This is one sinful cake in a very heavenly way. There are cake recipes, and then there are cake recipes.
The apartment where I stay when I am in the city, have the best cooks in town. (I must read the property deed clause again to see if that was a pre-requisite).
I had kept the day free from cooking, so I could work on my website. That’s when I got a call from a friend asking if I could make a birthday cake at short notice (as a common baker friend in the apartment couldn’t deliver at the last moment). I felt as close to sharing a feeling with “Wonder Woman” being beckoned to salvage a situation.
This devilishly delicious cake is an American classic. To qualify as a Devil’s Food Cake the cake should be very darkish with a reddish tinge, rich in chocolate taste but still have a delicate moist texture. Food science tell us elements in the cocoa are red in the presence of alkaline (baking soda in this case, that gives the mahogany colour).
This is a recipe for all occasions, a very moist, velvety texture with an intense chocolate experience. Enjoy ❤
Ingredients :
Cocoa – 1/2 cup
All purpose flour – 1 1/2 cup
Baking soda – 3/4 tsp
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Boiling water – 1 cup
Unsweetened chocolate – 115 gms
Instant coffee powder – 1 tsp
Unsalted butter – 10 tbsps (plus some more for greasing)
Light brown Sugar – 1 1/2 cups
Eggs – 3
Plain Yoghurt – 1/2 cup
Pure Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
Method
Preheat oven to 160 C
1. Grease a 12 inch round pan or three 8 inch round pans and dust with cocoa powder.
2. Sieve flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and keep aside.
3. In a micro-waveable bowl soften (not melt) chocolate for 1 minute, then add cocoa, coffee powder and boiling water. Stir till smooth.
4. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy for 5 mins. Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined. Beat in yoghurt and vanilla until well incorporated.
5. If the mix looks like it curdled a bit, don’t worry that’s only a momentary concern. Reduce speed to low and add flour in 3 additions alternatively with the chocolate mix, ending with the flour. Scrape down bowl as needed with a spatula.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans or a 12 inch round pan. Smooth tops with spatula. Gently tap pans to release air bubbles.
Bake for 30 to 35 mins until a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool before un-moulding it and frosting the cake.
Vanilla butter cream frosting (for a 12 inch cake )
Ingredients:
Unsalted softened butter – 250 gms
Sieved Confectioners sugar – 500 gms
Pure Vanilla extract – 2 tsps
Milk – if needed to adjust consistency
Any Natural food colour – few drops (I used black colour to tint the butter cream grey)
Method
Stir in all the ingredients together except the milk . Adjust the consistency according to humidity levels. (More the humidity, less the need to add any liquid content)
Add a pinch of love ❤ :
Use Dutch processed Cocoa and dark brown muscavado sugar in the cake recipe to reach chocolate heaven.
xoxo,
Sareeka ❤
