The Devils Chocolate Recipes

Steps:

• To make the frosting: Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, move the bowl gently to let the cream settle. Set the mixture aside until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Cover the surface of the frosting with plastic wrap. Set aside and let set up at room temperature, about 2 hours.
• To make the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment or wax paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat.
• With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Lightly drop each pan onto the counter to settle the batter.
• Set the pans on the middle rack in the oven. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and the center springs back when touched lightly, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool the cakes, in the pans, on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake layers out of the pans and cool on the rack. (If not assembling the cake right away, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 2 months.)
• Assemble the Devil's Food Cake. Place 1 cake layer upside-down on a cake stand or flat plate. Scoop about 1/3 of the icing onto the center of the layer. Using a large, offset spatula, spread the icing evenly over the layer to the edges. Place the other cake layer, rounded-side up, on top. Evenly spread half of the remaining icing over the top, spreading any excess icing down the sides. Spread the remaining icing around the sides of the cake. Use the tip of the offset spatula to make a swirling pattern in the icing. Serve. Store under a cake dome or loosely wrapped with plastic, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.
• Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, GP. All rights reserved

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt 3 times, set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time beating well after each addition.
• Combine the buttermilk, coffee and vanilla extract.
• Mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then half the wet ingredients. Repeat with the remaining dry and wet ingredients, finishing with dry. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 1 hour, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. remove the cake from the pan after 15 minutes. Cool completely. Cut the cake into 2 layers.
• Sandwich whipped ganache between the 2 layers and spread more ganache on the top and sides of the cake. Wrap the chocolate covered acetate around the cake, chocolate side in, overlapping the ends slightly. Refrigerate the cake until the chocolate in the ribbon has set. Carefully remove the acetate before serving.
• In a medium pot over high heat bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir rapidly until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is a smooth even color. Cool to room temperature stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Whip the ganache in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form, see Cook's Note*.
• Cut a piece of 2 1/2-inch wide acetate ribbon long enough to wrap around the cake completely. Lay the acetate on a flat surface and spread the chocolate evenly over the entire surface using an offset spatula.
• Carefully lift the acetate, chocolate side towards the cake, and wrap it around, lightly pressing it to the side of the cake. Work quickly; the chocolate should still be sticky when wrapped around on the cake. Refrigerate the cake until the chocolate in the ribbon has set.

Steps:

• Line a 900g loaf tin with two criss-crossed strips of baking parchment. Crush 8 amaretti biscuits and scatter these over the base of the tin. Sprinkle over 2 tbsp amaretto liqueur. Set aside.
• Tip the chocolate into a heatproof bowl along with the butter. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir for 5 mins until melted. Or, melt in the microwave in 20-second bursts. Dip 8 amaretti biscuits in the chocolate, then arrange on a sheet of baking parchment. Set both the biscuits and chocolate aside to cool.
• Whip 400ml double cream to soft peaks using an electric whisk, being careful not to over-whip. Use a large metal spoon to fold 80g mascarpone into the cream. Crush 5 amaretti biscuits and fold these into the mixture along with 75ml amaretto liqueur. Set aside.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together using an electric whisk until light, fluffy and tripled in volume - the mixture should form a slowly disappearing trail when you lift the beaters. Gently fold the almonds into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the amaretto cream to combine.
• Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix gently to combine. Whip the egg white to stiff peaks using an electric whisk, then fold this in, too, being careful not to knock out the air. Taste and fold in the remaining 25ml amaretto liqueur, if you like.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and chill for at least 4 hrs or overnight until set. If you have any extra mixture that won't fit into the tin, you can pour this into small dessert glasses and chill alongside the tin until set.
• Tip the remaining double cream, the rest of the mascarpone and the icing sugar into a bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Spoon this into a small serving bowl and dust with cocoa or espresso powder. Invert the set dessert onto a serving plate or board, lift off the tin and remove the parchment. Dust with cocoa or espresso powder. Crush the rest of the amaretti biscuits, scatter these over the top and decorate with the chocolate-dipped biscuits. Slice with a warmed knife and serve with spoons of the mascarpone cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add oil, coffee and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. Expect batter to be thin.
• Pour into a 9" x 13" greased and floured pan or 2- 9" round pans. Bake 9 x 13 pan for about 45 minutes or 9" pans for about 30 minutes. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes and then cool completely on racks.
• While cake is cooling make the icing: Combine the milk and flour in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thick, whisking constantly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
• In a medium bowl, beat butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add chilled milk and flour mixture and beat for 10 minutes. Frost cooled cake and enjoy! The frosting sounds intimidating, but it is worth it! By the way, for some reason, we prefer this cake chilled, right out of the refrigerator. The rich chocolate and cool frosting just seem to taste best this way.