Absolutely Divine Devils Food Cake

SPICED DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Sift flour, spices, baking soda and salt together 3 times.
• Cream shortening with sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add beaten eggs and chocolate and beat thoroughly.
• Add sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately in small amounts, beating well after each addition.
• Add boiling water and blend. Pour into greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and lightly flour two 9x1 1/2 inch round baking pans or grease one 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set pan (s) aside.
• Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aide.
• In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined.
• Add eggs, 1 at a timebeating well after each.
• Add flour mixture and water alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan (s) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool layer cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans.
• Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• Or, place 13x9-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly.
• Frost with desired frosting.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Heat milk in small pan until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat.
• Mix cocoa and white sugar together in a bowl. Slowly beat in warm milk. Let cool.
• Cream the butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add cocoa mixture.
• Mix remaining dry ingredients together and blend in to butter mixture. Don't overbeat.
• Turn in to two well-greased and floured 9 inch layer cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, until cake shrinks slightly from sides of pans, and springs back when touched gently in the center.
• Cool on a rack for a few minutes, then turn out of pans on to rack.
• Wait until completely cool before frosting.
• See "7 Minute Frosting" for Easy Frosting Recipe.

MOIST DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.
• Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking. Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.
• Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate frosting over the top. Add the second cake layer, and spread with another 1 1/2 cups frosting. Top with third cake layer. Cover outside of cake with the remaining 3 cups frosting. Serve.

ABSOLUTELY DIVINE DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottom and sides of 2 (9 x 1 1/2" or 9 x 2") round layer-cake pans. Dust with flour and shake out excess. Melt chocolate in double boiler over simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly. Drain beet juice into a small bowl. Place beets on a cutting board and chop into very small pieces. Add to beet juice and set aside.
• Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until very fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping sides occasionally. Reduce speed to low and beat in melted chocolate.
• Stir together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium-size bowl. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat flour in fourths and buttermilk in thirds into chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add beets and juice and mix on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. The batter will be thin and you will see pieces of beets.
• Divide the batter equally between the 2 prepared pans. Bake in the 350 degrees oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and top of cake springs back when lightly pressed with fingertips. DO NOT over bake or cake will be dry. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and then invert onto racks.
• NOTE: If desired, cake layers may be wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature overnight, or they may be frozen. Defrost wrapped cake at room temperature before frosting.
• Frosting:.
• Heat cream in a medium-size saucepan just until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla, stirring until mixture is smooth and chocolate is melted. Transfer mixture into a plastic or glass bowl (metal causes the sides to get too cold and set up too quickly.) Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes until mixture is as thick as pudding, about 50 - 60 minutes. At this point the frosting will begin to set up very quickly. Leave in refrigerator and stir every 5 minutes until frosting is a thick as fudge, about 15 more minutes. Alternatively, the frosting may be placed over ice water and stirred constantly until spreading consistency. If it begins to get too thick, immediately remove it from the water.
• To assemble the cake, (make sure cake has cooled and has reached room temperature) place one cake layer top-side down on serving platter. Spread with a third of the frosting and top with second layer, bottom-side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Let stand at room temperature for frosting to set.
• NOTE: The frosted cake may be held at room temperature, uncovered, overnight or refrigerated up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

CHEESE-SWIRLED DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F Coat a 13 X 9 baking pan with nonstick spray.
• Combine cheese, 1 egg, and sugar in small bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in milk and vanilla. Reserve.
• Combine cake mix, 3 eggs, water, and oil in large bowl, using mixer at low speed. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed.
• Pour half the batter into prepared pan. Drizzle with half the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Run knife through batter to make swirls.
• Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cover cake for last 10 minutes if browning too quickly. Cool in pan on wire rack.
• To serve, cut into squares and serve with raspberry sauce.
• Raspberry Sauce:.
• Puree raspberries in blender, Press through sieve to remove seeds.