Devil's Food Cake

Devil's Food Cake

My husband turned the big 4-0 this week. For every special (or even not so special) occasion that requires dessert I go on an immediate hunt for a new recipe. I had originally planned to make a frozen lemon cake, but then changed my mind. The kids probably wouldn't eat a lemon cake and the little one was insisting that Daddy had to have a chocolate cake. After scouring the web and a few books for chocolate cakes, I almost settled on making the Devil's Food Cake on David Lebovitz's website. Then it occurred to me that the hubby always compares all chocolate cakes to the Devil's Food Cake from The Cake Bible. He says it is his favorite, but would he be able to identify it without being told? Is it the cake he likes or the fact that it is usually covered in mousse and ganache? Here was my opportunity to put his discriminating taste buds to a test.

I halved the Triple Layer Devil's Food Cake recipe from The Cake Bible. I lost my favorite chocolate mousse recipe so opted to make the recipe from Cook's Illustrated. We are on a "diet" so I decided to forego the ganache. It was definitely chocolatey enough without it. This is probably one of the ugliest cakes I have made in a while, but with limited time I didn't care as long as it tasted good. So did he pass the test? He was able to recognize it was Devil's Food...not necessarily THE Devil's Food he's had many times before. He gets a passing grade since he didn't say, "I like that other recipe that you usually make". The kids loved it and the birthday boy had 2 slices. I guess sometimes it's good to stick with the recipes you know that work.

Ready to be baked

Folding Whipped Cream into the Mousse

Tips: Be sure your butter is room temperature and softened so that it incorporates into the batter easily. I found some updates to the recipe on Rose Levy Beranbaum's site after I made the cake. You might want to incorporate these changes if you give it a try. I only made half the cake recipe below and a full batch of the mousse to yield at least 9 servings. Updates to the Triple Layer Devil's Food Cake.

I cut my one 9 inch cake into 2 layers then put a layer of mousse in the middle and then covered the entire cake in mousse. The finishing touch would be to cover the cake in ganache.

Triple Layer Devil's Food Cake
from The Cake Bible
Serves 18

1 cup unsweetened cocoa (nonalkalized such as Hershey's)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, must be softened

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl whisk together cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool to room temp.

 In another bowl combine eggs, 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add butter and then the remaining cocoa mixture. Mix on low until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Gradually add the egg mixture to batter in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate ingredients and strengthen structure. Scrape into three 9" by 1 1/2 inch cake pans which have been lined with parchment, then greased and floured. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.


Chocolate Mousse
from Cook's Illustrated

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped coarse
4 T unsalted butter
Pinch salt
1 t vanilla extract
2 T strong coffee or 4 teaspoons brandy, orange-flavored liqueur, or light rum
4 large eggs , separated
2 T granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

 1. Melt chocolate any of the following three ways: in medium bowl set over large saucepan of barely simmering water; in uncovered Pyrex measuring cup microwaved at 50 percent heat for 3 minutes, stirring once at 2 minute mark; or in ovenproof bowl set in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Whisk butter into melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time; stir in salt, vanilla, and coffee or liquor until completely incorporated. Whisk in yolks, one at a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next; set chocolate mixture aside.

2. Stir egg whites in clean mixing bowl set over saucepan of hot water until slightly warm, 1 to 2 minutes; remove bowl from saucepan. Beat with electric mixer set at medium speed until soft peaks form. Raise mixer speed to high and slowly add sugar; beat to soft peaks. Whisk a quarter of the beaten whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in remaining whites.

3. Whip cream to soft peaks; gently fold into mousse.