Miss Jo's San Francisco

CALL IT A DEVIL’S FOOD SURPRISE, A MOIST, DEEP CHOCOLATE CAKE that Jeff whupped up Sunday to plug the hole left by the vanishing Valentine’s Day chocolate.

The recipe is a regular in the two Js’ kitchen, appearing recently on Miss Jo’s b-day with seven-minute icing. This time, Jeff slathered the double layers with creamy fudge.

Taken from Marion Cunningham’s faithful “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book,” the recipe originated with San Franciscan Loni Kuhn, who from 1969-1997 ran her Cook’s Tour cooking school out of her SF house in the Western Addition. Kuhn learned to cook from her family’s Italian housekeeper, which seems reflected in her super-chocolate devil’s food that was Miss Jo’s breakfast this morning.

Jeff’s heart-healthy substitutions: canola margarine instead of shortening in the cake and icing, as well as non-fat Greek or other creamy yogurt instead of heavy cream in the icing.  He also used whole wheat flour for white cake flour.

Miss Jo is thinking of baking Loni’s devil’s food as cupcakes, perhaps for the next CupcakeCamp.

Loni Kuhn’s Devil’s Food Cake

Preheat the oven to 350-degree F
Line 8-inch cake pans w/parchment paper, then grease and flour.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup hot strong coffee
1/2 cup canola margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix cocoa and hot coffee well in small bowl. In large mixing bowl, beat margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients in three parts to cocoa mixture, which is then blended into margarine/sugar/egg mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, until a test toothpick comes clean or with a few damp crumbs on it. The cake should be slightly fudgy, not dry, so don’t over bake. Let completely cool before icing.

Loni’s Fudge Frosting

INGREDIENTS
6 squares (6 ounces) unsweetened chocolate (or 3 tbsp. cocoa and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil per ounce)
1/2 cup canola margarine
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
2 tsps. vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek or other creamy yogurt

Melt chocolate and butter in a small pan over low heat and set aside to cool slightly. Place confectioners’ sugar, salt, vanilla and cream in a large mixing bowl and add the chocolate mixture. Beat until very smooth and thick.