devil's food cake
1
3.2
- noun
- /ˈdɛvəlz fʊd keɪk/
- US
:
pastel del diablo
- For her birthday, she ordered a rich devil's food cake covered in dark chocolate ganache.
- devil's food cake mix
Examples
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The bakery's special was a decadent devil's food cake, renowned for its moist texture and rich flavor.
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We're the devil's food cake
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After the main course, everyone enjoyed a slice of devil's food cake topped with fresh berries.
Synonyms
850
1.0
A sweet baked food made from flour, sugar, eggs, and fat
41
1.0
A cake made with chocolate and served as a dessert
2
3.9
A rich, very dark cake made with cocoa or melted chocolate that is moist
How Rich
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'food' and 'cake' clearly signal that this is a type of edible cake, so a learner will understand it's a cake. However, the modifier 'devil's' is idiomatic and does not transparently indicate the specific properties (very dark, rich chocolate, moist), so the precise meaning is not predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Devil's food cake may come from its contrast with the pale angel food cake: because it is very dark and very rich, people called it devil's to show it was the 'opposite' and a more 'sinful' treat. That's why the name now means a very dark, moist chocolate cake.