If angel food cake is the gentle and soft dessert you bake for ladies’ luncheons and children’s teas, then its opposite – the devil’s food cake – seems the right dessert for every other occasion. For naughty devil’s food is built on deep chocolate flavors and has a big coarse crumb. Nothing for the timid! Slather it with a frosting of more deep chocolate, milder white chocolate, caramel or, my favorite, peanut butter. And the only thing more delicious than a devil’s food cake is another slice of devil’s food cake.

Fortunately for cake doctoring, it’s easy to improvise and improve on a devil’s food cake mix. Add up to 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder for a more decided chocolate punch. Or do the trick with a (1 oz) square of unsweetened chocolate melted with ½ cup boiling water. You can also add a tbs of instant coffee powder for an extra kick, especially if you are frosting the cake with a sweet, fluffy, mocha-infused buttercream frosting. But you absolutely MUST add buttermilk to this cake. It assures you a moist cake and compensates for your addition of cocoa, which can dry out the cake batter. Plus, the acidity in buttermilk naturally compliments chocolate.

There you have it. A naughty but delicious chocolate cake worthy of one slice, two, even three. So sell your soul to the devil.

It seems an easy task to just melt some chocolate. But chocolate is a clever and finicky ingredient:

If you must add liquid, chocolate needs more than 1 tbs moisture per ounce of chocolate to melt smoothly. Too little liquid will cause the chocolate to seize up and look curdled.

Do not put a lid on a pan of melting chocolate or the condensation will drip down into your chocolate and will cause it to seize.

If chocolate seizes, remove the pan from the heat and try whisking it in 1 tsp of light vegetable (canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower) oil for each ounce of chocolate. This should smooth it out.

Use low heat, preferably a double boiler with the simmering water level in the bottom pan at least 1/2” below the top pan.

In actuality, a lot of people now melt chocolate in the microwave. Chop the chocolate first into pieces so it melts evenly and quickly. If you must use HIGH power, do so for only 30 seconds and then stir. MEDIUM power is safer; melt from 30 seconds to 1 ½ minutes, depending on the amount of chocolate you are melting. Open the door and stir the chocolate a couple of times as it melts. Microwaved chocolate will retain its shape, so stir it to see if it has really melted.

Preheat your oven for 10-15 minutes before you plan to bake.

Buy an oven thermometer and check your oven routinely to see if it’s baking at the correct temperature. If cakes are browning quickly, it may run hot. If cakes are not done by the maximum baking time, it may run cold.

Place the oven rack in the center position.

Read the recipe and be sure to use the correct pan size.

Measure liquid by placing a liquid-ingredient measuring cup on the kitchen counter, pouring liquid in the cup, and checking the measurement at eye level.

Measure dry ingredients (sugar, for example) by spooning them into dry measuring cups and leveling off the top with a dinner knife. When you measure brown sugar, pack it into the cup before leveling it off.

Blend the batter for the time specified, and use a hand or standard mixer set on low or medium speed. If beating by hand, beat at the rate of 150 strokes per minute, resting as needed.

Check the cake for doneness, looking for browning in light-colored cakes, pressing the top to see if it springs back, seeing if the cake is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and inserting a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean.

Allow 10-15 minutes for cake layers to cool before inverting onto a rack. Tube and bundt cakes need 20 minutes.

Unless the cake is to be glazed while hot, let layer, bundt, tube, and sheet cakes cool completely, then frost.

An area with an altitude over 3500 feet is considered high altitude. This is where there is less air pressure and less humidity, and these two factors create havoc for cake bakers. The reduction in air pressure causes less resistance to the leavening action in the batter. Thus, cake batter may overflow from the pan, the cake may bake right out of the pan, or it may fall flat.

In high-altitude baking, you don’t want as tender a cake because it will over-rise, so be wary of cakes with a lot of added sugar and oil. Often a little flour is added to a recipe to make it heavier. The oven temperature should be increased so that the batter sets up more quickly and doesn’t overflow.

Layer cakes should be baked in 9” pans, NEVER 8” pans or they would overflow. And absolutely DO NOT BAKE CAKES THAT HAVE MARSHMALLOWS ADDED TO THE MIX! They’ll blow up from the high sugar content. Finally, grease the pans well because high-altitude cakes are more likely to stick.

When melting baking chocolate, place it on a piece of aluminum in its own wrapper and put into the oven while it is preheating or into the top of a double boiler. The chocolate will be ready when you need it.

Always add a little salt to recipes containing chocolate. It brings out the flavor.

If a recipe calls for brown sugar, use light brown sugar unless otherwise specified.

To soften hardened brown sugar , place a crisp lettuce leaf or a slice of fresh bread in the container. Or, place package in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes, the roll out the lumps with a rolling pin or press them out with a spoon or fingers. When heated, the sugar must be used immediately.

Heavy cream doubles in volume when whipped. 1/2 cup of whipping cream will make 1 cup of whipped cream.

A pinch of salt added to heavy cream will make it whip faster.

