Devils Food Cake

Serves: 6

Preparation: 40 minutes + 60 minutes baking and cooling

Ingredients

  • 50g Cocoa Powder
  • 200ml Boiling Water
  • 175g Plain Flour
  • ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 100g White Vegetable Fat or Butter
  • 250g Caster Sugar
  • 2 Eggs

Frosting

  • 150g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa), broken into pieces
  • 200g Butter, at room temperature
  • 200g Icing Sugar
  • Milk and White Chocolate curls, to decorate

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

Line the base and sides of an 18cm deep, round cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Put the cocoa powder in a bowl and gradually mix in the boiling water until smooth. Leave to cool.

Mix the flour with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a small bowl.

Cream the vegetable fat or butter with the sugar.

Beat in one of the eggs then add a spoonful of the flour and beat until smooth.

Add the second egg and gradually beat in the remaining flour then the cocoa paste, mixing well until smooth.

Pour into the lined tin, level the surface and bake for 50–60 minutes until well risen and a skewer comes out clean from the centre.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and peel away the lining paper.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a second bowl until smooth then gradually beat in the chocolate until smooth and glossy.

Cut the cake into three layers then sandwich back together with some of the frosting.

Spread the remainder over the top and sides of the cake and swirl with a round-bladed knife.

Transfer to a flat plate and decorate the top with chocolate curls.

Tip


If the frosting is very soft when first spread over the cake, transfer to the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm up.

This recipe is from Chocolate Success published by Simon & Schuster in 2011.