Devil's Food Cake- USA #60

Devil's Food Cake- USA #60

A classic American chocolate cake. This version is not as sweet or dense as other varieties of chocolate cakes. However, the brown sugar blends with the cocoa powder to provide a rich dimension. Serve with whipped cream and fresh raspberries or with your favorite ice cream. Frost with a bittersweet chocolate frosting for those chocoholics in your life. (recipe at end of cake directions)

Ingredients:

2 c. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsifted cocoa powder
1 c. lukewarm water, divided
1/2 c. buttermilk, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 c. light brown sugar, packed

  1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven 350F. Grease 2- 8" round pans with solid shortening.  Dust with all-purpose flour, cocoa.  Line bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Pour the flour, baking soda and salt in that order into a sifter. Sift onto a sheet of waxed paper to distribute the ingredients; set aside.
  3. Place cocoa in a 1-qt. mixing bowl.  Add the 1/2 c. of lukewarm water and whisk to combine: set aside to cool.
  4. Pour the buttermilk, the 1/2 c. water and the vanilla into a liquid cup measure.
  5. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and whisk together just to combine the yolks and whites.
  6. Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer. With the paddle beater, cream the butter on medium speed for 30-45 seconds, or until it is smooth and lighter in color.
  7. Reduce the speed, add the sugars (first the granulated, then the brown) in a steady stream. When all the sugar is mixed, scrape the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and cream until the mixture is light in color, fluffy in texture and appears as one mass instead of as several pieces of sugar--6-7minutes.
  8. With the mixer still on medium speed, pour in the eggs, tablespoon by tablespoon. Continue to cream until mixture appears fluffy and velvety and has increased in volume-1minute.
  9. Spoon in the cooled cocoa mixture, mix until just incorporated.
  10. Stir in, by hand, 1/4 of flour mixture.
  11. Add 1/3 buttermilk mixture. Repeat each addition, mixing thoroughly.
  12. Pour batter, equally, into pans. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until the baked surface springs back slightly with touched lightly in the center.
  13. Cool cake, in pan, on rake 5-10 mins.
  14. Invert cake onto the rack, remove parchment paper and cool completely.

Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting:

1-1/2 c. sugar
6 egg yolks
1 T. light corn syrup
1-1/2 c. whipping cream
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  1. Mix sugar, yolks, and syrup in small bowl.
  2. Bring cream to simmer in heavy 3-qt. saucepan.
  3. Add both chocolates and stir over low heat until smooth.
  4. Remove from heat.
  5. Stir in butter, then sugar mixture.
  6. Cook over low heat until mixture registers 165F. on candy thermometer, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes.
  7. Immediately pour mixture into bowl; do not scrape sides of pan. 
  8. Add vanilla.
  9. Using electric mixer, beat frosting until cool. Let frosting stand at room temperature until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, 1-1/2 hours.

Results: Very good but more work than other chocolate cake recipes. This particular recipe required an awful lot bowls. The frosting was a lot of work also. It was good but takes a long time to set. So, if you make it do so before you make the cake. It took 2 hours to firm up enough to spread. I ended up adding confectioners' sugar to 1/2 the mixture and frosting the cake with that and then pouring some of the original frosting over the the top of the cake. The color contrast of the 2 chocolate frostings looked very decorative. I also used the leftover frosting for hot fudge sauce, after melting it in the microwave.

Bottom Line: Very good, especially served with Brigham's vanilla ice cream. (New Englanders know what I'm talking about.) 

Please share this with all the chocoholics in your life and folks who just like to read recipes. Thanks.


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