I have told you about my Aunt Pat before here. Last night, I dreamed about her and my Uncle Dub (mom’s brother). We were in a car, at night driving down the road singing – Pat and Dub loved to sing in the car and a favorite song was “Side by Side”.
This is Uncle Dub when he was in the Navy.
My beloved Aunt Pat in 1993 at my Nana’s 90th Birthday – I cannot find a picture of the two of them without others in the pix!
“We ain’t got a barrel of money, maybe we’re ragged and funny, but we’re travelin’ along, singin’ our song —– Side by Side…” In case you’ve never heard it before here is the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis’ version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50xGa0rQ3s4
Then, Aunt Pat turned to me and said that she knew that I like more than just Nana’s Chess Pie for my birthday; I loved HER cake and icing, had I forgotten? Well, honestly, it has been so many years since I’ve had it, I HAD forgotten. She also reminded me that she had given me the recipe years ago so I should find it and make it. I’m not one who dreams about family who has passed on much, really just one other time years ago I dreamed my dad told me to check the plumbing. I blew it off and then 2 weeks later it sprang a leak in mom’s backyard and there I was, digging it up with a shovel for hours on end until the leak repair equipment arrived.
First thing this morning, I got out of bed with purpose. Mr. Picky Eater asked what I was doing digging around in my closet – when I told him I was looking for Aunt Pat’s cake, he rolled his eyes and asked what kind it was going to be………..those of you who have read my blog for a while know he pretty much likes two kinds of cake: chocolate with white and white with chocolate so I smiled really big and said, “One of your favorites, hun, chocolate cake with white icing”. He perked up after that.
I’m not really sure why I jumped up and had this cake made, photographed, and eaten…..once piece…….by 2:00PM but maybe it’s because I didn’t want to spend next week digging up the backyard! This is a great dish and I hope you will take the time to make it – the cake is tender and moist while the icing is fluffy and billowy. You won’t be sorry!
Classic Devil’s Food with 7 Minute Icing
Cake Ingredients:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour, sifted with all dry ingredients except sugar
¾ Cup unsweetened Coco Powder
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Cups granulated Sugar
1 Cup Warm Black Coffee (If you would like to know which one works better check out this atlas coffee club review)
1 Cup Olive Oil
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Directions:
Sift all the dry ingredients except sugar.
Whisk in sugar.
Mixing by hand, add in all the wet ingredients until just combined.
Pour into two 9 inch round cake pans that have been greased and floured. I also recommend parchment paper in the bottom of the pans.
Bake in a 325F pre-heated oven for 40 – 50 minutes, checking with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
Pull them out when done and allow cooling until warm – pop out of the pans and allowing cooling completely. Meanwhile, make the icing…….
Ingredients for 7 Minute Icing:
1 ½ Cups white Sugar
1/3 Cup water
¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar (you can sub in 1 Tablespoon white syrup if you have to)
2 egg whites
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract – It will be SO much whiter if you use clear vanilla. Makes a huge difference, but it is not necessary.
Directions for Icing:
You will need a double boiler or a heatproof bowl that fits on top of a sauce pan.
Put all ingredients except vanilla into top pan of double boiler or heatproof bowl.
Using a hand mixer set on medium setting, mix for 1 minute.
Move pan/bowl onto bottom pan of boiling water (DO NOT allow hot water to touch bottom of top pan/bowl because it will make the icing grainy).
Turn the hand mixer onto high and mix for 7 minutes – again, never let the boiling water touch the bottom of the pan/bowl. You may need to turn down the heat to keep it from doing that.
At the end of the 7 minutes, take the top pan/bowl off the bottom pan, still mixing add in the vanilla until mixed well. Then ice the cake.
I set mine in the cake holder then into the garage where it is colder than if I had put it in the freezer – and the prospects of it warming up anytime soon is slim to none.
As I write this, it is 4:20 PM and half the cake is gone – Mr. Picky Eater REALLY likes it – so I hope there’s some left when Top Girl gets home because she loves it too! I’m sure Rocket will be saying, “Cake!” “Cake!” all evening long too.
This cake takes a little time but you will not be disappointed if you put out the effort, I promise!