Slip a piece of wax paper over the mixing bowl when whipping cream. Have the beaters poke up through a hole in the center. No splatters!

Freeze dollops of whipped cream on a cookie sheet. When frozen, transfer carefully to a box for storage. Nice for garnishing.

*Sprinkle strawberries with sugar and pour a bit of brandy or orange juice over them. Chill for several hours. Before serving, pour pink champagne over the strawberries and garnish with mint.

If custard curdles, pour it through a sieve.

*Fill the center of honeydew melon halves with lime sherbet for a delicious dessert.

*Honeydew is marvelous filled with strawberries and fresh pineapple with a sauce of beaten vanilla ice cream and brandy poured over.

Serve crystallized ginger or powdered ginger with any melon.

Nice garnishes for puddings, cakes, pies, etc:
Chocolate shavings made by using a parer on semisweet or cooking chocolate squares.
Frosted grapes made by dipping grapes into slightly beaten egg whites and coating with granulated sugar. Allow to dry on wax paper.
Melt semisweet chocolate and paint onto the backs of small leaves. Refrigerate. When
cool, peel off leaf. You will have a chocolate leaf.
Toast almonds, finely chopped or slivered, in a hot skillet or on a cookie sheet in a slow oven. Be sure to keep almonds stirred for an even medium brown.

Pretty mint garnish for berries can be done by brushing them with egg white and dipping into fine granulated sugar.

Excellent ready-made pie crusts (regular, chocolate and graham cracker) are available in most grocery stores. The mixes are also very good.

Roll pie crust in wax paper. Turn upside down over pie plate; roll off wax paper.

Put another pie plate on top of crust when baking pie shell so that it does not bubble up.

To prevent a deep-dish pie from bubbling over, turn a custard cup upside down in the center of the dish. Pour the fruit in; top with the crust. Cup also lifts the pastry so it won’t get soggy.

Two-crust pies should be frozen with no vents. They can be cut as soon as the pie thaws as it is baking.

Try adding a little cheese to the crust of an apple pie.

A nice pie shell can be made by mixing 1 1/ 2 cups gingersnap crumbs with 6 tbs butter and a bit of 10x sugar. Chill 1 hour before serving. Also try Oreo cookies (18 cookies plus 4 tbs butter) or vanilla wafers for and interesting variation.

Pies will be brown and glossy if brushed with milk before baking.

Never use all butter in pastries – it will be tough.

To measure shortening, fill cup with warm water less the amount desired. Add shortening. Pour out water.

Too much moisture in pastry dough will make it tough and the pie will steam instead of bake.

Custard-based pies (pumpkin, too) may be made ahead and frozen unbaked. A frozen 8″ pie will bake in 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Always remove refrigerator pies from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving to remove the chill from the crust.

To prevent fresh pared apples from discoloring, submerge them about 1 minute in cold water with a little lemon juice added to it.

For perfect non-weeping meringue on your pie, use 3 egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 3 tbs sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat eggs at room temperature with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar until stiff and glossy. Put meringue on pie and seal all edges. Cool away from drafts after cooking about 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees. If you want an extra high meringue, add 1/2 tsp baking powder along with the cream of tartar.

HOW TO MAKE GRAVY

DRY-ROASTED MEATS, POULTRY AND PAN-FRIED MEATS – Remove meat to a hot platter. Leaving crusty bits in pan, pour drippings into a measuring cup. let fat rise to the top of the drippings and skim off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. return reserved fat to pan. stir in 2 tablespoons flour. cook over low heat until bubbly. add enough water, milk or potato water to drippings in measuring cup to equal 1 cup. quickly stir into pan. heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil 2-3 minutes. season with salt and pepper. strain if desired.

FOR POT ROASTS AND OTHER BRAISED MEATS THAT PROUCE LOTS OF NATURAL MEAT JUICES AND NOT “CRUSTY” DRIPPINGS IN THE PAN – Drain pan juices into a measuring cup and add milk, water, broth or potato water to equal 1 1/2 cups. return to roaster; heat on medium-high. pour 1/2 cup cold water into a shaker or jar. add 1/4 cup flour; shake well. stir into the pan, cook and stir until bubbly. reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes. season to taste.

To extinguish a fat fire, throw handfuls of salt on the base of the fire.

Be sure all utensils are completely dry when cooking with fat. Any water on things will cause splattering.

To clear bacon fat for further use, pour while warm, not hot, into a can containing cold water. Burned portions will drop to the bottom. Clean fat can be skimmed off.

Frying oil can be reused several times if you add a quartered, unpeeled potato to it and heat for a few minutes. Fish is the only taste that may not be completely removed. Strain through cheesecloth.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to butter when frying. It will keep the butter from burning.

Never put too many pieces in a frying pan when frying. You will steam instead of browning.

When deep frying, be sure fat is at least 4″ deep. Allow 2″ to 3″ between fat and top of pan to prevent bubbling over.

