Devil's Food Cake

Devil's Food Cake
MAKES ONE 2-LAYER 9-INCH CAKE, OR ONE 9-BY-13-INCH CAKE

It is the characteristic of baking soda to impart a reddish tint to
a chocolate cake batter. To reinforce the red color, there was a popular
recipe that circulated during the 1950s that called for a whole
bottle of red food coloring. If you wish to try it, simply replace some
of the water with the food coloring (pour a 1-ounce bottle of red food
coloring into a measuring cup and add water to equal 11A cups).

2/3 cup vegetable shortening
12/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa
11A cups cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
l/2 teaspoon baking powder
11/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Seven-Minute Icing (see recipe) or Fluffy Chocolate Frosting (see
following recipe)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch-round cake pans or
one 9-by-13-inch oblong pan.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening and
sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs until mixture is fluffy. In a small
bowl, blend the cocoa with the cold water. In another small bowl,
combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the
flour mixture alternately with the cocoa-water mixture to the creamed
mixture, blending until smooth. Add the vanilla. Pour batter into the
prepared pans or pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for layers, or 35 to 45
minutes for the oblong pan, or until the cake tests done. Cool. Spread
with Seven-Minute Icing or with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
2 tablespoons water
1A cup granulated sugar
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
1 egg
21A cups powdered sugar
l/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine the water and granulated
sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil 1 minute. Remove from
the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. In the
large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg until frothy; add the
powdered sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the chocolate mixture
and the butter. Beat at high speed until the frosting is fluffy. Add the
vanilla. Use the frosting immediately.