Edgar Sr.'s New Red Devil's Food Cake
Cake and coffee served on the Pottery Terrace at Fallingwater. Photography by Andrew Burkle // Food Styling by Clare Vredevoogd
As the head of Pittsburgh’s legendary Kaufmann’s department store, Edgar J. Kaufmann was a man who knew what he liked, and usually found a way to get it! He and his wife, Liliane, and their son, Edgar Kaufmann Jr., brought Fallingwater to life with weekends and vacations spent enjoying the clean air and water of the Laurel Highlands…and the quiet splendor of their amazing house.
Chef Tom Shuttlesworth says that Edgar Sr. had a soft spot for devil’s food cake. He updates that delectable classic here, with an intriguing herbal note of lemon verbena, and a Fallingwater-appropriate red batter. To see what Chef Tom designed for the dinner that precedes this delectable dessert, visit here.
Edgar’s New Red Devil’s Food Cake
Chef Tom loves this light cake with the same rich chocolate undertones as Edgar Sr.’s favorite midnight devil’s food snack. The gorgeous red color, the intriguing herbaceous hint of citrus throughout, luscious cream-cheese icing with plenty of real vanilla…this is a great end to any meal.
The instructions are easy enough; if you want a little more elaborate presentation, you can always split the individual cakes into separate layers, but the recipe is perfect for three layers.
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
2 oz red food coloring
3 sticks butter: 2 for cake, 1 (softened) for icing
2 1/12 cups cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp dry ground lemon verbena
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs; add sugar. Mix cocoa and food coloring. Add 2 sticks butter and egg mixture; mix well.
Sift together flour and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla.
In a small bowl, combine soda and vinegar and add to mixture.
Pour into three 8-inch round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temp
1 lb confectioner’s sugar
·3 tbsp vanilla paste
Instructions
Whip all together in a stand mixer or with hand mixer until light and creamy.
To visit Fallingwater: fallingwater.org
STORY and RECIPE BY Chef Tom Shuttlesworth // PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrew Burkle // FOOD STYLING BY Clare Vredevoogd // PRODUCTION BY BURKLEHAGEN // SHOT ON LOCATION AT FALLINGWATER thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Don’t miss a single delicious thing!