Devil's Food Cake

This is my go-to chocolate cake - it's rich, moist and just so decadent that you'll keep taking small slithers of it until you realise you've eaten another 3 slices! It's a BIG cake with a lot of batter and I recommend using 3 equal cake tins if you have them for a more even bake. If you only have 2 tins keep a careful eye that the tops are not overcooking while the middle is still undercooked (you can cover the top with tin foil).

I usually ice this cake with chocolate ganache (cream+chocolate) since it isn't overly sweet but matches the richness of the cake perfectly. If you're not a ganache fan, or want something less rich then why not try white chocolate/chocolate or oreo buttercream.

This cake uses a lot of sugar and plain flour so you'll want to make sure you have these stocked beforehand! With Easter coming up, this is definitely a showstopper of a cake to have as the centrepiece.

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Recipe

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 12-15

Ingredients:

For the cake:

225g Butter, Softened*

600g Caster Sugar

4 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

350g Plain Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

110g Cocoa Powder

400ml Lukewarm Water

For the ganache:

500ml Double Cream

300g Dark Chocolate

200g Milk Chocolate**

*I like to use Stork margarine in my cakes as it gives them a slightly lighter texture.

**Use more dark chocolate if you want an even richer ganache.

This gives enough ganache for between the cake layers, the top and the sides. Use 300ml cream and 300g chocolate if you don't want to cover the sides.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease 3 cake tins (approx. 18cm in diameter) and line the bottoms with parchment paper and dust the sides with flour.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (you can use a stand mixer, electric hand whisk or wooden spoon). Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together.

4. In a jug, mix the water and the cocoa powder until a smooth (ish) paste forms - you can do this by adding the water a little at a time and stirring after each addition.

5. Add some of the flour mixture into the egg mix and fold in. Repeat with the cocoa mix into the egg mix. Continue alternating between the flour and cocoa mix until everything has been added and is fully combined.

6. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

To make the ganache:

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large heatproof bowl.

2. On a medium heat, bring the cream to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the cream starts to bubble and rise up in the pan take it off the heat and pour over the chocolate.

3. Leave to rest for a few minutes then whisk the mixture together so that all of the chocolate has melted and it's a smooth consistency.

4. Let the ganache cool until it is at a spreadable consistency. Leaving it in the fridge will speed up this process but stir occasionally as the sides set faster than the rest.

5. Once the cakes are cool even their tops out using a serrated knife. Spread some of the ganache evenly over one cake and add another layer on top. Repeat for the last layer.

6. Spread a small amount of ganache over the sides and top (just enough to cover it) and make smooth. Leave to set (either in the fridge or at room temperature) - this is the crumb coat and prevents the crumbs showing in the outer layer of the ganache.

7. Spread the rest of the ganache over the tops and sides so everything is covered and make smooth, either using a scraper or a palette knife.