Soft and Scrumptious Devil's Food Cake

This is such an awesome chocolate cake! It's actually not a chocolate cake but a cocoa cake: it gets its delicious chocolateness from cocoa powder only. The cocoa powder is combined with boiling water and added then to batter, which is probably the secret behind the truly chocolate-y flavour. I've done other similar cakes before and I find I like this kind of choco cakes more than "regular" ones. They are always supersoft and moist and chocolate-y (but not too chocolate-y).

The inspiration to use this recipe came from an IG Story of the Wednesday Chef and even though I'm not the greatest fan of chocolate cakes I knew I had to try it. The recipe is from Martha Stewart and it's really lovely: soft and moist, yet light and fluffy at the same time. It's very easy and quick to make, too. I made one fourth of the original recipe as I was testing another chocolate cake too, but this ended up rising so high I could slice the cake in two. (I had planned making a "mixed" cake having one layer from this recipe and the other from another recipe.

If you don't have this small cake tin, make a double batch for 20-21 cm mold. If you are using an even bigger mold, the double amount might not be enough to be easily sliced into two discs, in which case I recommend baking the two layers separately. Use the frosting immediately: it turns stiff quite quickly and then it doesn't spread as nicely. (I made the mistake of taking some "making of" photos and was too slow, as the frosting was neater first and then started to get a bit too stiff. (Please note that I used another recipe for the frosting as we don't have corn syrup that was needed for the original fluffy frosting recipe.)

If you are experienced in cake frosting you might be able to go with half the frosting, but if not I recommend making the amount of the recipe in which case you can either frost the cake very thickly or then just dollop the rest into meringue nests and dry them in 100 C oven.

Don't put the cake in the fridge, as it will make it dry and hard. The meringue frosting doesn't like humidity either...

Happy baking!

P.S. Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Äiti!!!!

Soft and Scrumptious Devil's Food Cake with Whipped Frosting
Author: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Preparation Time: 20 min     Cooking time: 50 min
Servings: 8 pieces     Calories per serving*: 296 kcal

Makes a 15 cm cake that is soft and chocolate-y, "without" chocolate. It's a miracle how the cake can be fluffy and rich at the same time!

Ingredients:

• 60 ml cocoa powder
• 60 ml boiling water
• 60 g sour cream
• 180 ml cake flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 90 g butter
• 135 ml sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
Fluffy Whipped Frosting
• 2 egg whites
• 120 ml sugar
• 50 ml water
• a pinch of vanilla powder

Instructions:

1. Butter a cake tin and flour it with cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Whisk the boiling water into the cocoa powder (the mixture will be thick). Once even and not boiling hot, add the sour cream.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and powder.
4. Cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla powder. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Fold in third of the flour. Add half of the cocoa.
6. Fold in another third of the flour and then rest of the cocoa and lastly the rest of the flour.
7. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin and bake in 180 C for 45-55 minutes. Test the doneness with a toothpick.
8. Let cool. Remove from cake mold and slice into two discs.
9. Make the frosting: Combine all ingredients in a heatproof dish. Put the dish on top of mildly boiling water and heat the mixture, stirring constantly until 66 C.
10. Take away from heat and whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
11. Fill and frost the cake immediately.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.
*Nutritional information is based on average values and is a rough estimate.

Pehmeä ja uskomattoman mehevä suklaaton suklaakakku
Tekijä: Tuulia / Kitchenfoxtales     Valmisteluaika: 20 min     Kypsennysaika: 50 min
Annokset: 8 palaa    Energiasisältö per annos*: 296 kcal

Ohjeesta tulee 15 cm kakku, joka on superpehmeä ja kuohkea mutta silti mehevän täyteläinen ja suklainen "ilman" suklaata.

Ainekset:

• 90 g voita
• 60 ml kaakaojauhetta
• 60 ml kiehuvaa vettä
• 60 g ranskankermaa
• 180 ml vehnäjauhoa
• 1/4 tl ruokasoodaa
• 1/4 tl leivinjauhetta
• 135 ml sokeria
• 1 muna
• 1/4 tl vaniljajauhetta
Kuorrutus:
• 2 valkuaista
• 1,2 dl sokeria
• 0,5 dl vettä
• ripaus vaniljajauhetta

Valmistusohjeet:

1. Voitele kakkuvuoka ja jauhota kaakaojauheella. Esilämmitä uuni 180 asteeseen.
2. Vatkaa kiehuva vesi kaakaojauheeseen (seoksesta tulee paksua). Kun saat siitä tasaista ja se on hieman jäähtynyt, lisää ranskankerma.
3. Yhdistä jauhot, leivinjauhe ja ruokasooda.
4. Vaahdota voi sokerin ja vaniljajauheen kanssa. Lisää muna ja vispaa kunnes vaaleaa ja kuohkeaa.
5. Kääntele sekaan kolmannes jauhoista. Lisää puolet kaakaoseoksesta.
6. Käänetel sekaan toinen kolmannes jauhoista, sitten loput kaakaoseoksesta ja lopuksi loput jauhoista.
7. Kaada taikina kakkuvuokaan ja paista 180 asteessa 45-55 minuuttia. Testaa kypsyys hammastikulla.
8. Anna jäähtyä. Poista kakku vuoasta ja halkaise kahdeksi levyksi.
9. Tee kuorrutus: Yhdistä kaikki ainekset lämmönkestävässä kulhossa. Laita astia kevyesti kiehuvan vesikattilan päälle ja lämmitä sekoitellen , kunnes seos on 66-asteista.
10. Ota astia pois kattilan päältä ja vatkaa kunnes marenki muodostaa teräviä huippuja.
11. Täytä ja kuorruta kakku heti.

Lähde: Martha Stewart.
*Energiasisältö perustuu keskimääräisiin arvoihin ja on karkea arvio.

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