It's not the most elegant of cakes. It's covered with crumbs which defaults to messy. Very messy. Messy in a sweep all the counters and a few floors cake. It is however, really rather yummy in a Sara-Lee / Trifle kind of way. I did this for my sister's birthday when she requested a chocolate and cream cake. I didn't quite do double cream but it did meet the not too sweet criteria.
I would say this though. Lower the sugar in the cake. The frosting is actually really nice. Not too sweet, pleasantly foamy and easy to cover the cake. The cake itself just has a slight aftertaste which may have came from my choice of chocolates and cocoa. Words of warning to follow: Watch out when you transport it. The top two levels slid an inch across and left the rest of the cake... it did gently smush back in place, but just in case it's for company. Warning 2. The book may have it showing beautiful, full, crisp white layers in between the chocolate. Mine... less so. And based on the internet, most people had the same smushiness. It tastes great anyway. Just don't expect a sliceshot.
The recipe cake from Dorie Greenspan's book and is on the internet already - the below is my abbreviated / bastardized version.
Devil's Food White-Out Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5oz unsalted butter (140g ish)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk /whole milk
1/2 cup boiling water
4 oz chocolate chips (I used a pack)
For the filling and frosting
1/2 cup egg whites (I used 4 eggs worth of egg white powder mixed up)
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Gas Mark 5/6 (350 degree recommended)
1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. Cream butter and sugar, eggs, vanilla and the cooled melted chocolate (add in that order)
3. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, ending with dry.
4. Add boiling water and then chocolate chips.5. Put in lined pans (I used 3 x 8 inch round pans - the recommended is 2 deep 8 inch pans)
6. Bake for 30 minutes
7. Cool. Now the book says you have two pans, you slice into two and crumble one of them. In my case I had three cakes, I leveled them and ended up with enough crumbs. Potato-PoTAHto... it's all the same result.
Frosting:
1. Egg whites in bowl. You're making a kind of Italian meringue thing here. Finding a helper or having lots of space helps.
2. Sugar, cream of tartar and water in a saucepan (small) and boil/stir a little bit to begin with.
3. Get it to 235 degrees F (I started before this) and start whipping the egg whites with an electric whisk. Medium/fast is good, you want it white and fluffy and holding peaks the way meringue does without any sugar.
4. Get the sugar to 242 degrees F (soft ball) and then tip the molten sugar into the egg whites whilst whisking.
5. Continue whisking till the frosting is room temp and the bowl doesn't feel hot any more.
6. Spread on cake and shove crumbs around the side. Tah-dah!!!
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