I love this devils food cake recipe. It is a “dig-into” kind of cake.
The three layers are devilishly dark and chocolaty from cocoa, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate.
Devils Food Cake Recipe
MOIST DEVILS FOOD CAKE
I love Dorie Greenspan, and this is adapted from her “Baking from My Home to Yours” cookbook. Pick up a copy, you won’t be disappointed.
This devils food cake recipe’s flavor and texture are perfect and the cake looks spectacular when it’s generously fluffed and when one of the dark layers is broken into crumbs and pressed into the frosting on the outside of the cake.
Finished like that, it makes a grand birthday cake, whether it’s for a child’s birthday or even grandpa’s birthday. Keep this devils food cake recipe under lock and key…
CAKE
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 TBS homemade unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup homemade buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water
4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
(I usually double or triple this recipe for filling)
FILLING AND FROSTING
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 large eggs)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8” round cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.
To Make The Cake:
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium until soft and creamy.
Add the sugars and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and reduce the speed to low and mix in the cooled melted chocolate.
When thoroughly mixed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. On low speed, mix in the boiling water which will thin the batter considerably. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between two pans and smooth the tops with the spatula.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up. (These cooled cakes may be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months.)
When you are ready to fill the cakes, look to see if they have crowned and if so, use a long serrated knife and gently saw off the top to even them. With the same knife, slice each layer horizontally in half. Set three layers aside and crumble the fourth layer; set the crumbs aside.
To make the Filling and Frosting for this devils food cake recipe:
Put the egg whites in a clean dry bowl and have a candy thermometer ready. Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.
Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high, cover and boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees on the candy thermometer. While the syrup is cooking, start beating the egg whites.
When the syrup is at 235 degrees, begin beating the egg whites on medium with a whisk attachment or with a hand mixer. If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up.
With the mixer at medium speed, carefully pour in the hot syrup, pouring it between the beaters and the side of the bowl. Splatters will happen and don’t try to scrape them into the whites, just keep going.
Add the vanilla extract and keep beating the whites until they have reached room temperature; approximately 5 minutes. You should have smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting. You could keep it in the refrigerator, but it’s really better to use it right now.
Assembling
Put a bottom layer (cut side up) on a cake place protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a long icing spatula, cover the layer generously with frosting.
Top with second layer (cut side up) and frost it. Finish with the third layer (cut side down) and frost the sides and the top of the cake.
Now cover the entire cake with the cake crumbs and gently press them into the filling with your fingers.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This is an awesome devils food cake recipe – you may have to “hide” it from your friends and family.
TURTLE CAKE RECIPE (photo above)
I would use the devils food cake recipe above for the chocolate cake and make two or three layers.
After the layers cool, place the first layer on a cake stand and frost with chocolate sauce (I would double the recipe). Then top with pecans and drizzle with caramel sauce. Repeat for each layer. What a cake…
BANANA DEVILS FOOD CAKE RECIPE
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 cups homemade brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup homemade unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup mashed banana
3 chocolate squares, melted and cooled
1 tsp homemade pure vanilla extract
1 cup homemade buttermilk
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8″ cake pans. (Cupcakes are also wonderful)
Cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add banana, cooled chocolate and vanilla. Sift flour, measure, and then sift with salt and soda. Add alternately with buttermilk to make batter.
Bake in prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes. Leave in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Frost with fluffy white frosting below.
Great frosting on any devil’s food cake.
FLUFFY WHITE FROSTING
Seven Minute Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract (optional)
Directions
In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly; this may take several minutes.
In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks (several minutes). Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes.
While the layers could be filled and frosted with almost any thick frosting, my favorite is a fluffy marshmallow one.
The cupcakes above are drizzled with chocolate sauce and pieces of chocolate. Yum.