Fudgy Black and White Devil’s Food Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Makes: 12 servings
 
Four layers of rich chocolate cake filled with vanilla buttercream and covered in a luscious whipped chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
  • 43g (~1/3 cup) good quality dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1g (1 teaspoon) instant espresso powder
  • 112g dark chocolate (I used 72%), roughly chopped
  • 240 milliliters (1 cup) boiling water
  • 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
  • 227g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 232g (~1 cup, tightly packed) light brown sugar
  • 210g (~1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 150g (~3 large) eggs, at room temperature
  • 246g (~2¼ cups) cake flour
  • 5g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 4g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
  • 240 milliliters (1 cup) buttermilk
  • Vanilla Buttercream (see below)
  • Whipped Chocolate Buttercream (see below)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease and flour two  9-inch round pans and line bottoms with parchment paper
  3. In a medium heat-proof bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder and chocolate; pour boiling water over mixture and whisk together until melted and smooth; stir in vanilla; set aside to cool
  4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter until light and creamy; add sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, mixing at medium speed between each
  5. Sift cake flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside
  6. Whisk buttermilk into cooled chocolate mixture
  7. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to mixing bowl and mix on low speed just until combined; add half of chocolate mixture and mix on low again, just until combined; scrape the sides of the mixing bowl and repeat with ⅓ of flour mixture remaining chocolate mixture; remove bowl from mixer and fold in remaining dry ingredients; be careful not to overmix the batter
  8. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of cakes
  9. Set cake layers aside to cool for 10 minutes then carefully remove each layer from pans; run a knife around the edge of each layer for easier removal
  10. Once cake layers are completely cooled, use a serrated knife to carefully cut each layer in half horizontally, creating 4 cake layers; set aside and make buttercreams
Notes
Cake barely adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Store cake in refrigerator and serve at room temperature; best eaten within three days
Recipe by Keep It Sweet Desserts at http://www.keepitsweetdesserts.com/fudgy-black-and-white-devils-food-cake/