Friends often tell me , I have more posts of cakes in my blog.. And I had decided to reduce the cake posts in future… Hmm but fate had other plans it seems.. This again is a cake post .. and I have my excuse too. It was my nephew’s 2nd birthday 2 weeks back and my sister in law and family were visiting us on that day.. Now how can I resist the temptation of baking a special cake for my dear nephew???
The kids too were all excited and got busy decorating the room with balloons and setting the table before the birthday boy arrived… I decided to make a chocolate cake as kids would love it.. and this is a very chocolatey cake – Devil’s Food Cake.. I wonder how the cake got this name? This is really a super moist chocolate cake and I strongly feel the name should be changed 🙂
I found this recipe from Nigella Lawson’s site and have prepared this few times before.. Couldn’t click the snaps then.. this time too I was in a but hurry, so the photos are ,well ,not so perfect..
Coming back to the celebrations, the birthday boy was super excited 🙂 .. He was amazed to see all the balloons, candles, cakes … Smiling happily as everyone sang the birthday song for him .. My sister in law told me that he still fondly says of his Abudhabi Bday Celebration 🙂
What I loved about the cake is its luscious frosting.. Though while preparing the frosting would appear runny, allowing it to settle for an hour will give it the right consisitency . Last time I made this cake, I had piped chocolate rosettes with the frosting… This time, topped the frosting with some chocolates to surprise the kids..
Here’s the recipe for all you chocolate lovers..
Recipe Source – Nigella Lawson
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
- 50g best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
- 100g dark muscovado sugar
- 250ml boiling water
- 125g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
- 150g caster sugar
- 225g plain flour
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
For the frosting:
- 125ml water
- 30g dark muscovado sugar
- 175g unsalted butter cubed
- 300g best-quality dark chocolate finely chopped
Pan required
- 2 x 20cm sandwich tins
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
- Line the bottoms of both sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.
- Put the cocoa and 100g dark muscovado sugar into a bowl with a bit of space to spare, and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
- Mix the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs one by one to the creamed butter and sugar mixing well.
- Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture.
- Divide this fabulously chocolatey batter between the 2 prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool.
- But as soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on your frosting: put the water, 30g muscovado sugar and 175g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
- When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy.
- Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again – when you’re passing the pan – by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.
- Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side down, on a cake stand or plate, and spread with about a third of the frosting, then top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula.
Sending this to Love and Chocolate Fest event at My Culinary Trial Room
and Dish for Loved Ones by Sravs Culinary Concepts
Lets Cook for Valentines event by simply.food