Cakes, as we know them today, are relatively recent. In Europe in the mid-13th century, cakes were more like breads that were sweetened with fruits and honey. The first big advancements in cake baking were the result of improved oven technologies. Next, the development of refined flour and the use of baking powder as a leavening agent instead of yeast, helped create cakes similar to what we commonly think of as cakes.

Early frostings were usually made from egg whites and sugar and were baked to form a hard covering. Buttercreams, the combination of butter, cream and usually confectioners or powdered sugar, didn't appear until the early part of the 20th century.

Chocolate cakes are even more recent. Early chocolate cakes were usually yellow cakes that accompanied drinking chocolate or cocoa. Chocolate itself was not an ingredient in the cake.

 

 

  

It wasn't until the early 20th century that chocolate cake as we know it appeared on the scene. It was often referred to as Devil's Food Cake. The exact reason for that name is not known, but there are several theories about the name. One is that if this baked confection was so rich and delicious, it must be sinful, a reflection of our Puritan heritage.

Another theory was based on a play on words--the opposite of Angel Food cakes, cakes made with egg whites only, which are very light and airy.

An early recipe for Devil's Food Cake was surprisingly similar to our featured recipe.

Early cookbooks featured as many as 23 recipes for Devil's Food Cake. Some of the standard ingredients included both sour cream or sour milk and brown sugar, again similar to our chocolate layer cake recipe.