Monday, September 24, 2012

Chocolate Addicts Unite

Moist Devil's Food Cake
Rating: 4 Cupcakes

Rating:
I've decided to start rating the cake so you can get an idea of how good it is.
1 Cupcake: "Meh. Don't know if I will make it again"
2 Cupcakes: "Pretty Good. I like it but there were a few wierdie things about it."
3 Cupcakes: "Good. I like it and will make it again."
4 Cupcakes: "Crazy, wow, oh my gosh. This is going on my list."

This cake is completely OFF LIMITS for a chocoholics anonymous meeting.  It is dark chocolate cake with a dark chocolate ganache frosting.  Waoe.


Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) unsalted Butter, plus more for pans
3/4 cup Dutch-process Cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1/2 Cup Boiling water
2 1/4 Cups Sugar
1 Tbs pure Vanilla extract
4 large Eggs, lightly beaten
3 Cups sifted Cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
Mrs. Millman's Chocolate Frosting
 
Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter two 9-by-3-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
 
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
 
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
 
Divide batter evenly among the two prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, (25 in my oven) rotating the pans for even baking. Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
 
Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Add frosting to initial layer and add second layer. (Frosting recipe below). Finish frosting the cake.
 
Mrs. Millman's Frosting Recipe
 
24 ounces Nestle semisweet chocolate morsels
4 Cups Whipping cream
1 tsp light Corn syrup
 
Place chocolate morsels and cream in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until combined and thickened, between 20 and 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium low; cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.
 
Stir in corn syrup. Transfer frosting to a large metal bowl. Chill until cool enough to spread, about 2 hours, checking and stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Use immediately. (The frosting will scare you because it seems very runny.  After it cooled completely, stir very well and it magically thickens up to normal frosting consistency).
 
 
 
Rach's Tips
 
This cake was DELICIOUS!  Even the day after I frosted it, the cake seemed yummier.  However, there are a few things I would do differently next time.
 
1.  Instead of regular milk I would use buttermilk or yogurt.  I think this would make it more fluffy and not as dense.
2.  The original recipe calls for 3 layers using 8x2 pans.  I used two 9x3.  Next time I will divide the layers so the cake will be a 4 layer cake.  That way the cake/frosting ratio may be a little bit better.
3.  A scoop of vanilla makes this cake rocket into outer space. 
 
 

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