Good v. Evil

It's a classic conundrum, right? Good v. Evil? Heaven v. Hell? And under normal circumstances there's no question which to choose. Good always wins. Well...almost always. You see, there's one particular instance where, when given the choice, I'm sucked into a pit of irresistible temptation and no matter how I try I simply cannot stand strong. The result is always an epic fail. But you know what? Somehow it feels much more like a triumphant win. What is this evil I fall prey to every time I face it? Devil's Food. MMmmmmm. Just hearing the name sends me into a state of pure bliss. It's chocolate cake, people! But not just any chocolate cake. We're not talking chocolate chiffon, or genoise, or sponge, or any of those dry, crumbly, European-style cakes. Devil's Food cake is all-American. It's moist and rich and decadent and bold and I have to stop before I embarrass myself. It's just good. The best there is. Apparently my grandmother would make one for my mom's birthday every year and, similarly, her sister Marsha would get an Angel Food cake every year for hers. Mom says that's because she reminded her mother of her real dad, Woody, who, as fate would have it, was somewhat of a hellion. But I don't buy it because if my mother reminded grandma of the devil then Aunt Marsha must've reminded her of an angel and, well, if you know Aunt Marsha... Anyhow, my point is this: if Devil's food is wrong, I don't want to be right.

About 2 years ago I was head-over-heels for this boy. And when I like a boy, I bake for him. Well, okay, I bake for everybody. But if I like a boy I tend to go a little overboard. Don't worry, I'm learning restraint. So one day I decided that I would win his heart with a Devil's Food cake. Good plan, yes? I know! Everyone loves Devil's Food cake. I had just gotten this new cook book and I was itching to try out their particular D.F. recipe. This was the perfect opportunity. I followed the instructions to the letter. Four hours and about $30 later it was done. It was beautiful. Sure, there was ganache everywhere and my roommates hated me for hogging the kitchen, but in the grand scheme of things none of that mattered. I had the perfect cake to win over the (seemingly)perfect boy. I had reserved a few of the scraps and ganache so that my roomie, Laura Jane, and I could make sure it wasn't poison so I called her into the kitchen for the long-awaited tasting. Cue enormous melt-down. The cake tasted like...nothing! It was bland! It was, despite having tons of chocolate in it, veritably tasteless! How could this happen??? I was so upset that, after stabbing the cake a few dozen times, I sat on my kitchen floor in my pj's and pink bathrobe and just cried. It was awful. I vowed to never make Devil's Food again. Never ever.

Fortunately, time heals all wounds and I once again began to hear the call of that dreaded dessert. And what perfect timing! I'm surrounded by some of the most renowned pastry chefs in the culinary industry every night of the week. Why not get the most out of the experience that I possibly can, right? So I went to Chef Mark. Mark Chapman. He's fabulous. And helpful! He gave me his recipe for Devil's Food cake or, as he called it when he was at The Driskill, 1886 cake. It's spectacularly easy and undeniably delicious. Here's how you do it:

Ingredients
1 lb 1 oz All-Purpose Flour
1 lb 14 oz Sugar
4.5 oz Good Quality Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
1/2 oz Salt
3/4 oz Baking Soda
12 oz Vegetable Oil (Do Not Substitute Butter!!)
18 oz Buttermilk
7 0z Eggs
18 oz Hot Coffee (or Hot Water)

First, preheat your oven to 350. Now sift all of your dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda). Next up, add in your wet ingredients one at a time, mixing after each addition (I used a hand mixer but if you'd rather do it the old-fashioned way, go for it. Technology is not required for this recipe!) I know, the batter seems a bit soupy. Fear not! It bakes up beautifully. Pour it into two 10" cake pans that have been lightly greased and floured and slide them into your oven. Set your timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Now walk away. Resist temptation to open the oven door every twenty minutes. Just say no. Go do something fun! Watch a few episodes of Glee online or go start an herb garden or re-read Twilight. Has it been 1 hour and a half? Okay. Now you're allowed to open the door. Bump the pans a little. If they look jiggly or wet in the centers leave them in for another 10-15 minutes. When they begin to pull away from the sides and the centers are springy to the touch, you've hit pay-dirt. Rescue them from the fiery pit of hell (and by that I mean pull them out of the oven) and set them on the stove top to rest until cool (about 20-30 minutes). Once they've cooled down invert them onto a flat surface and wrap and refrigerate 5 hours or over night.

Okay. Now the fun part. If you're up for it, go ahead and cut those two cakes in half with a long, serrated cake knife to make four layers. If not, two layers works, too. My favorite way to eat this cake is with creme chantilly. Heavy cream whipped to medium-to-stiff peaks with powdered sugar and a little vanilla extract. About 1 tbsp of powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract for every 1 cup of cream. I like to ice the cake with this, between each layer and then all around the outside, and then pour chocolate ganache on top in the center and let it run down the sides. Kind of like a free-form tuxedo cake. Yum. For the ganache, bring 3/4 cup of heavy cream and 2 tbsp butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over 8 oz of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and let stand for about five minutes. Now whisk until smooth. If you'd like you can add in a tsp of flavoring like vanilla or almond extract (almond's my fave) or liquor at this point. Let stand for about five or ten minutes until the ganache has cooled down just enough to not melt the whipped cream but not so much that it's begun to set. Pour over cake in the center and watch the magic happen. It's beautiful, I know. Just wait until you taste it.

I made this cake over the weekend in honor of Laura Jane's birthday (only I used ganache to ice and layer with and punched it with macerated raspberries). Five days later, I'm desperately searching for another excuse to get my Devil's Food on again. Be my excuse! Come see me and I'll make you one. You won't regret it, I promise. I'll even customize it just for you. You want cupcakes? Done. You want trifle? You got it. Layered with caramel mousse? Hazelnut buttercream? No prob. Whether I make it for you or you brave it alone, you have to try this cake. It doesn't disappoint, scout's honor. And speaking of things that don't disappoint, hold on to your hats. Next week = eclairs/cream puffs. Now go for a jog or a swim or do some jazzercize so you can feast without a guilty conscience.

XOXO,
Mindy