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The Devil’s In the Details

7 min readJun 21, 2026

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Source: Image by Farooq Sharif from Pixabay

He showed the words “chocolate cake” to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. “Guilt” was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: “celebration.”

— Michael Pollan, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”

In the beginning, there was chocolate. It was used in the religious ceremonies of the Aztecs. It was precious. It was perfect. Why must we associate guilt with something so sacred?

I say, let us return chocolate to its rightful position as all that is good and holy.

I’m joking (a little), but seriously, when was the last time you treated yourself to a slice of homemade chocolate cake? The already-made cakes that come from the bakery department of your retail food giant or that result from a $2 box of dry ingredients blended with eggs and water are not the makings of the truly wonderful, flavorful, rich cocoa dessert of your dreams.

Do I have your attention? Keep reading, and you will learn how to make a perfect chocolate cake.

Equipment and Materials You’ll Need

  • 2 (9-inch) round cake pans

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Linda Lum
Linda Lum

Written by Linda Lum⁠

I write about culinary history and the way foods connect us, blending history, personal narrative, and story telling—because food is never just food.

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Do not read our stories on an empty stomach.