Large Cocoa Chiffon Cake

Recipes she left behind #14

Tucked into a spiral-bound notebook, my mom left more than just ingredients and instructions—she left a legacy. Some recipes are scrawled in pencil, others in ink, each shaped by the warmth of her kitchen and the community around her. This series revisits those handwritten treasures, one dish—and one memory—at a time. This is the fourteenth in the series.

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I’m back to making desserts from Mom’s booklet, and this time it’s a chocolate cake, though I don’t remember her making it for the neighborhood kids and our family.

Large Cocoa Chiffon Cake

Due to the attention I’ve given this booklet over the past year since I’ve been writing this series, it’s definitely showing the wear. On this recipe page, the instructions at the bottom are missing. So how am I supposed to make the dessert when the instructions aren’t complete?

Large Cocoa Chiffon Cake Recipe

When I research Mom’s recipes, I can often find something close to what she made. But this time, I found the exact recipe, almost word-for-word. It’s Betty Crocker Cocoa Chiffon.

It was promoted as the “Biggest Cake News in 100 Years.” The ad called it “a new type of cake . . . more exciting than any cake ever known before,” and described it as “indescribably lovely—good to eat.” It also promised it would stay fresh “amazingly long,” thanks to the “surprise shortening.” The ad went on to praise Softasilk cake flour, saying it gave the cake exceptional volume and delicacy, making it more tender than angel food, and then listed directions for both a large cake and a smaller one.

Betty Crocker Cocoa Chiffon 1948 ad, Vintage Recipe, RecipeCurio.com

I was thrilled to find the recipe, especially after realizing it matched Mom’s handwritten version so closely. And I must admit, the 1948 sales pitch pulled me in too: angel food lightness plus butter-cake richness plus real chocolate flavor. That piqued my interest.

So, let’s get to baking.

Mom’s directions left out the vanilla, which I think was simply an oversight on her part. I followed the recipe as written, although I used Swan’s Down Cake Flour, which is what she would have had in her cupboard back then. I also left out the red food coloring and chose the 9 x 13-inch pan version.

I followed the directions and did not grease the pan. That turned out to be a mistake. The cake was very difficult to remove.

I checked the cake at 45 minutes and removed it from the oven, but I think it may have still been slightly overbaked. Later, I found a review that said 40 minutes was enough, and that might have changed how I felt about it. The texture was spongy, more like angel food cake, which was a good thing. As for the chocolate flavor, I expected a stronger taste, and it wasn’t very sweet.

It really needed icing. I remember a white disappearing icing, but also a chocolate one she might have used on this cake. I took it to my tasters with whipped cream. They were all happy with the cake, even without icing.

I’ll bake it again, but I’ll start checking on it at about 35 minutes. Unlike so many of Mom’s recipes from this era, which are very sweet, this one wasn’t. Since it was one of her favorites, it must be better than this first attempt. Next time, I might add a little more sugar or simply give it the icing it clearly needs and deserves.