Step-by-Step Cakes by DK Publishing

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Devil’s Food Cake

This American classic uses the flavor of coffee to enhance the richness

of the chocolate, adding a wonderful depth to the finished cake.

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. 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.

Special equipment

2 x 8in (20cm) cake pans

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
11 ⁄ 2 cups all-purpose flour
11 ⁄ 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
SERVES
8–10
30
MINS
30–35
MINS
8 WEEKS,
UNFILLED