some like it dark...and ugly: devil's food cake

made this for my mom since she's an avid chocolate eater
she took a bite and........nothing...
nothing, no expression, no comment, no compliment nor critique

and me? i like it! im in heaven, i beat famous bakeries's chocolate cake!
and the best of all, i like things simple.
so this simple devil's food cake is the right dessert for me.
i dont really fancy a fancy and chic dessert.
i get excited by simple frosted and sprinkled cupcakes, simple frosted layers cake and oh, just keep it simple and classic please.
give me something over decorated or something made with fondant, GAH! no thank you.



may i say, this cake is the most decadent and chocolate laden cake i ever made.
i used lindt dark chocolate for the ganache, news flash: i bought 2.5kg of lindt dark chocolate yesterday :D
and droste cocoa powder for the cake.
soooo, good chocolate makes HUGE impact on a chocolate cake.
too bad, the oven i used is not in it best.. something i dont really like about the cake's texture.

anyways..
i really think i'll win every chocolate-maniac-men's heart out there with this cake.
oh, maybe just make friends with chocolate-maniac-people maybe?
you know you love me, XOXO chocolate cake girl




recipe from david lebovitz

Devil's Food Cake
one 9-inch cake

There's a certain amount of discussion about when to use natural vs Dutch-process cocoa powder, which I explain in my chocolate book, if you're interested in the details, but I've made this cake with both kinds of cocoa powder and no one's refused a slice cake made with either.

For the cake:
9 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup strong coffee (or water)
½ cup whole or low-fat milk

For the ganache frosting:
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup water (or cream)
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter two 9" x 2" cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
3. To make the cake layers, sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.
4. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)
5. Mix together the coffee and milk. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the coffee and milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.
6. Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
7. To make the frosting, melt the chopped chocolate with the water (or cream) in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
8. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk them into the chocolate until completely melted and the ganache is smooth. Cool until spreadable, which may take about 1 hour at room temperature.

To frost the cake:
Run a knife around the inside of each of the cakes which will help release them from the pans. Tilt one cake out of the pan, remove the parchment paper from the bottom and invert it back onto a cake plate. Spread a good-sized layer of icing over the top. Top with the second cake layer and spread the top and sides with the remaining icing as decoratively as you want.

Storage: Cake is best the day it is made, although it's fine the next day. Store at room temperature under a cake dome. Just be sure to keep cake out of the sun in the meantime.