Devil’s Food Layer Cake

The secret behind this moist, rich chocolate cake is mixing the cocoa powder—use natural, not Dutch process—with boiling water, which allows the chocolate flavor to blossom and adds extra moisture to the crumb. This time-honored favorite, layered with velvety chocolate frosting, makes the ultimate cake for a birthday or other celebration.

For the cake:
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
2 cups granulated sugar
10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the chocolate frosting:
3 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, or as needed
Directions:
To make the cake, preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a small heatproof bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth. Let cool completely.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the granulated sugar and butter on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and the cooled cocoa mixture.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.

Bake the cakes until they begin to pull away from the sides of the pans, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of each pan to release the cake. Invert the pans onto the racks, lift off the pans and peel the parchment paper off the cakes. Turn the cakes right side up and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate frosting: In a bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using the mixer, beat in the butter on low speed until it is crumbly. Beat in the vanilla, then gradually beat in enough of the cream to make a spreadable frosting.

Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, spread the top of the layer with a generous 1/2 cup of the frosting. Place the second layer, top side down, on top of the first layer. Frost the top and then the sides with the remaining frosting. Slice the cake into thick wedges and serve. Serves 10.

Variation: For chocolate cupcakes, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009).

Fresh Coconut Cake

Adapted from recipe courtesy of Vera Severin in memory of Annie Dell Severin, Natchitoches, LA

2-1/2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Coconut Filling (recipe follows)
Seven-Minute Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. Sift together flour and baking powder and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add milk and stir. Add flour and baking powder mixture to creamed mixture. Fold in vanilla. Evenly distribute mixture into cake pans and bake until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.

To assemble cake, spread Coconut Filling between layers. Frost cake with Seven-Minute Frosting.

Coconut Filling:
1 fresh coconut, drained
2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut milk (such as Goya brand)
4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place drained coconut in oven and roast for 20 minutes. Cool. Break the shell and peel brown skin off. Grate coconut meat using a box grater. Set aside.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, add sugar, coconut milk and butter. Stir until sugar is dissolved and filing is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add grated coconut and stir to combine. Cool.

Seven-Minute Frosting:
•4 egg whites
•1 teaspoon cream of tartar
•1 1/2 cups sugar
•1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
•pinch salt
•1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a double boiler over medium heat. Beat on high speed over heat with an electric mixer until shiny and fluffy, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

New Orleans Devil's Food Cake

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ounce liquid red food coloring
1 ounce beet juice
2 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans.

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine food color, beet juice, and cocoa. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and cocoa mixture, and beat until well blended.

In a large bowl mix together the buttermilk, vinegar and extracts. Add the butter mixture and the flour mixture, alternating between the two until all is incorporated.

Divide mixture between the prepared cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks before frosting. Note: as shown, frosted with basic chocolate buttercream frosting.

Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

8 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons whole milk (plus more if needed), room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over boiling water until smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. Combine the other ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed. When combined, beat at medium speed for two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cooled melted chocolate, and beat over medium speed until fully combined and fluffy. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if the frosting is too dry.

Sarah’s Butterfly Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sarah Liberta for Louisiana Cookin

Serve the cake with hot herbal tea

3 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/6 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fruit juice (I used a blend of orange, pineapple, and banana)
1 box 2-layer cake mix (I have used both orange and pineapple with success)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup very ripe bananas, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped, in all
several sprigs each, of pineapple sage leaves and blossoms, calendula blossoms, fennel leaves, lemon balm, mint and/or other butterfly-favored herbs
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 16-ounce package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon zest



Butterfly Cake
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine eggs, oil, butter, vanilla, and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Add cake mix and cinnamon, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat. Fold in pineapple, bananas, and 1/2 cup pecans. Remove leaves and petals from herb stems; discard stems and chop herbs finely by hand or in a mini food processor.

Stir to distribute herbs evenly throughout the batter. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Garnish with fresh or candied edible flowers, such as pansies, violas, rose petals, or other favorites. Store in refrigerator.

Alternatively, line 24 to 36 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Pour batter into each well and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Chefs Notes:
Shortly after the seminar where I served this recipe, I came upon two new Bundt pans from Nordicware, a large (10-cup) butterfly-shaped pan and a 6-cavity (1-cup each) butterfly-shaped muffin pan. I couldn’t resist them. For maximum wow power, I use the large butterfly-shaped pan that has been generously greased and floured (or sprayed with an oil/flour baking spray) and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack. Using the butterfly-shaped muffin pan, I use only half the batter and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, testing for doneness as above. When muffins are cool enough to be removed, I wash the pan, grease and flour it again, and bake the second batch. The intricate designs of the pans are so lovely they don’t require icing. Just dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and zest.

Amaretto Pound Cake Torte

1 package fluffy white frosting mix
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1 package golden pound cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur*
Sliced almonds

Combine dry frosting mix and whipping cream in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two round 8-1/2 x 1-1/2-inch cake pans.

Beat cake mix, eggs, water and 1/3 cup liqueur in large bowl at slow speed until well blended. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Pour batter into pans.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely.

Split cake to make 4 layers. Beat frosting mix until stiff. Stir in 2 tablespoons liqueur. Fill each layer with about 1/2 cup frosting mix. Frost side and top of cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with almonds. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

*Rum may be substituted for liqueur.

Strawberry-Banana Daiquiri Cake

1 18.25-ounce box Strawberry Cake Mix
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon light rum
Lime and Rum Glaze (recipe follows)
colored sugar or nonpareils, optional
lime zest, for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside. In large bowl, combine the cake mix, berries, banana, eggs, lime juice, and rum with a wooden spoon until moistened. Use a hand mixer and beat for 2 minutes at highest speed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not overbake. Prepare glaze while cake is baking.

Cool cake upright for 25 minutes. Loosen outer edges of cake with table knife before inverting on serving plate. Spoon glaze evenly over cake. Decorate with colored sugars, nonpareils, and/or lime zest if using.

Lime and Rum Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon light rum

Use a whisk to blend all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. For a thinner glaze, add water a few drops at a time.

Banana Macadamia Cake

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
4 egg whites
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup amaretto liquor
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting

3 ounces light cream cheese
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon amaretto
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2 inch pan with non stick spray.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and nuts and toss to coat.

Cream margarine with sugar.

Add applesauce and beat in egg whites until well beaten.

Add bananas, yogurt, amaretto and almond extract, mix until well combined.

Stir dry mixture into wet ingredients until all ingredients are moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean from center. Cool on wire rack.

For Frosting: Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until mixed.