Have food to be fried in deep fat at room temperature before cooking. If it has been chilled, remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before frying.

To flour food easily for frying, such as chicken or fish, place flour and seasonings in a plastic bag, add a few pieces of food at a time and shake hard. Food will be evenly floured. Good also for flouring stew meat to be browned.

For perfect breaded foods that are to be fried, roll food in crumbs, then dip into egg mixture and roll a second time in crumbs. Use one hand for breading, the other hand for dipping – your hands will not get sticky. Bread foods at least 1/2 hour before frying.

If fried food should be served hot, place cooked food on a baking pan covered with paper toweling and pace in a 300 degree oven while frying remaining food. Bring fat back to desired temperature before cooking the second batch of food. Skim off any loose food particles to prevent smoking.

Line casseroles with heavy foil, freeze food in it, then remove from the container, wrap and store in the freezer. When ready to use, peel off the foil, place it in the original casserole dish and heat.

Always wrap anything to be frozen as air tight as you can. Get all the air bubbles out of the package. This can be done by partially submerging the plastic bag in water and sealing close to the article.

Cool cooked food quickly and completely for freezing.

Carefully seal packages and label with date. Use oldest ones first.

When juicing a lemon or orange needed in a recipe, don’t throw away the rind. Peel it with a paring knife (no white membrane) and run in through a grater. Store in plastic containers in the freezer and you will always have freshly grated rind on hand.

To freeze berries, only use firm, ripe berries. Wash thoroughly in cold water and place in freezing containers. Then pour in syrup. Handle them quickly. Make syrup by stirring 1 2/3 cups sugar into 2 cups boiling water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Use more sugar if a sweeter taste is desired. Berries may also be sweetened by tossing washed fruit lightly with about 1/2-1/3 cup sugar per quart. Package and freeze at once; do not wait until you have them all packaged, but freeze a few packages at a time.

Berries may also be frozen whole by placing them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, store in plastic bags. These will be quite watery when removed from the freezer, so they should be used in sauces, etc. Do not completely defrost before use.

Melons may be easily frozen by cutting into melon balls or small cubes. Place in containers and cover with syrup. Add 1-2 tsp ascorbic-citrus acid powder for each quart of syrup used. Or, use fresh orange juice, pineapple juice or ginger ale for a different flavor in place of the syrup. Crumple a piece of cellophane on top of the fruit before sealing and freezing. Do not defrost; place in the refrigerator and serve still frosty. Great for winter salads or fruit cocktails.

To freeze fresh vegetables, select mature fresh vegetables.  Wash thoroughly and blanch by placing in boiling water and bringing again to a boil. Boil asparagus, green beans, limas, cauliflower and spinach 2 minutes. Boil broccoli 3 minutes; peas 1 minute; corn on the cob 8 minutes; and cut corn 2 1/2 minutes. Submerge vegetables immediately in cold water for 4-5 minutes. Drain and package immediuately for freezing.

Do not freeze salad greens, radishes, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, cucumbers or onions.

Fresh peppers, green or red, and chives are easily frozen by slicing or chopping and storing in plastic bags. When ready to use in casseroles, etc., just take out the number of rings and cut up frozen. Marvelous to have all winter when peppers are expensive when you only need a small amount.

Curry powder and chili powder should always be added in a recipe when you are browning, not into the sauce directly. Browning it will remove the bitter taste.

White pepper is stronger than black pepper. It is ground from ripe pepper. Use about half as much as black.

For crushed garlic, put it between two layers of wax paper and hit it with a hammer – nothing to clean!

Leftover pimientos can be kept if you put them in a small jar and cover with vinegar. Refrigerate.

To make a quick white sauce in the blender, add 1 cup scalded milk and 2 slices fresh white bread to the blender. Blend until smooth. Flavor with 1/2 cup cheese or 1 tbs sherry, if desired.

For delicious sandwiches, cut off bread crusts and spread with mustard and butter. Fill with ham and Swiss cheese or chicken and Swiss cheese; chill the sandwiches. When ready to serve, beat 3 eggs with 1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk and dip sandwiches. Fry in butter. or deep fry.

If you burn a pan, fill it with water, add 2 tbs baking soda and boil. Repeat if necessary.

Ice cube trays will not stick in the freezer if you place wax paper underneath.

To clean copper or brass, make a thin paste of salt and vinegar. Clean article, then rinse and dry.

To remove lacquer from new copper molds before you use them, let them soak for a couple of minutes in boiling water to which 3 tbs of baking soda are added.

For storing wraps, wax paper, plastic bags, etc on your shelf, use a cardboard soft drink carton. A box fits into each pocket. Turn either on its side or store upright.

To inrcease or decrease any recipe, use the new number of servings as the numerator and the number of servings provided by the recipe as the denominator. For example, if a recipe calls for 6 servings and you would like to make 8 servings, it would be figured as follows:
3/4 cup ————- 3/4 x 8/6 (4/3) = 12/12 = 1 cup
Got it? :o)