer. Want to hear the sound of that old typewriter as you hit the keys? Download the sound of old typewriter keys HERE. 



Lots of authors launch their new books at parties where they serve cakes decorated with the cover of their book. When I finished my dissertation I made a cake (chocolate, of course) in the shape of my MAC 512. On the separate keyboard cake, I added M&Ms for keys, and I also had a separate mouse cake. For the time it was creative. I would now go for a more realistic look, since my baking and decorating skills have improved greatly.

Don't think I could have done this typewriter, though. This old manual typewriter cake is so great. I posted it on my mystery blog several years ago, but it's also perfect for DyingforChocolate.com. I found it on Design*Sponge, a very fun site! This cake was made for the 4 year anniversary party (2009) for The Regional Assembly of Text by Allison Chambers of Petit Trianon.

Mini Chocolate Eclairs: National Eclair Day

Knowing that National Eclair Day was right around the corner, I started thinking about my "holiday" post. My favorite eclairs are not the long thin "traditional" hotdog shaped eclairs (although I like those), but rather, the mini-eclairs. Pâte à choux.. little puff pastry.. that I've been making for years that  are simple to make and easy to fill. Well, I checked my blog, and I've already posted about these eclairs, but they're worthy of a repost. They're soooo easy and yet look so beautiful and taste fabulous! Hope you enjoy making these as much as I do!

I've adapted this recipe for Mini Chocolate Eclairs from Paula Deen. It is one of my favorites because it's easy and fabulous! I never use margarine, so I've dropped that alternative from the recipe. Real butter is always best. As always, I use the very best dark chocolate for the topping. I've changed a few measurements and directions in the recipe for the novice Eclair Chef. If you're a purist, just click on Paula Deen's recipe above.

Because these eclairs are so small, feel free to have 3 or 4. :-) Yield depends on how small you make them, but I usually get about 40 small eclairs from this recipe. They're great for a crowd!

Want to make these even more chocolate-y?
Add a handful of chocolate chips to the egg cream filling or fill with chocolate cream instead: just add 1/4 dark cocoa to the dry ingredients. To fill the eclairs, I use a pastry bag, but if you don't have one, you can always fill a Ziploc bag and cut the tip off to pipe the filling into the eclair.

You will probably have some extra icing. Half the recipe if you ice sparingly. I'm for  more chocolate, so there's never much left.

MINI CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Pastry:
1 cup water
8 tbsp butter
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Filling:
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla

Icing:
3 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Heat water and butter to boiling point. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and forms a ball when tested in cold water. Remove from heat and let cool. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Drop dough from teaspoon, elongate slightly to form small eclairs (or drop in 'puffs'), onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until light brown. Set aside to cool.
3. Prepare filling by mixing all dry ingredients. Very slowly add milk over low heat and cook until mixture thickens (don't let heat get too high), so you don't have any lumps. Then pour this custard  into the beaten eggs, stirring quickly (so eggs don't cook). Cool and add vanilla.
4. With a serrated knife, slice pastry puffs lengthwise (or if you have puffs make a hole), but not all the way through. Pipe custard mixture into the center.
5. Melt chocolate for icing, add sugar and cream. Cook over medium heat until soft ball stage. Let cool and beat until smooth. Ice tops of eclairs.

And, a Retro Ad.. I don't use pudding for my filling... but had to post this Ad.

Eclair Photo: Food Network

CHOCOLATE COCONUT CRUST ICE CREAM PIE: Retro Ad & Recipe

Here's another of those great retro Baker's Ads and recipes. This one is from 1953, but the recipe is still great. I've made it. Love that "It's a dream with cherry vanilla ice cream!" That's a blast from the past. Today I make it with Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia--love the extra chocolate chunks!Also good with Chunky Monkey.. Bananas, coconut and chocolate.. what could be bad?

This recipe is perfect for the first day of summer.

S'mores Keyboard

You may have seen this keyboard before, but I couldn't help posting it. What a lovely sticky keyboard. I know I would have several keys missing if this were on my desk.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TART

Summertime and Fresh Cherries are everywhere, so National Cherry Tart Day couldn't be better times! One of my favorite and most useful kitchen gadgets is my cherry pitter, especially for doing anything with fresh cherries in a large batch. I've had my cherry pitter for over 30 years. Maybe it's time for an upgrade, but I tend to keep things forever. I originally got my cherry pitter for pitting small plums for jam. The house I lived in at the time was surrounded by plum trees. Canning mania!

