HELEN’S DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE

My mother was the epitome of a chocoholic. This is the recipe for her famous cake which she claimed won my father’s heart. She frosted it with “gooey icing,” a type of 7-minute frosting, but I don’t have that recipe. Any vanilla frosting shoud do.

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup shortening

2 egg whites, beaten and folded in last

4 egg yellows

1/2 cup sour milk (make by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk and let stand)

4 squares (ounces) of Baker’s chocolate

1 cup boiling water

2 teaspoons baking soda (make sure they are level)

pinch of salt

good teaspoon of cinnamon

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cream sugar and shortening well. Add 4 egg yellows to mixture. Melt the chocolate in the boiling water, then add to above mixture. In separate bowl, mix flour with salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add alternately with sour milk to basic mixture and mix well after each addition. Add vanilla. Fold in egg whites. Bake in two greased and floured cake pans at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Frost as desired.