Baked Devils Food Cake Donuts

BAKED DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE DONUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously grease a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, the egg, and the oil and whisk until batter is smooth. Pour the batter into a zip top bag, snip the corner and pipe the batter into the donut tin. Bake for 10 minutes. After the donuts have cooled for a few minutes, invert them onto a cooling rack. Make the glaze: whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. Dip the donut in the glaze. Let the excess drip off the donut and place back on the rack.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

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

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch round pans.
• In a small pan melt the butter or margarine with the unsweetened chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Cream together the sugar and the eggs until light in color. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and temper mixture by beating well (so you don't end up with scrambled eggs!) Add 1 cup boiled water (still warm) and blend well. Mixture will be very liquid.
• Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture to the chocolate mixture and blend well.
• Mix together the vinegar and the milk and stir into the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan(s).
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cake divides well for filling with mousse, or ganache, or black forest fillings. The best clue to this cake being nearly done is that you will start to smell the aroma of chocolate filling your house!

DEVIL'S FOOD DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Place potatoes and 3 1/4 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; drain, reserving liquid. Return potatoes to saucepan. Using a whisk, mash potatoes over medium-high heat until dry, about 1 minute. Set 1 cup potatoes aside; reserve remainder for another use.
• Place yeast in bowl of an electric mixer; pour 3/4 cup reserved potato liquid over yeast. Sprinkle granulated sugar over yeast; let dissolve, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup cake flour; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm place until surface is covered with bubbles, about 30 minutes.
• Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler, and set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring with a rubber spatula, until melted and smooth.
• Place 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon reserved potato liquid in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and stir in the baking soda and cocoa powder until combined. Add the melted chocolate, the reserved cup mashed potato, confectioners sugar, and salt; stir to combine.
• Add potato mixture, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, and remaining 1/2 cup cake flour to yeast mixture. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed until flour has been moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium high; mix until thoroughly combined, 1 minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; mix on low speed 30 seconds. Increase speed to high; mix another 30 seconds; the dough will be very sticky.
• Lightly oil a large bowl; set aside. Sift an even layer of all-purpose flour over a clean work surface. Turn dough out onto floured surface, and gather into a ball. Transfer dough to oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn out dough onto floured surface, and fold in half, deflating dough. Return dough to oiled bowl, re-cover, and set aside to rise until doubled in size again, about 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a low-sided six-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 375 degrees. Lightly dust a baking pan with flour, and line a second one with paper towels; set both aside.
• Sift a light coat of flour onto a clean work surface. Turn out dough. Sift another layer of flour over dough. Roll into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch doughnut cutter, cut out doughnuts as close together as possible, dipping the cutter in flour before each cut. Transfer the doughnuts to the floured baking pan, and set aside 10 minutes, but not more.
• Gently pull on sides of the doughnuts, slightly enlarging holes. Working in batches of four, transfer doughnuts to oil, and cook until tops have expanded and cracked slightly, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, turn doughnuts over, and cook 1 minute more. Transfer doughnuts to lined baking pan, and set aside until cool enough to handle. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
• Gather remaining dough scraps into a ball. Let rest 10 minutes; pat into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut, let rest 10 minutes, and cook.
• While still warm, coat doughnuts with chocolate glaze, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios or coconut, if desired. Transfer to a wire rack to set, and serve.