Sinfully Delicious Devil’s Food Cake

This week we had two birthdays in our family and we’ll have another one on Monday! Hands down, this cake is everyone’s favorite birthday cake. Sinfully Delicious Devil’s Food Cake is hard to beat. Chocolate on Chocolate. A chocolate lovers dream!  I came across a recipe several years ago from David Lebovitz for Devil’s Food Cake and  not only was it delicious,  it was also, very easy to make. I made one and before the week was out I had made two.  That’s when I found out it was the perfect birthday cake. Everyone wanted one. Same thing the next year and now, this year, too.  So, let me share with you the most Sinfully Delicious Devil’s Food Cake,  ever!

My latest, above,  baked for my daughter in love’s birthday this week….and her little helper, Emma.

Before we get started…go ahead and buy ingredients for two or more….you’ll be wanting another, after  you taste this one…

This cake is so tender and moist and delectable. Even tho it is recommended to eat it the same day it is baked, I promise, it still tasted magnificent,  3 days later. If it lasts that long!

One thing I highly recommend is that you use a good chocolate. I used Ghirardelli’s unsweetened powdered cocoa for the cake.

But for the ganache I used their 60% bittersweet chips. The advantage of using the chips over the bars is that it calls for 10 oz of chopped chocolate and the chips come in a 10 oz bag…or,  you need 2 and a half bars to add up to the 10 ozs.

This week I made one with the bars and one with the chips…both were perfect. You can even use half of one and half of another. Once I didn’t have enough of the good chocolate and added a Hershey unsweetened ounce square and it was still fine. Remember it calls for a semi or bittersweet chocolate NOT unsweetened. Lindt’s is very good, too. I’m limited in my area for finer chocolates,  but if you can get better where you live,  then by all means, do.

I goes without saying..Butter is better than Margarine….and real cream when you can.

This is one I made several years ago….for my daughter’s birthday…. You’ll be so glad you made this…and so will everyone else…Enjoy!

Sinfully Delicious Devil’s Food Cake

CAKE:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 stick softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strong coffee

Ganache:
10 ounces chopped bittersweet/semisweet chocolate bar or chips
1/2 cup cream
3/4 cup unsalted butter

Preheat oven 350* Grease 2 9″ cake pans and line with parchment.

CAKE: Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cocoa, and sift together into a bowl. In another bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Combine coffee and milk. Add milk mixture to sugar mixture alternately with flour mixture 1/3 at a time.
Bake in middle of oven 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Ganache:
Heat cream in medium sauce pan over med/low heat add chocolate to cream.Stir until melted. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until butter is melted. Set aside and allow to cool about an hour or so.

Place first cake layer on cake plate and frost top. Add second cake layer on top of first and frost top. Frost sides. Serve with a generous amount of vanilla bean ice-cream.
Garnish with strawberries and mint leaves (optional). Enjoy!