It seems like it’s been forever since I updated the blog, but it’s only been about 2.5 weeks…. 2.5 grueling weeks full of the longest days of studying ever. Medical school has definitely reached a new low but only 2 1/2 more weeks until I get my one week of summer break! I’m certainly going to cram as much fun into that week as I can! Studying has been dominating my life, and I haven’t really baked anything until today. But I deserved a break, right?
This may be the best cake I’ve ever made. I’m scraping every last bit of icing off my plate as I type this. =) The cake is light, moist, and tender. It’s not a super sweet cake but with the icing it’s the perfect balance. I only used maybe 1/2 -2/3 of the icing and that was frosting it liberally, so next time I may just make a half batch. I also found this super easy way to make beautiful chocolate curls (scroll down about half way). Enjoy!
Devil’s Food Cake
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder ( I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
1 1/4 cups water (boiling)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus extra for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs , room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Adjust oven rack to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, grease three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round. Combine chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl; pour boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt onto large sheet parchment or waxed paper; set aside.
- Place butter in bowl of standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high and add eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Reduce speed to medium; add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 10 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl. With mixer on low, add about one third of flour mixture, followed by about one half of chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 15 seconds. Do not overbeat. Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix gently to thoroughly combine.
- Divide batter evenly among cake pans, smooth batter to edges of pan with rubber spatula. If baking three 8-inch cakes, place two pans on lower-middle rack and one on upper-middle rack. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes for 8-inch cakes. Cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cakes onto large plate; peel off parchment, and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing.
Nutella Buttercream
2 sticks softened butter
1 small jar Nutella
2 lbs. powdered sugar
4-6 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Beat butter and nutella until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add cream 1 tbsp at a time until you reach you desired consistency.
*cake recipe from Cook’s Illustrated
