Devil’s Food Cake with Creamy Frosting

At the turn of the century, folks were feeling devilish, no longer satisfied with angel food cake, the evangelical treat of the late 1800s. They wanted chocolate and plenty of it, and devil’s food cake filled the bill. (Bon Appetit)

Cake

¾ cup of water
1 cup cocoa
¾ cup buttermilk
1 ¾ cups al purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups golden brown sugar, packed
½ cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla

Heat to oven 350 degrees.

Butter two 9 inch cake pans. Dust with flour. (you can line with parchment paper too)

Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa to form as paste. Cool slightly.

Add buttermilk and whisk until blended. Set aside

Whisk to blend flour, powder, soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat sugar and next 4 ingredients using an electric mixer. Beat five minutes. Add cocoa mixture. Add flour mixture and beat until just blended. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake about 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cook in pans 10 minutes on cooling rack. Turn cakes onto racks to cool.

When cool frost and layer.

Frosting

9 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
¼ cup (1/2 stick) of butter, unsalted
one 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups of powdered sugar

Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium sauce pan over low heat or double boiler until melted and smooth. Cool to luke warm.

Using electric mixer in a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy.

Gradually add the chocolate mixture, then vanilla until smooth.

Then add powdered sugar gradually until well blended.

Frost cake.

Submitted by Karl Flesch (the little Devil!) and featured at Death by Chocolate Night Oct 16, 2000.