Day 117.5 Down and Decadent - Homemade Devil Dogs

The story you're about to read is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Except mine, since I'm way too old to worry about anyone finding out about my adolescent exploits...other than my kids, of course, because then I'd have zero good-mom credibility. Then again, they don't read this blog because they think I'm nuts. But, if they ever did, I'd just plead insanity, they'd totally buy it and I'd be off the hook.

Dori and I were 17 and best friends. As I was apt to do, I spent many weekends at her house because her mother was cool and her curfew standards were way more relaxed than my Mom's. Growing up as we did in Cambridge before the days of  GPS implants and cell phones, we had a lot of freedom to roam, and we did. Oh yes indeed, we surely did.

One Friday night, we made our way back to Dori's apartment at around 2 a.m., (late, even for us), when she realized she'd forgotten her key. Fumbling our way up the dark, rickety stairs to the 3rd floor porch of her tripple decker, we found an unlocked window, giggling and laughing hysterically the whole way up because, well, let's just say it was the 70's and herbal supplements and fake ID's were as common as polyester leisure suits. But, with a little effort,  we managed to squeeze in through the tiny pantry window, landing with ungraceful thuds on the floor. 

Now inside and starving, we spotted a full box of Devil Dogs right there on the pantry shelf -- Score:
2 a.m + Munchies + Devil Dogs = A perfect night.  We ripped that box open and dug into the best tasting Devil Dogs we'd ever had. In her haze haste,  Dori ate hers a little too fast and began choking on the dangerously dry devil cakes. Sadly, I was little help as I was rolling on the floor laughing while trying to shush her. Needless to say, all the commotion woke her mother, who calmly got Dori a glass of water, let us off with a sleepy reprimand and went back to bed.

To this day, Devil Dogs remind me of that night and how young, reckless and fearless we were - not to mention that we thought nothing of knocking off a whole box at one sitting.  It's amazing how little it takes to make me regress.

These Devil Dogs, then, pay homage to my formative years. Of course they're not exactly like the ones Dori and I scoffed down that night, but they are chocolaty and moist, and the decadent filling is so much better than the lardy commercial stuff that passes for frosting. Should the kid in you decide to go for it and make these...just quote Flip Wilson while reassuring yourself that, "the devil made me do it."

Melamine Bowl from Kamala Boutique

Devil Dogs (Adapted from cooks.com)

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 cup Dutch Process cocoa
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a canoe pan.*
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs.
Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed butter mixture.
Fill canoe pan 1/2 full.
Bake for 12-14 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes in pan, then carefully remove to rack to cool completely.

*If you don't have a canoe pan, you can use an ungreased cookie sheet and drop batter by heaping teaspoon onto the sheet, baking for 7-8 minutes in a 450F oven. 

Filling


4 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

Heat flour and milk over a medium low flame, stirring constantly until mixture becomes a paste (about 5 minutes)
Remove from heat, add vanilla, then lay plastic wrap directly on mixture to prevent a film from forming, then let cool.
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add cooled milk and flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar, and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until frosting becomes light and fluffy.

Cut Devil Dogs in half with a serrated knife and fill with frosting.