But back to the cherries. Since today is National Cherry Tart day, I'm re-posting a recipe for Chocolate Cherry Tart that was "blended and adapted" from recipes from Beverly Mills of Desperationdinners.com and  Dianasaurdishes.com. Beverly's tart uses a 'plain' tart dough, but I can never have enough Chocolate! Diana has a wonderful chocolate tart recipe that's pretty fool-proof. Have a look at Dianasaurdishes' Raspberry Chocolate Tart Recipe and substitute cherries.

No time to make the tart shell? Substitute a prepared pie crust that's not chocolate. I like Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts. 

CHOCOLATE CHERRY TART

Chocolate Pie Crust:
 
4 oz sweet butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp unsweetened DARK cocoa powder

1. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape down bowl and beat another minute so there are no lumps. Add egg yolk, beat well, and scrape downsides again.
2. Add flour and cocoa powder, beat on lowest speed until dough has just come together (but still has small to medium clumps) and looks moist with a dark uniform color. Scrape down bowl and use the spatula to incorporate anything that isn’t mixed in.
3. Put chocolate crust in an 11- to 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Use heel of your hand to  press dough and spread along bottom of pan and up sides ( if you’re having trouble, refrigerate  dough 15 minutes before pressing)
4. Cut off any dough above the top of the tart pan. Save dough for repairs. Place dough filled pan in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pan on cookie sheet and bake in lower third of oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and use leftover dough to repair any cracks. Bake another 8 minutes.
6. Remove tart pan to cooling rack and use rounded side of spoon to press center down and make more room for filling. Let cool completely (you can do this in refrigerator for faster results).

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling!

Filling:

12 ounce 65-75% dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 1/2 pounds fresh sweet cherries, rinsed and dried (any cherries will work)
3 tablespoons Bonne Mamam Cherry preserves

1. Put chocolate and cream in doubleboiler or metal bowl on top of another bowl with simmering water. Melt together, stirring, until smooth. Set aside.
2. Remove cherry stems, remove pits with cherry pitter. Set aside.
3. When crust is cool, pour chocolate into crust and smooth evenly with the back of a spoon. Place cherries into chocolate in concentric circles, stem side up, pressing into chocolate a bit to hold in place.
4. Put jelly in a small measuring cup and microwave on High until spreadable, about 15 seconds.
5. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the cherries with jelly just to glaze.
6. Place the tart in refrigerator, uncovered, to cool until chocolate is set, about 25 to 30 minutes.
7. To serve, remove sides of tart pan. (Love this trick for removing the tart from the outside ring of the pan: Place the bottom of the pan over a small bowl that's smaller than the tart pan. The pan ring will fall away if sides have shrunk enough, or you can jiggle gently and pull down on the pan ring to remove.)
8. Slice into wedges, and serve cold.

FATHER'S DAY RETRO AD & RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CAKE

Love the Baker's Chocolate Ads, and this one is a classic from 1953. Happy Father's Day!

Fudge Recipe Round-Up: National Fudge Day

National Fudge Day: What a great day to celebrate! My Aunt Annie made the best Fudge in the world, but now that I know more about candy nomenclature, I think she really made truffles. They were dark chocolate balls rolled in cocoa. I'll always remember her truffles as fudge.

However, I had my first taste of the 'real' fudge down the shore in Atlantic City. Fudge was sold along with Salt Water Taffy at many of the Boardwalk candy shops.

History of Fudge: Fudge was supposedly invented in the U.S.in the late 1880s. Historians believe the first batch of fudge resulted from a bungled batch of caramels, as in "Oh, Fudge" I don't think so... According to Wikipedia, the main component of Fudge was similar to the traditional recipe for Scots Tablet found in The Household Book of the Lady Grisell Baillie (1692-1733). The term 'fudge' is often used in the UK for a soft variant of the tablet recipe.

One of the first documented examples of American fudge (containing chocolate!) was found in a letter written by Emelyn Batersby Hartridge, a Vassar College student, who wrote that a friend's cousin made fudge in Baltimore in 1886 and sold it for 40 cents a pound. Hartridge asked for the fudge recipe, and in 1888 made 30 pounds of the fudge for the Vassar Senior Auction. In The Candy Book (Alice Bradley, 1929) an entire chapter is devoted to fudge.

