In the world of chocolate cakes, few can rival the decadence and allure of David Lebovitz's Devil's Food Chocolate Cake. This legendary dessert is a symphony of rich, dark chocolate flavors, perfectly balanced with a touch of sweetness and a moist, velvety crumb. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting out, this article will guide you through the steps to create this extraordinary culinary masterpiece, allowing you to impress your friends and family with a truly unforgettable dessert experience.
Let's cook with our recipes!
THE ONLY CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE YOU'LL EVER NEED! (DEVIL'S FOOD)
This chocolate cake is absolutely thee best we have ever had. It is so moist and rich, I never make anything else (unless I am short on time :) The frosting recipe included goes perfectly with this cake, but you can use any frosting you like. Try this once and you'll see why I call it "The Only Chocolate Cake Recipe You'll Ever Need"!! Adding 2/18/06: I want to note that I recently used sweetened whipped heavy cream with vanilla and it was just as fabulous as the frosting recipe listed, plus much easier. I also used hazelnut coffee in the cake and it added even more of a little extra something!
Provided by Karen..
Categories Dessert
Time 1h15m
Yield 16 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add oil, coffee and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. Expect batter to be thin.
- Pour into a 9" x 13" greased and floured pan or 2- 9" round pans. Bake 9 x 13 pan for about 45 minutes or 9" pans for about 30 minutes. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes and then cool completely on racks.
- While cake is cooling make the icing: Combine the milk and flour in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thick, whisking constantly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
- In a medium bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add chilled milk and flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes. Frost cooled cake and enjoy! The frosting sounds intimidating, but it is worth it! By the way, for some reason, we prefer this cake chilled, right out of the refrigerator. The rich chocolate and cool frosting just seem to taste best this way.
DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 4h
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- To make the frosting: Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, move the bowl gently to let the cream settle. Set the mixture aside until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Cover the surface of the frosting with plastic wrap. Set aside and let set up at room temperature, about 2 hours.
- To make the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment or wax paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat.
- With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Lightly drop each pan onto the counter to settle the batter.
- Set the pans on the middle rack in the oven. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and the center springs back when touched lightly, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Cool the cakes, in the pans, on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake layers out of the pans and cool on the rack. (If not assembling the cake right away, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 2 months.)
- Assemble the Devil's Food Cake. Place 1 cake layer upside-down on a cake stand or flat plate. Scoop about 1/3 of the icing onto the center of the layer. Using a large, offset spatula, spread the icing evenly over the layer to the edges. Place the other cake layer, rounded-side up, on top. Evenly spread half of the remaining icing over the top, spreading any excess icing down the sides. Spread the remaining icing around the sides of the cake. Use the tip of the offset spatula to make a swirling pattern in the icing. Serve. Store under a cake dome or loosely wrapped with plastic, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.
- Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, GP. All rights reserved
DEVIL'S FOOD 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. I make the frosting with water, since I think the cake is plenty rich as it is. But if you want a creamier frosting, using cream in place of the water.
Provided by David
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter two 9″ x 2″ cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
THE ULTIMATE DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE
Not for the faint of heart, our version of devil's food cake is infused with melted chocolate (in addition to the usual cocoa powder) and sour cream to create a richer chocolate flavor and help it stay moist. Get our step-by-step guide here.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment. Stir together boiling water, cocoa, and chocolate in a bowl. Let cool 10 minutes. Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in another bowl.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla, then chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in two additions, alternating with sour cream, until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a tester inserted in centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack, top-sides up; let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they're level.
- Line the edges of a cake stand or plate with strips of parchment. Place one cake layer on stand, trimmed-side up, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream evenly over top. Top with remaining cake layer, trimmed-side down.
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream over top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (this ensures a crumb-free finish). Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides. Cake can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.
DEVIL'S FOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE (DAVID LEBOVITZ)
Yield 1 9-inch Cake
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- 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.
Tips:
- Mise en place: Before you start baking, ensure all your ingredients are measured and ready to use. This will make the baking process smoother and less stressful.
- Use high-quality chocolate: The quality of your chocolate will significantly impact the flavor of your cake. Opt for high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 60%.
- Don't overmix the batter: Overmixing the batter can result in a tough, dense cake. Mix just until the ingredients are combined, and be careful not to overbeat the egg whites when making the meringue.
- Bake the cake in a water bath: Baking the cake in a water bath helps to create a moist, evenly baked cake. Place the cake pan inside a larger pan filled with hot water, and bake according to the recipe instructions.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting: Before frosting the cake, let it cool completely to room temperature. This will help prevent the frosting from melting or sliding off the cake.
Conclusion:
David Lebovitz's Devil's Food Chocolate Cake is a decadent and delicious treat perfect for any chocolate lover. With its rich, moist chocolate cake layers, velvety chocolate ganache frosting, and optional chocolate curls, this cake is sure to impress. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting, this recipe is easy to follow and will yield a stunning and satisfying result. So preheat your oven, gather your ingredients, and let's get baking!
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
You'll also love