Cake Slice: Mile-High Devil’s Food Cake

One word sums up this month's Cake Slice selection....incredible. I LOVED this cake. This has been, by far, the best chocolate cake I have ever made. The cake was fudgy, chocolaty, light, and oh so good. I actually preferred eating the cake without the frosting; the cake was that good. The frosting was great too. I ended up making a different recipe for the frosting because I didn't want to use eggs. I think the one I made was a great substitution and went with the cake perfectly. The ultra-sweet frosting paired well with the flavors of the chocolate.
Mile-High Devil’s Food Cake
From: Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes
By Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake:

1 cup of unsweetened cocoa NOT DUTCHED PROCESSED
1 and ¼ cups of hot water
3 cups of light brown sugar; packed
2 and 2/3 cups cake flour*
1 and ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon of salt
9 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature [2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons]
3 large eggs
1 and ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
¾ cup of cold water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper as well.

Place the cocoa in a medium bowl and add the hot water. Whisk until smooth and let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low blend to combine. Add the butter and the dissolved cocoa. Then raise the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and cold water until combined. Add this liquid to the batter in three additions scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Divide the batter among the three pans.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a cakes tester inserted into the almost comes out clean. There should be a few crumbs attached still. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes. Then invert and remove parchment paper and cool completely on a wire rack.
Brown Sugar Frosting
Recipe here

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons half-and-half or evaporated milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
hot water, as needed

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter with 3/4 cup of brown sugar, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the 3 tablespoons of cream or milk and bring back to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Let cool to lukewarm. Beat confectioners' sugar into the lukewarm brown sugar mixture, adding small amounts of very hot water if frosting is too stiff.

I can't stop myself from making cupcakes.