Fudge is a crystalline candy, which means that, unlike lollipops, caramels, and taffy, crystal formation is the key to making great fudge. Tiny microcrystals of sugar in fudge give fudge its firm but smooth texture. The secret to successful fudge is getting these crystals to form at just the right time. Fudge is one of the rare exceptions to the rule that sugar crystals are not desirable in candy. Tiny microcrystals in fudge are what give it its firm texture. When the crystals are small enough, they don’t feel grainy on your tongue, but smooth.

While you ultimately want crystals to form, it's important that they don't form too early. Now this is where it gets tricky! The key to successful, non-grainy fudge is in the cooling, not the cooking. If you disturb the cooling fudge during this cooling phase, you increase the potential for larger crystals (seed crystals) of sugar to form too early and thus a grainy fudge results.

O.K. this is too much for me to take in, not being a candy maker. So how to make fudge relatively easy?

I've posted many fudge recipes over the past three years, so I thought I'd do a round-up of some of those fudge recipes. I've also re-posted the recipe below for Philly Fudge! I'm from Philly, and I grew up with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. The Philly Fudge recipe is an adaptation of the famous uncooked fudge recipe developed by Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese.  It became popular right after World War II. It really is pretty foolproof.

FUDGE RECIPE LINKS 

Goldie's Fudge
Vanilla Macadamia Nut Fudge
Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge
Creamy Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Coffee Fudge
Ruth Jordan's Busy Lady Fudge
Bailey's Irish Cream Fudge
Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge (Lesa Holstine)
Foolproof Dark Chocolate Fudge
Easy Million Dollar Fudge

PHILLY FUDGE

Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1- 8 ounce package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk or cream
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
  
Directions
Butter 8 inch baking pan well; set aside.
Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot, not boiling water.
Mix cream cheese and milk (or cream), beating on high speed until smooth.
Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at time, and beat at low speed until creamy.
Blend in melted chocolate, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth.
Stir in pecans or walnuts, but not both.
Press mixture into pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight or until firm.
Cut into 1 1/4-inch squares.

Flag Day & Strawberry Short Cake Day: Two Fer

Today is a two-fer Food holiday, at least for me.. It's National Strawberry Shortcake Day and Flag Day. Why not whip up a Flag Cake made with Chocolate Shortcake and topped with Whipped Cream, Blueberries and Strawberries?

So here's what you do. Bake a chocolate short cake (or a chocolate sponge cake) in a 9 x 13 rectangular pan. Here's a link to a great Chocolate Shortcake.  When the cake is cool, cover with a thick layer of whipped cream. For the stars, use blueberries and make a small square in the upper left hand corner of the cake. Place the blueberries in rows for best results. Leave some room between blueberries. For the stripes, cut the strawberries in half and put them flat side down to make stripes. Press gently into the whipped cream. Although there are 13 stripes on the flag, you don't need to have that many on your cake (and you won't have room). It's about aesthetics more than veracity. The bottom stripe of the flag is red, so that's a good place to start.

Don't want to make a chocolate short cake or sponge cake? Make your favorite chocolate cake and follow the decorating instructions. Or, you make a white chocolate sponge cake! Fabulous.

Happy Flag Day!  Happy National Strawberry Shortcake Day!

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Biscuits

I saw this fabulous Retro Ad for Bisquick, and I had to post it. What is missing is a recipe for Chocolate Buttermilk Biscuits. I had that covered on National Buttermilk Biscuit Day.  But what about Chocolate Chip Biscuits? See recipe below.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BISCUITS

Ingredients
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups self-rising flour  (*see below for easy substitute)
pinch of salt
1/3 cup sweet butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup good quality dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup sweet butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 425.
Combine flour and 1 Tbsp sugar in large bowl
Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender until crumbly.
Add buttermilk and chocolate chips. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (do not overstir). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 3 times.
Pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness
Cut with 2-1/4-inch round cutter.
Place biscuits on baking sheet.
Bake 15 minutes or until golden.
Take out and while still warm, quickly brush biscuits with 1/4 cup melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

*Self Rising Flour Substitute:
In a separate container:
For each cup of all-purpose flour (level measure), add 1- 1/4 tsp baking powder and a 1/4 tsp salt. Then remeasure what you need (2 cups for this recipe)*

German Chocolate Cheesecake

Today is National German Chocolate  Day. Oxymoron? Not really. German Chocolate Cake is an American creation that contains the key ingredients of sweet baking chocolate, coconut, and pecans.

In 1852, Sam German created a dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company, and in his honor, the company named it "Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate."