It’s so interesting that you post a recipe for this cake at this time of year. New Year’s Day is my brother-in-law’s birthday and this is the cake he always requests. It’s a family tradition and nice to see it is one of your favorites too.
Thank you Renee! It is a great cake – isn’t it? I know why your BIL loves it!
Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to make this re ipe , especially the icing.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this recipe posted. As I had written you before and told you we have a lot in common with our grandma and mom handing recipes down to us. This is a recipe that my mom made quite a lot when I was a little girl. I had misplaced this recipe and was so happy to see that you had it. The little things in life that make you happy! Thank you!!
Great! I just know you are going to like it – I can attest to that because I finished that recipe at 2PM today and now, at 8:30, there are only 2 pieces left!
what a wonderful wonderful cake! Reminds me of something my mom made, though the cake wasn’t as dark. That frosting can not be topped 🙂 As always, lovely reminiscences.
Thank you Liz! That frosting is what the cake is all about! 🙂
It sure is! As a 5 year old I can remember the yummy chocolate cake and pink icing it was delicious! It was the highlight of my birthday! We never had presents back then. Just cakes and friends and lots of laughs and playing! It was enough 😢💔
The inclusion of coffee, buttermilk and olive oil make this cake interesting to me. I’ll have to try it.
It has a great taste! Thanks Lillian!
I forgot to mention how cute Uncle Dub was – what gorgeous hair!
didn’t he have great hair?? He had great hair till the day he died and he was always the joker in the family with those mirthful eyes of his! 🙂 Thank you for saying that. My cousin Dana (his youngest daughter) reads my blog so I’m sure she will see this and be grateful. She misses her parents greatly as I do!
I remember my mom making 7 minute icing—wonder if it was for a chocolate cake, too? My family would love this cake!
Since my Mr. Picky Eater loved it (he was surprised) then I bet your picky eater would as well!
Hi
I’m sort of a Cake Dummy so this might sound …dumb !
when is the Vanilla added?
I’m not ready to make a cake from scratch yet but I think I can handle this Icing and would like to try it. The whole recipe looks and sounds great by the way.
Thank you
Yes, so glad you stopped by! Please add the vanilla after you take the pot off the double boiler and while the mixer is still going…..after you add it in and mix well, then ice the cake! It’ll be great and make a boxed cake taste fantastic. Just remember you can make a cox cake taste homemade by replace the water with milk, the vegetable oil with softened butter both in the same amounts, and add an extra egg……
Mom used to make this cake (minus coffee) and put coconut on it. Made it for my brother at Thanksgiving and he passed last month. So glad I made it for him, brought back so many childhood memories.
What a wonderful story Sondee! It’s amazing how food can bring back wonderful memories. Thank you so much for sharing your story and dropping by. Please come again!
This brought back memories of the cake my mom made. After she frosted the cake she sprinkled white coconut over the frosting. YUM!
Hi Terry! I would have done that if I had thought of it – what a lovely finishing touch!
You will never know how tickled I am to see this recipe! My mother, RIP, made this for me on every birthday. I miss her good cookin’ a lot. (S he was a southern lady, too.) I do have many of her recipes, but for some reason this one was lost somewhere along the way when I moved north. I shall think of Mom and you each time I make it!
Thank you so much, both for the recipe and for the wonderful memories it evokes!
I am thrilled that I was able to do that for you – and please – let me know how the first one turns out! It’s always so good…………….Thanks for dropping by and please come again!
My husbands grandma use to make him these cakes when he was a little boy He was so glad i found this recipe ,I made one 2 days ago and its all gone. It’s the best Devils food cake i’ve ever made and eaten. Thank you…
Thank you so much for letting me know JoAnn! I’m thrilled that you – and mostly your husband – enjoyed it!
can’t wait to make this been looking for a good recipe for this cake i know it’s going to be good tks
You are welcome! Please let us know how it turns out!
I made this today for my daughter’s 10th Birthday Party with her friends… it is amazing! The best cake I’ve ever had!!! And my husband is thrilled as well! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! This is one of those recipes that you keep!
I am so happy that you all liked it! It IS a great recipe, right? Happy birthday to your daughter — this may become her go-to cake!! 🙂
Thank you so much. I have been looking for this recipe for years. My mom used to make this but none of her recipes were saved. Most of them were in her head anyway.