Spiced Devil’s Food Cake

Brianna's week. Daylight Saving ended. The dark at five thirty PM. Plant had a quality issue Wednesday. Caught it. Antoine and I rebuilt fourteen Jeeps in three hours. Earned the team a pizza party.

Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Smothered turkey wings Sunday. Slow braised in onion gravy.

Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I am tired in the right way. The right way is the cost of love. I will pay it.

The custody calendar holds. Aiden and Zaria alternate weeks. Brianna and I co-parent without drama now. We do not always have to like each other to do this right.

I took a walk around the block Sunday morning. The neighborhood was quiet. The trees were the trees. The light was good. I waved at three porches. The porches waved back. Brookline holds.

A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.

Aiden had practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove. He shot threes for an hour after.

The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.

Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.

Plant ran clean this week. The line ran. The body held. The paycheck is the paycheck.

The basketball court at the rec center got refurbished. New floor. Plays different. Bouncy. I shot a few from the elbow before practice Wednesday. The knee held. The shot fell short.

The drive home Friday was the long way around. I took Outer Drive past the lake. The water was still. I do not always notice the water. I noticed Friday.

The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.

I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.

Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.

Sunday at Mama’s ended the way the best Sundays do — full plates, the Tigers in the background, and nobody in a hurry to leave. Zaria had already been on her step stool helping me most of the week, and she made it clear after the wings were gone that we weren’t done yet. We made this cake together. She adjusted the spice twice. I let her. She was right both times, and I told her so.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 cup strong brewed black coffee, cooled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Dust lightly with cocoa powder and tap out the excess.
Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and allspice until evenly blended. Taste the dry mix — adjust the cayenne if you have opinions.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, cooled coffee, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine and mix. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth and uniform, about 1 minute. Do not overmix. The batter will be thin — that is correct.
Bake the layers. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake 32–36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway through.
Cool completely. Let cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting — at least 45 minutes. Do not rush this step.
Make the frosting. Beat softened butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cocoa powder and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, alternating with splashes of half-and-half, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Frosting should be thick, smooth, and spreadable.
Frost and serve. Place one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread a generous layer of frosting over the top. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides. Slice into 12 pieces and serve at the table. Accept compliments.

Nutrition (per serving)

Spiced Devil’s Food Cake — The One Zaria Helped Season