In 1957, probably the first published recipe for German's chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper and supposedly came from a Texas homemaker. The cake quickly gained in popularity and the recipe together with photos spread all over the country. America fell in love with German Chocolate Cake, and food editors were swamped with requests for information on where to buy the chocolate. 

Check out last year's post with the "Original Recipe."    So as you know by now, I like variations on a theme. Here's a great and easy recipe for German Chocolate Cheesecake. Cheesecakes are very easy to make, and they always turn out fantastic! Don't overbake, of course.

There are other German Chocolate Cheesecake recipes out there, but I really like this one. It's a great chocolate cheesecake as is, but the topping really gives it that German Chocolate Cake twist.
I've mentioned before, that it's best to use the very best quality ingredients. That goes for the cocoa and cream cheese--and butter! I use Madagascar vanilla, too. Recipe adapted from Catherine Rentz, Columbia, South Carolina, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2000.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients 

Crust
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup ground pecans
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa  (or 3 ounces dark chocolate cooled)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Topping
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup sweet butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup toasted flaked coconut

Preparation 
Stir together first 3 ingredients; press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool.
Beat cream cheese and next 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Loosen cake from pan; cool. Chill 8 hours.

Stir together evaporated milk and next 4 ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 7 minutes.
Stir in pecans and coconut; spread over cheesecake.

MAD MEN FINALE PARTY: Retro Chocolate Desserts

The finale for Mad Men is tonight. Wasn't this a short season? Love the show, but after waiting for over a year and a half for Season 5, I wish there were more episodes.

Anyway, I want to make something special for tonight's finale. I've posted several different recipes for Retro Chocolate Cakes and Desserts that fit the period (see links below). These are all great mid-century Mad Men mid-century chocolate recipes. Definitely try some for your Mad Men Party.

I have one more addition to the list. Refrigerator cookies were very, very mid-century. My mother loved to make pinwheel cookies, and we loved to eat them. Very mid-century! Love the combination and look of Pinwheel Cookies. Great Mad Men dessert--Spiraling Down. Recipe below. You can easily bake a batch for tonight's viewing!

Retro Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake (Pepsi can be substituted)

Chocolate 7-Up Cake

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake

Cool Whip & Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

Chocolate Fondue

PINWHEEL COOKIES

My mother made these for us during the early Mad Men years, and they were my favorite of all the cookies she made--maybe because of the way they looked, as much as the taste. Refrigerator (icebox) cookies are simple to make. The recipe is from the Settlement Cookbook, my mother's 'other' Bible.

"Refrigerator or icebox cookies are among the quickest to make; the dough is molded into oblongs or uniform rolls, and thoroughly chilled. The roll is then sliced with a gently sawing motion that does not distort the shape. Refrigerator cookie dough keeps well, and the cookies may be sliced and baked in small quantities, as needed."

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sweet sugar
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 square unsweetened chocolate (I'm sure my Mother used Baker's), melted

Directions
Cream butter and sugar; add egg yolk and beat well.
Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture with milk and vanilla.
Divide dough in half.
Add chocolate to one part.
Chill.
Pat each into a thin, oblong sheet on waxed paper.
Place chocolate dough over white dough and roll tightly.
Chill until firm.
Slice thin.
Bake on greased cookie sheet in a moderately hot oven (375 F) for 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE ICE TEA: NATIONAL ICE TEA DAY

I'm a tea drinker, so I support National Ice Tea Month (June) and National Iced Tea Day (June 10). Of course, since I'm always Dying for Chocolate, I love Chocolate Ice Tea.

Just an FYI: The following teas will not have the full bodied chocolate taste of an iced cocoa. They're more subtle, but definitely worth trying. They're essentially different types of teas infused with cacoa nibs or cocoa with some other ingredients. Some even use carob pods. You might prefer some of them more as hot teas. Experiment.

At the end of this post, I have a recipe for Chocolate Mint Tea... that's the herb Chocolate Mint that grows in the garden (it is not a chocolate plant!). Chocolate mint makes a lovely ice tea.

History of Ice Tea: The story goes that at the St. Louis World's Fair, Englishman Richard Blechynden was introducing Americans to the new India and Ceylon black tea.There was a heat wave at the time and lines were not forming to try his steamy hot beverage. After a few days of frustration, he tried adding ice to the tea in order to entice people in. It was the hit of the fair and a new way of drinking tea had instantly taken hold!

