I read a delightful little short-story called Devil's Food, which is available for download on Kindle at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Food-ebook/dp/B006VOKFS6/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333375057&sr=1-3 for as little as 77p.
Piper Downs writes the story from a third-person narrative which follows very closely the thoughts, feelings and actions of the female protagonist - a typical American housewife by the name of Rita. Rita is unhappily married to her husband. As much as she enjoys to cook and eat healthy food, she is limited to preparing specific dishes and deserts which her husband dictates. All of these are ultimately fatty and unhealthy. On Sundays when he is watching the football, for instance, he will have a bowl of freshly made popcorn smothered in fat. When her husband finally suffers from a heart attack, he asks her to help him live a healthier life by preparing salads and low-fat meals. Full of bitterness and resentment, Rita formulates a perfect murder which, if successful, will allow her to cash in the hefty life insurance policy taken out by her husband early on in their marriage.
I won't completely spoil the rest of the story - it's a delightful read, but I will provide this excerpt, from the final paragraph.
"A Devil’s Food cake waited for her by the door, a thoughtful gift from a neighbor to a grieving widow. She considered smashing her head into the cake but instead took it inside, grabbed a fork and started gorging herself, cake crumbles and frosting spitting out of her mouth while she sobbed hysterically. "
Downs, Piper (2012-01-09). Devil's Food (Kindle Locations 200-203). . Kindle Edition. I read this short quite early in the semester, and then promptly forgot about it until we had that seminar on...I think it was 'The Edible Woman?' The scene at the end where Marian baked a self-portrait cake and, having first offered it to Peter, claiming that that was what he was really after (a physically edible woman) she then proceeds to eat the majority of the cake herself. The rest of the cake is finished off by Duncan, the grad student with whom Marian was having an affair. This self-canibalism, for lack of a better word, is somewhat disturbing but reminded me of the way in which Rita devoured the devil's food cake.
Both these stories made me consider what is in a name. I made my own 'Devil's Food Cake', according to Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book, pg 36. I should mention here that I am not naturally gifted at baking. I was highly jealous when I saw Thoiba's Hansel and Gretel cake, on the 4th March - Simply amazing! I'll have to try that for my niece's birthday.
Anyway, the recipe I followed called for:
- 50g cocoa
- 225 ml wter
- 100g soft margarine
- 275g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 175g plain flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbinate of soda
- 450g caster sugar
- 135ml water
- 2 egg whites
- Pre heat oven to 180 oC/ 350 oF/ Gas Mark 4 and prepare baking dish with greaseproof paper.
- Whisk the cocoa in to the water until smooth (take a sneaky taste test here.)
- Place the margarine in a seperate bowl, gradually whisk and add the sugar bit by bit, until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add th eggs and lightly whisk until evenly blended.
- Sift the flower with baking powder and bicarbinate of soda + fold into creamed mixture. (Mary Berry said you should alternate between adding a bit of the flower mixture and then a bit of the cocoa/water mixture, but I really couldn't be bothered and my arm was aching at this point, since the electric whisk packed in earlier that day when my mum made soup. So instead, I added it all together and made my arm hurt even more. )
- Put the mixture into the cake tins, amking sure both are even and level.
- Bake for about 30-35 mins. (Mary Berry didn't account for the poor people who would be using fan assisted ovens. You can guess how mine came out.)
- When the cake is well risen and firm to touch, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. (I used a chopping board, for lack of a wire rack.)
- To make the frosting, place the sugar in a large heavy-based pan with the water and heat gently. You're aiming for the sugar to dissolve in the water, but don't let the water boil until the sugar has dissolved completely.
- Then, bring to a boil, and boil to 115 oC. (I had no candy thermometer, and the soft-ball test usually used in sweet making(like fudge or toffee) wouldnt work here, so this was purely guess work for me.)
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
- Allow bubbles to settle, and then pour the hot sugar syrup on to the egg whites, whisking constantly.
- When all the syrup has been added, whisk until the mixture thickens and stands in 'peaks'. You'll know it when you see it - and it'll be very heavy work.
- Sandwhich the two halves of the cake together with some of the frosting, and then use a pallette knife to spread the remainder on the top and sides, creating an awesome spikey affect.
- Leave to set in a cool place, out of the reach of cats and dogs and nieces, nephews, fathers, boyfriends, or any female relatives who are on weightwatchers.
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