Devil Dogs Better Than Store-bought
Before you think this is taking DIY too far consider the fact that packaged Devil Dogs are filled with all kinds of ingredients that you would never stock in your pantry. That said, there is something irresistible about soft cocoa cakes sandwiched around fluffy marshmallow filling. This is comfort food to the max excerpted from Gale Gand’s Lunch!
Excerpted and adapted from Gale Gand’s Lunch!
I love the idea of regional food, and I think of Devil Dogs as just that, from the East Coast. My husband grew up in East Islip, New York, on Long Island, and always raved about eating these chocolate sandwich cakes with creamy filling. When I went searching for the perfect dessert for his birthday one year, I thought I’d buy Devil Dogs to serve, but to my frustration they weren’t sold in the Midwest. So of course I thought, “I’ll make them!” My dear friend Ina Pinkney, who is from Brooklyn, shared her recipe with me. Thank you, Ina!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- One 7-ounce jar marshmallow cream (1½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- For the Cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk for 30 seconds on low speed. Add the melted butter, milk, egg, and vanilla and mix on low speed for 1 minute to combine, then raise the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes to make a smooth batter.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe 30 to 36 boneshaped fingers, 3 inches long and 1 inch wide (kind of like the shape of a Milano cookie but a bit wider at the ends), in rows 11/2 inches apart on each baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the cakes are puffy and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.
- For the Marshmallow Cream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and cream until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, marshmallow cream, and vanilla and continue mixing on low speed until combined, smooth, and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag with the same large plain tip that you used for the cake batter (clean it before piping the filling) and pipe it onto the cakes as directed.
- Peel the cooled cakes off the parchment paper and lay them flat side up on a baking sheet. Pipe marshmallow cream over the surface to cover, chill for 10 minutes to allow the cream to stiffen, then place a second cake on top to make a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cakes and filling. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The devil dogs keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze the assembled cakes in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
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