The Devil’s Food Cake Recipe This American classic uses the flavor of coffee to enhance the richness of the chocolate, adding a wonderful depth to the finished cake.
Ingredients:
7 tbsp unsalted butter, softened, plus extra
for greasing
2⁄3 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup strong cold coffee
½ cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the frosting:
1 stick unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup cocoa powder
3⁄4 cup confectioner’s sugar
2–3 tbsp milk
chocolate, for the shavings
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the cake pans and dust them with cocoa powder. By hand, or in an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until
light and fluffy.
2 Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the cooled coffee, milk, and vanilla extract.
3 Next, beat alternate spoonfuls of the dry and liquid ingredients into the cake batter. Once the mixture is well blended, divide it between the pans.
4 Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pans for a few minutes, then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack.
5 For the frosting, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cocoa powder and continue to cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Allow the mixture
to cool slightly.
6 Sift in the confectioner’s sugar, beating thoroughly to combine. Blend, adding the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool (it will thicken), then use half to sandwich the cakes together and the remainder to decorate the top and sides of the cake.
7 Finally, use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate shavings and scatter them evenly over the top of the cake. STORE This cake will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 5 days.
BAKER’S TIP:
Don’t be put off by the inclusion of coffee in this recipe. Even if you don’t normally like coffee-flavored cakes, use it here, as its inclusion gives a deep, dark fudgy texture to the chocolate cake, and also subtly enhances the chocolate flavor, rather than an overt coffee taste.
BAKER’S TIP:
Don’t be put off by the inclusion of coffee in this recipe. Even if you don’t normally like coffee-flavored cakes, use it here, as its inclusion gives a deep, dark fudgy texture to the chocolate cake, and also subtly enhances the chocolate flavor, rather than an overt coffee taste.
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| Devil’s Food Cake |