Recipe for devil's food cake has important family connection for chef

Devil's food cake has been a chocolate lover's delight since it was invented in the early 20th century.

But it has an even greater significance for James Beard Award-nominated chef Gregory Leon, who owns Amilinda in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Leon's mother made a devil's food cake for him every year on his birthday before she died when he was just 19. Now, he bakes it for himself annually on the first day of August. (See the video at the top of this article.)

Not only is that his birthday, it's also the anniversary of the day his restaurant opened.

Leon spent his early childhood in his father's native Venezuela, he said. He didn't have any connection to Milwaukee when he moved there in 2012 after 18 years in San Francisco.

"I knew that I would never be able to own my own restaurant there, which was the ultimate goal," Leon told Fox News Digital; he said he recognized that it had become too expensive in California.

He packed up his dog and his belongings and headed to Milwaukee to visit a friend.

Leon had "set his sights on a different city," he said, but he fell in love with Milwaukee and decided to stay, opening Amilinda in 2015.

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"Inspired by the cuisine of Spain and Portugal," Leon said, Amilinda's dishes use locally sourced ingredients paired with specialty items from the Iberian Peninsula. A limited menu that changes weekly offers a variety of flavors and options.

Leon is a three-time James Beard Award nominee, honored as a finalist for best chef in the Midwest in 2022 and 2023 and as a semifinalist for outstanding chef in 2024.

But no accolades compare to his mother's "classic" recipe for devil's food cake, he said.

"It's an amazing cake," Leon said.

"It stands on its own. It doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles. It's 100% chocolate – and it's one of the things that stand the test of time."

2 cups flour

½ cup margarine

⅔ cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1½ cups milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, stir flour, cocoa, powder, soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs.

Stir in flour and milk, alternating until all are blended. Add vanilla.

Place in two greased 8- or 9-inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

½ cup margarine

2-3 tablespoons warm milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar

This recipe is owned by Gregory Leon and was shared with Fox News Digital.