Nancy Silverton's Devil's Food Cake
Submitted by micki/nm on September 07, 2004 at 9:25 pm

DESCRIPTION
Nancy Silverton's Devil's Food Cake

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under cakes

INSTRUCTIONS
(from Desserts by Nancy Silverton)

To prepare pans:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
[Note: I added 2 tablespoons granulated sugar]

Cake:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
6 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons boiling water (to infuse baking soda)
1-1/2 cups flour, sifted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

This is a very moist devil's food, black with a slight tinge of devilish red. It's adapted from a recipe that Beatrice Keech, one of my stalwart colleagues in the Spago kitchen, brought from her mother's kitchen in South Africa.

The cake itself is a useful and very flavorful substitute for a chocolate genoise.

It can be baked in three 8-inch round straight-sided layer cake pans, or in one layer in an 8-inch round cake pan and sliced into 3 layers after baking. (Oven time needs to be adjusted for baking all the batter in one pan.)

Brush layer cake pans with melted butter. Line the bottom of the pans with a round of baking paper. Brush with butter again, chill briefly to set, dust with cocoa powder, and knock out excess. Set aside. [Note: Because this cake is so moist, the first time I made this cake I found it difficult to remove from the pans. I now add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the cocoa; that makes it easier.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. (If you're baking the cake in 3 pans, adjust oven racks to upper and lower positions.)

Cut chocolate into 2-inch pieces. In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate over barely simmering water. (The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl or the chocolate will burn.) Turn off heat and let stand over warm water until ready to use.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and thickened and the whisk leaves an empty trail when it is drawn across the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Whisk in melted chocolate; set aside.

Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat butter until it whitens and holds soft peaks, 3-5 minutes. Beat in brown sugar and combine well. Add egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in chocolate and combine, then sour cream. Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water, making sure that the baking soda fizzes. Beat in half the flour, add the baking soda, and beat in remaining flour. Set aside.

Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to high and gradually beat in the granulated sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Whisk one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten texture, then fold in the rest, incorporating well. Pour batter into the single cake pan, or divide batter evenly into the three cake pans. Bake 25 minutes, until cake shrinks slightly from the sides of the pan and springs back when the center is touched. (If the pans are on two oven racks, stagger the placement so that the cakes brown evenly and rotate the positions of the upper and lower cakes halfway during baking.)

When thoroughly cool, remove layers from pans by running a knife around the edges, turning the pan upside down on a work surface, and giving the back of the pan a firm whack. Cool cake completely before using. Freezes very well.

TO ASSEMBLE AND FROST CAKE

With a serrated knife, trim rounded tops of cake layers so they are flat and the layers are no thicker than 1/2 inch. Place one cake layer on a serving platter or cardboard round, trimmed side up, and spread top with 1/8 inch of frosting. Place second layer on top, press down lightly, and spread with frosting. Top with third cake layer and press down lightly. If the weather is warm, chill or freeze the cake until the frosting firms up, so the cake layers stay securely in place.

Spread frosting on the sides of the cake, chilling as necessary to keep frosting from getting too soft and the cake layers from sliding around. Chill to firm.

Hold the cake flat on your palm for easy handling. Plop the remaining frosting on top of the cake and spread it with a back and forth motion, using a long-bladed spatula held flat against the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to flow over the edges of the top. When the top is smooth, use the spatula to spread the frosting down the sides of the cake in broad, smooth strokes, turning the cake after each stroke.

If desired, pipe a decorative shell border on top of cake approximately 1 inch from the edge, using a pastry bag and a No. 3 star tip. Refrigerate until frosting is set, about 30 minutes.

Sift an even coating of unsweetened cocoa powder over the top of the cake.

The cake will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving so that the cake and frosting soften and the chocolate darkens in color.

Devil's Food Frosting

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons corn syrup
6 ounces unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks)
3/8 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Cognac (optional)

Finished with a thick dusting of cocoa powder on top, the frosting tastes like a chocolate truffle.

This must be made just before frosting the cake; if it is refrigerated more than 30 minutes, the chocolate hardens and the frosting won't come back to a smooth, shiny, spreadable consistency.

Cut chocolate into 2-inch pieces. In a heatproof bowl, melt chocolate over barely simmering water. (The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl or the chocolate will burn.) Turn off heat and let stand over warm water until ready to use.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the cocoa, water and corn syrup. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and thickened and the whisk leaves an empty trail behind it when it is drawn across the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Whisk in melted chocolate and Cognac; set aside.

Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until it whitens and holds soft peaks, 3-5 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar until well mixed. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the chocolate mixture by hand. Let frosting sit in a cool place or refrigerate until it becomes a little stiffer than spreading consistency, about 30 minutes. (Watch carefully so that it doesn't harden.)

If you like, you can hasten the setting by stirring the frosting over ice water for a minute or so. You must stir constantly and remove the bowl from the ice water as soon as the frosting begins to set along the sides of the bowl.

You may have as much as 1/2 cup of frosting left after frosting the cake. It can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and rewarmed to sandwich cookies together.