President Roosevelt's Birthday Cake

A Depression-Era Mocha Chocolate Cake from the FDR Years

This cake comes from a more frugal time, when butter and eggs went a long way and a cup of cold black coffee gave a chocolate cake extra depth without spending more on cocoa. The result is darker, less sweet, and more grown-up than a typical layer cake.

The vinegar is the unexpected star. Reacting with baking soda, it produces a tender, fluffy crumb the way buttermilk does in a southern cake, but without the dairy. You won’t taste it in the finished cake, just feel the lift it gives.

Sifting the flour, cocoa, salt, and soda three times sounds excessive, but it matters here. The cocoa clumps stubbornly, and triple-sifting guarantees an even, well-aerated dry mix that folds into the batter without streaks.

Alternating the dry and wet additions keeps the gluten from over-developing, so the cake stays soft. Bake as a layer cake or a loaf, both work.

Pro Tips

• Use cold, strong brewed coffee. Hot coffee can melt the butter and break the emulsion in the batter.
• Choose a good Dutch-process cocoa for the deepest, less acidic flavor.
• Don’t overbake. Pull the cake when a toothpick has a few moist crumbs clinging, not when it comes out clean.
• Let layers cool completely on a rack before frosting. Warm cake melts buttercream into a sticky mess.

Variations

• Frost with a classic chocolate buttercream or a coffee-flavored cream cheese frosting.
• Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder with the cocoa to push the mocha note further.
• Bake as cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes for an easy crowd dessert.