Bedford Hills, N.Y. ? Do an appetite for “sinfully” delicious foods and a taste for amorous pleasures go hand in hand? Ever since Eve was seduced by that apple, the pair has been considered a companionable duo and even worse, some say — the temptations of Satan.

Spicy foods are similarly said to be Lucifer’s bait, and both spicy and sweet are sometimes labeled “deviled.” Just two examples: devil’s food cake and deviled eggs.

Every culture has delicacies that hold sensual promises. Fleshy, seed-filled tomatoes were known as “love apples” when they first arrived in Europe and were shunned for centuries because of fearful implications.

Raw oysters are still considered a love tonic, perhaps as much for their texture and briny taste as their association with Aphrodite, the goddess of love who arrived naked from the sea on a scallop shell.

In more recent times, as our taste for hot flavors has increased, contemporary chefs are combining fiery barbecue sauces, many called devil’s or devilish, with decadently rich meats.

Brandon Scimeca, formerly a cook at Chez Panisse and Oliveto in San Francisco’s East Bay and currently the executive chef at Interlaken Inn, in Lakeville, Conn., thinks it’s a good partnership.

“A spicy sauce cuts through the fattiness of foods like short ribs and balances the taste. But, there’s a difference between overly hot and well-spiced food when you want to satisfy the palate,” he says. One blunts the taste buds, the other excites them.

Meanwhile, Nora Capell of Port Chester, N.Y., has a version of deviled eggs that takes her family’s traditional recipe to sinful heights (or depths) by adding minced bacon and Tabasco to the mashed egg yolk-mayonnaise mixture.

In America, devil’s food cake, the wickedly rich, dark-chocolate dessert that can tempt even the purest of souls, became popular after a printed recipe appeared at the turn of the last century.

The decadent implications come from the larger amounts of cocoa and fat compared with basic chocolate cakes, says Carole Walter, the award-winning author of “Great Cakes” (Random House, 2001).

Whether prompted by satanic temptation or simply a passion for tasty food, these spicy and sweet 18th- and 19th-century favorites still appeal to sophisticated new-age palates. Perhaps in the climate of the times, the devil we know is preferable to the unknown.

Carole Walter’s Devil’s Food Cake

—-

3/4 cup strained unsweetened cocoa (do not use Dutch-processed cocoa)

1/2 cup hot water

3/4 cup cold water

2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in 1-inch cubes

1 cup superfine sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 recipe Creamy Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Position racks in the lower and upper third of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round layer pans. Line the bottom and sides with waxed paper and lightly butter the waxed paper.

Put the cocoa in a small bowl. Slowly add the hot water, stirring until smooth, then blend in the cold water. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Put the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or paddle attachment to soften on low speed. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and cream the butter until smooth and light in color, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Add the white sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, taking 3 to 4 minutes to blend it in well. Then add the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, over an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, at 1-minute intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa liquid, dividing the flour into 3 parts, the liquid into 2 parts, starting and ending with the flour. Mix each addition only until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix 10 seconds longer.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with the back of a tablespoon. Place two pans on the lower shelf of the oven and center the third on the upper shelf. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan and the top is springy to the touch. While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.

Remove pans from oven. Set on cake racks for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Spray the racks with nonstick coating, invert the cakes and remove the pans. Carefully peel off paper. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

To assemble the cake:

Place the most even layer topside down on a serving plate. Spread the cake layer with frosting, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Place the second layer, topside down, on top of the first layer. Spread with more frosting. Arrange the third layer topside up, over the second and align the 3 layers so that the sides of the cake are straight.

Using an icing spreader, coat the sides of the cake with frosting. Then cover the top. Spread the remaining frosting around the sides. To create a pretty swirled effect, when the cake is completed, move the bottom of a tablespoon over the frosting, sweeping the icing into graceful curves.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

—-

10 ounces imported bittersweet chocolate

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

5 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the butter very slowly. Blend gently with a wire whisk until smooth. Whip the eggs well in an electric mixer. Slowly add the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla. Chill in the refrigerator until thick and creamy, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serves 10 to 12.

Nora Capell’s Decadent Deviled Eggs

—-

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and split lengthwise

6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped

1 large shallot, minced

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 drops Tabasco Sauce or to taste

Paprika, to garnish

In a medium bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork. Add the bacon, shallot, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and Tabasco. If desired, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. Or use a small spoon to fill the whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Makes 12 filled half eggs.

Brandon Scimeca’s Deviled Short Ribs

—-

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 large, meaty beef short ribs, patted dry

2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

6 cups veal stock

1 1/2 cups full-bodied red wine

2 large red bell peppers, peeled and seeded

2 dried ancho chilies

1 jalapeño pepper, preferably red, split and seeded

6 cloves garlic

5 bay leaves

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, preferably Spanish, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large deep casserole over medium-high heat. Add the short ribs and lightly brown them on both sides. Do this in batches, if necessary, so you don’t steam the meat. Remove to a bowl.

Add the carrots and onions and saute until soft and lightly browned. Add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring up all the browned cooking bits. Pour in the wine; add the bell peppers, ancho chilies, jalapeño, garlic, bay leaves, parsley and peppercorns. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven to braise for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the bell peppers and reserve. Remove the short ribs, tent with foil and set aside. Skim off as much fat as possible, then strain the braising liquid into a clean pot and, over high heat, reduce by half. Stir in the paprika and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a food processor, puree the bell peppers with the reduced braising liquid until smooth. If desired, pour through a fine strainer. Reheat if necessary. Serve short ribs with a generous amount of sauce ladled over them. Makes 6 servings.