How to Brew Ice Tea:
To brew a quart, place either 4 to 5 bags or teaspoons of loose tea in a pitcher. Bring 2 cups of cold, tap water or filtered water to a boil. Pour the boiling water directly over the tea and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tea bags or strain and then add 2 more cups of cold water. Serve over ice.

Sun Brewed Iced Tea
Fill a container with 4 cups of cold water, preferably filtered. Place 6 bags or 6 teaspoons of tea and cover or cap lightly. Place in direct sunlight for 2 to 4 hours (depending on desired strength). Remove bags or strain and serve over ice.

Cold Water Method
Fill a container with 4 cups of filtered cold water. Put 6 bags or 6 teaspoons of tea and cover or cap lightly. Place in refrigerator for 8 hours. Remove bags or strain and serve over ice.

There are so many Chocolate Teas available now, some with black tea, some with rooibos or other herbs. The following is a random list. Let me know your favorites, and, especially, if you like the teas better hot or cold!

Republic of Tea

Peppermint Cuppa Chocolate Tea Bags:  peppermint, rich chocolate and smooth, caffeine-free rooibos
Cocoanut Cocoa Cuppa Chocolate Tea Bags:  coconut, chocolate and caramel malted barley
Double Dark Chocolate Mate: roasted Yerba Maté blended with organic dark cocoa powder
Red Velvet Cuppa Chocolate Tea Bags: Rooibos blended with chocolate and beet root bits
Strawberry Cuppa Chocolate Tea Bags: chocolate paired with a hint of strawberry. Rooibos (red tea) provides the base.

Mighty Leaf Tea
Mayan Chocolate Truffle
Masala Chocolate Truffle
Chocolate Chip Truffle
Chocolate Mint Truffle Rooibos
Chocolate Orange Truffle
Mocha Truffle Pu-erh

Kalahari: Choco Latte: Red Tea Raspberry Truffle

Stash Tea: Chocolate Mint Wuyi Oolong Tea

Teavana: Haute Chocolate Rooibos Tea, Cacao Mint Black Tea

TeaFrog: Chocolate and Cream

Harney & Sons:   (one of my favorite sources for black tea): Chocolate tea

Tea Forte:  Coco Truffle
  
American Tea Room: Choco Late,  CocoLoco
  
Tea Guys:  Chocolate Delight

Here's a tea for the Spring & Summer, and yes, I do have Chocolate Mint growing in my  "Chocolate Garden."

CHOCOLATE MINT ICE TEA

4 cups fresh chocolate mint, chopped
16 cups water
1 cup local honey

Boil water, add chopped mint leaves and simmer in covered stockpot with tight-fitting lid for 10 mins.
Add honey, stirring until dissolved.
Remove from heat.
Cover and let steep 3-4 hours or longer.
Refrigerate overnight.
Strain before serving.

Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar

I love salads, and I often add cocoa nibs to my green salads for crunch. As you can imagine, I'm also fond of Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar. There are several brands I like, but it's so easy to make your own.  Here's a simple recipe.

Tip: Use the very best balsamic vinegar you have. If you don't you'll need to reduce 'cheap' balsamic vinegar and mix it with sugar. Skip that step and use the best! As I always say, if you use quality ingredients, you'll have a better finished product. That goes for the cocoa here, too.

This Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar is great on salads, on strawberries, with brie or goat cheese or over ice cream. You might want to adjust the sugar to your taste.

CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Ingredients:
1 cup good quality balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup good quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract

In saucepan, dissolve sugar and salt in water over low heat, stirring often. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and add cocoa, stirring until you have a syrup.
Add vanilla and set aside to cool.
Once syrup is cooled,  mix vinegar and chocolate syrup together.
Put in glass container with a tight top or seal.

Use as salad dressing or pour over strawberries, goat cheese, brie or ice cream.

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Pie

Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, and since I blogged about Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie on Rocky Road Day last Saturday, I thought it only fitting to blog about another of my favorite pies.

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Pie

Since I'm all about Chocolate, the pie shell can be made with chocolate wafers or oreos.. either works well.

To make the crust, crumb up the wafers or oreos either by putting them in a plastic bag and running a rolling pin over them or by whirling them in your food processor. Add 1/2 stick of melted butter (or a bit more) and press into a 9" pie plate, going up the side. Bake for 5-10 minutes at 350 -- or not. Since this is an ice-cream pie, it's not really going to matter if you bake it or not!

