Note: We recognise Mother’s Day may be difficult for some of our readers, so look after yourself. The following article contains discussion of mental health issues, which some readers may find upsetting.

My copy of Tender at the Bone: Growing up at the Table by Ruth Reichl is, frankly, an absolute state. Battered from being shoved into every suitcase I’ve packed; covered in buttery fingerprints; pages stuck together and stained permanently by cocoa... That is to say, it’s one of my most treasured possessions. It is the book I return to when the world just feels like a bit Too Much; when I want to be immersed by hilarious and heart-breaking storytelling and of course, luscious recipes. 

As the title suggests this memoir focuses largely on food, identity and family; centred on Reichl’s discovery that ‘food could be a way of making sense of the world…if you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were.’

Reichl first learned about the power of food through her mother (nicknamed the Queen of Mold) who delights in concocting inedible banquets of back-of-the-fridge leftovers and semi-putrid supermarket bargains, resulting in en-masse food poisoning at dinner parties. Managing her mother’s efforts leads little Ruth to become ‘guardian of the guests’: steering them away from the most hazardous dishes such as sea urchin or two-week-old turkey stew.

Ruth’s relationship with her unpredictable mother and her mother’s bipolar disorder is a thread that runs throughout the narrative as she grows up, exploring both the chaos mental illness can wreck on familial bonds and the tensions of loving someone with a mental health condition. This is no fluffy, saccharine depiction of mothers and daughters but it gives nuance, insight and space for the kind of family relationships we rarely see depicted in Mother’s Day cards.

Eating and cooking become pillars of comfort and ritual amongst the instability for the author, a way to root herself; impress others and forge bonds. We follow Reichl’s culinary adventures as she grows up eating apple dumplings with her sweet Aunt Birdie; finding comfort in French pastries when shipped off to a Quebec boarding school; seducing teenage lovers with desserts to dumpster-diving and cooking vats of lentils for hordes of fellow hippies whilst living on a commune. Each chapter is punctuated with recipes, drawing you into the story and tastebuds of the narration. 

Despite the moments of darkness, Reichl’s humour is infectious; her storytelling is riotous, compelling and witty and the food descriptions are delectable.  You will eat up this memoir, joyfully pulled along the sensualist’s culinary journey from hungry child to blossoming food writer.

Image credit: https://spicedblog.com/devils-food-cake/

In the memoir, this Devil’s Food Cake recipe is made by Ruth to distract her parents from the aftermath of an illicit high school party, an attempt to feign innocence amongst the cigarette butts and used glasses. As the name suggests, there’s nothing innocent about this cake- it’s deeply rich, moist and chocolatey topped with whirls of marshmallowy frosting. It’s an excellent Mother’s Day cake but equally lovely for Easter (throw on some fondant chicks and mini eggs), birthdays, dinner party desserts or anytime you fancy a decadent chocolate hit. I often make it vegan and I’ve included those substitutions in the recipe.

The 7-minute frosting is delicious but mostly I top this cake with a vegan buttercream or simply dark melted chocolate with a dab of vegan butter for the icing.

Devil’s Food Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting adapted from Ruth Reichl

NB: Measurements in US cups, sorry, I’m half American and so is my baking equipment.

For the cake:

2 cups sifted plain flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda/ 2tsp if vegan recipe

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk/ plant milk

¾ cup cocoa

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter/ vegan butter or margarine.

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs- or 6 tbs water for vegan variation.

1 cup sour cream or vegan yoghurt, I use plain soya.

1 tsp vanilla

For the 7 minute frosting:

4 egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/8 tsp table salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS 

To make the cake: 

1)  Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 9″ cake pans. In a medium bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2)  Heat milk in a small pan until bubbles begin to appear around the edges. Remove from heat. Mix cocoa and white sugar together in a small bowl and slowly beat in warm milk. Let cool.

3)  In the bowl of a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. The mixture will look curdled but that’s OK, don’t freak out!

In three alternating additions, add the flour mixture and the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing each addition only until it is just combined. After the last addition of flour, beat on medium speed for 10 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.

4)  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake shrinks slightly from the side of pan and springs back when touched gently in the center. Transfer onto wire racks and wait until completely cool before frosting.

To make the frosting:

1)      Combine egg whites, sugar, water, cream of tartar, and salt in a completely dry heatproof bowl. I set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk the mixture frequently until the temperature on a candy/deep fry or instant read thermometer reads 170° F. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

2)      Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture until frosting is stiff enough to spread. Frost the cake immediately. It will look like a lot of frosting, but use all of it; there will be enough to generously fill and top the cake 

Written by Hannah Stephings

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