Recipes

Devil's Food Cake

Recipe No. 59 from the U.S. Army's WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Army TM10-412 · Cake · Desserts

Serves 15½ pounds mixture, 100 servings, each 3⅓ by 3⅓ by 1¼ inches.
View source — TM 10-412 Army Recipes (War Department, 1944) ↗

Recipe No. 59 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

  • Shortening — 1⅓ pounds (¾ No. 56 dipper)
  • Sugar, granulated — 4½ pounds (2¼ No. 56 dippers)
  • Eggs — 17 eggs (¾ No. 56 dipper)
  • Flour, sifted — 3½ pounds (3½ No. 56 dippers)
  • Baking powder — ½ ounce (1⅓ mess kit spoons)
  • Baking soda — ¾ ounce (1½ mess kit spoons)
  • Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
  • Cocoa — 1⅛ pounds (1⅓ No. 56 dippers)
  • Vinegar — 2 ounces (4 mess kit spoons)
  • Milk, evaporated — 1 — 14½-ounce can
  • Water (for milk) — 1 quart (1 No. 56 dipper)
  • Vanilla — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Evaporated Milk

  1. Stir shortening until soft and smooth.
  2. Add sugar gradually; mix thoroughly.
  3. Add unbeaten eggs a few at a time, beating after each addition until well mixed. Beat thoroughly at this stage to insure a light tender cake.
  4. Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cocoa together twice.
  5. Combine vinegar, milk, water, and vanilla.
  6. Add dry ingredients and liquid alternately to egg and sugar mixture, first adding about ⅓ dry ingredients, then ½ liquid, then another ⅓ dry ingredients and remaining milk and dry ingredients.
  7. Mix thoroughly but avoid overmixing.
  8. Place in greased sheet pans. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 30 to 35 minutes or until done.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Shortening — 1⅔ oz Sugar, granulated — 5¾ oz Eggs — 1⅓ eggs Flour, sifted — 4½ oz Baking powder — a pinch Baking soda — about ⅓ tsp Salt — a pinch Cocoa — 1½ oz Vinegar — about 1 tsp Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 5 tbsp Vanilla — about ½ tsp

This recipe makes two sheet pans (18 by 26 by 1 inches) or eight loaf pans (9⅞ by 4¼ by 2¾ inches) or 200 individual cakes each 3 inches in diameter. Frost devil’s food cake with butter cream, fudge, peanut butter, or marshmallow frostings (recipes Nos. 90, 98, 96, and 100) or cover before baking with coconut topping (recipe No. 105).

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 59, Cakes and Cookies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.