Next, spoon in the softened chocolate ice cream. Now here's where you can get creative--either a chocolate or a chocolate brownie ice cream such as Haagen Daz Chocolate or Ben & Jerry's Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge Brownie would be perfect! Then freeze!  
Helpful hint: make sure to position the pie flat in your freezer.

And finally, top with Hot Fudge Sauce!

Want to make your own Chocolate Ice Cream for this Chocolate ice cream pie?

Epicurious has a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream by Fergus and Margot Henderson that appeared in Bon Appetit. For the recipe, go HERE.

Or make Alton Brown's Chocolate Ice Cream.

What's your favorite chocolate ice cream? What's your favorite recipe? Add a comment and/or link below!

Devil's Food Cake vs Chocolate Cake

My friend Judy Bobalik asked today what the difference is between Devil's Food Cake and Chocolate Cake. Good question, and I don't think I've ever addressed it. Seems like there are many different interpretations. Some recipes use cocoa, some melted chocolate, some add coffee or hot liquid, and some increase the baking soda.

According to Wikipedia:

Because of differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the course of the twentieth century, it is difficult to precisely qualify what distinguishes Devil's food from the more standard chocolate cake. The traditional Devil's food cake is made with shredded beets much the way a carrot cake is made with carrots. The beets add moisture and sweetness to the cake, helping it to be very rich. The red of the beets slightly colors the cake red and due to the richness of the cake it became known as the Devil's food. 

O.k. That's a beet cake or a 'natural' red velvet cake, and I make a good one, but it's not a Devil's Food Cake in my opinion.


Devil's food cake is generally more moist and airy than other chocolate cakes, and often uses cocoa as opposed to chocolate for the flavor as well as coffee. The lack of melted chocolate and the addition of coffee is typically what distinguishes a Devil's food cake from a chocolate cake, though some recipes call for all, resulting in an even richer chocolate flavor. The use of hot, or boiling water as the cake's main liquid, rather than milk, is also a common difference. 

Devil's food cake is sometimes distinguished from other chocolate cakes by the use of additional baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) which raises the pH level and makes the cake a deeper and darker mahogany color. Devil's food cake incorporates butter (or a substitute), egg whites, flour (while some chocolate cakes are flourless) and less egg than other chocolate cakes. Devil's food cake was introduced in the United States in the early 20th century with the recipe in print as early as 1905. 

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. Most red velvet cakes today use red food coloring, but even without it, the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk tends to better reveal the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. When used in cakes, acid causes reddening of cocoa powder when baked, and before more alkaline "Dutch Processed" cocoa was widely available, the red color would have been more pronounced. This natural tinting may have been the source for the name "Red Velvet" as well as "Devil's Food" and a long list of similar names for chocolate cakes.

I'm partial to Devil's Food Cake.

Here are several mid-century recipes. Sorry about the light print on the first cookbook.

I've posted many Devil's Food Cake recipes in the past, but today I have four mid-century recipes. The first recipe is for Cocoa Devil's Food Cake from How To Get the Most Out of Your Sunbeam Mixmaster (1950). I posted a "Mix-Easy" Devil's Food Cake for Mother's Day, and you might want to look at that one, too. It's pretty much the same as the following recipe. This is a good page for this post since there's a Chocolate Cake recipe next to the Devil's Food Cake recipe.

This same cookbook has a recipe for Black Devil's Food Cake, so now we have Cocoa Devil's Food Cake, Black Devil's Food Cake, and below a Red Devil's Food Cake. As you see, the following Black Devil's Food cake is made with cocoa and with the addition of strong hot coffee or boiling water.

The Red Devil's Food Cake is a variation on the Chocolate Fudge Cake on the same page, and to save space, they didn't reprint the entire recipe! It's a very small pamphlet. The baking soda is increased, but otherwise it's the same cake. This recipe is from the Recipes for your Hamilton Beach Mixer-17 Delicious New Cakes (1947). Don't you just love that someone wrote good next to the recipe? It's the same recipe I posted (but from a different pamphlet) on Devil's Food Cake Day for Mother's Day. 

And one more Red Devil's Food Cake from the same mid-century period. This one is from Kate Smith Chooses her 55 Favorite Ann Pillsbury CAKE RECIPES.

Enough Devil's Food Cake recipes? Never! Have a look at Martha Washington's Devil's Food Cake which is from Capitol Hill Cooks: Recipes from the White House by Linda Bauer. This is a great Buttermilk Devil's Food Cake!

So what's the difference between Devil's Food Cake and Chocolate Cake? You decide.