Fluffy Devil’s Food Cake
Posted on 22 January 2009 by joy
Ok… this might be criminal. I must admit that I’m already thinking about what cake I want to make myself for my birthday… in May. Terrible, right!? Would my thoughts be any more tolerable if you knew that I’ve already planned out my Mom’s birthday cake for February, and my boyfriend’s birthday cake for March? Those are all planned and ready to be baked. I got those out of the way mostly so I could focus on my giant, giant birthday cake. Birthday parties, in my view, are just an excuse to eat large amounts of cake. But really, who needs an excuse?
Maybe I should bake a few cakes as ‘testers’ before my birthday works it’s way around. That just might be the best idea I’ve had all day.
Devil’s Food Cake with Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting
Gourmet February 2008
For cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process) plus additional for dusting
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups water
For frosting
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan (2 inches deep).
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well, then beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and water alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 1 hour. Transfer cake to a cake plate.
Make frosting:
Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Mound frosting on top of cake. Dust with additional cocoa powder.
