Classic Devil's Food Layer Cake with Whipped Cream
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Classic Devil's Food Cake
½ cup natural cocoa powder 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee1 cup boiling water ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar ½ cup plain yogurt, low-fat, or buttermilk2 teaspoons vanilla extract 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon table saltWhipped Cream
2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold¾ cup confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extractBefore You Begin
This is an extremely tender cake -- it almost falls apart with the touch of a fork - yet when you chew it, it turns out to be resilient and spongy. Since this batter rises higher, make sure to use 9-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and yogurt or buttermilk. Let cool and add vanilla.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Beat cream at medium speed in an electric mixer until thickened. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until thick. Apply frosting onto first cake layer and spread with a long metal spatula, top with second cake layer, top second layer with frosting, spread and then frost sides. Decorate top with chocolate shavings, if you like. Serve.
for the cake
for the whipped cream
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 12Ingredients
Classic Devil's Food Cake
½ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup plain yogurt, low-fat, or buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Whipped Cream
2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Classic Devil's Food Cake
½ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup plain yogurt, low-fat, or buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Whipped Cream
2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Classic Devil's Food Cake
½ cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup plain yogurt, low-fat, or buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
Whipped Cream
2 ½ cups heavy cream, cold
¾ cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
While developing our devil’s food layer cake recipe we found very little difference between cakes baked with standard American cocoa and “Dutched” cocoa. We chose water over milk or buttermilk to moisten our cake batter, discovering that cakes made with dairy had a more muted chocolate flavor.
Before You Begin
This is an extremely tender cake -- it almost falls apart with the touch of a fork - yet when you chew it, it turns out to be resilient and spongy. Since this batter rises higher, make sure to use 9-by-1 1/2-inch round cake pans.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-by-1 1/2-inch round baking pans with shortening. Line pan bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess.
- Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and yogurt or buttermilk. Let cool and add vanilla.
- Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
- Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest speed, add about 1/3 of dry ingredients to batter, followed immediately by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. With rubber spatula, run batter to pan sides and smooth top. Bake cakes until they feel firm in center when lightly presesd anad skewer comes out clean or with just a crumb or two adhering, 23 to 30 minutes. Tranfer pans to wire racks; cool for 20 minutes. Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks, and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool completely before frosting.
- Beat cream at medium speed in an electric mixer until thickened. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until thick. Apply frosting onto first cake layer and spread with a long metal spatula, top with second cake layer, top second layer with frosting, spread and then frost sides. Decorate top with chocolate shavings, if you like. Serve.
for the cake
for the whipped cream
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