Everyday Cocoa Cake Food

THIRTY MINUTE COCOA CAKE WITH QUICK COCOA FROSTING

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup butter or margarine, 1/4 cup cocoa, and water. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, soda, and cinnamon. Add cocoa mixture to flour mixture, and blend. Beat together eggs and buttermilk, and blend into batter thoroughly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour batter into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Frosting: Five minutes before cake is done, combine 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer about 3 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending until smooth. Spread immediately over hot cake in pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

COCOA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Using a spoon, make 3 wells in the dry ingredients. Pour oil into the first, vinegar into another and vanilla into the third. Slowly pour water over all. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined (batter will be thin). , Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

EVERYDAY BROWNIES

Steps:

• It's not as if I were short of a brownie recipe or two: I have over the years made them on easy autopilot; but I am no less grateful for this everyday, no-notice version. They are less extravagant - I use cocoa powder in place of the good-quality chocolate, and stud the mixture with a newstand's or convenience store's bar or two of milk chocolate - although to taste them, you would never, never guess. They ooze with such dark elegance and deep, deep chocolatiness.
• This is the recipe you turn to when a child or colleague informs you last thing that you're expected to bake something for a bake sale tomorrow. You can just smile serenely and head for the cupboard. If you're working from a more restrained array, so are clean out of light brown sugar, and there's no chance to nip to a convenience store for the chocolate, then just use 1 1/2 cups regular white sugar and up the butter to 1 1/2 and the cocoa to a heady 1 cup.
• A final note or, rather, nag: when I say cocoa powder, I do mean unsweetened cocoa; do not under any circumstance ever substitute drinking chocolate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a medium-sized saucepan.
• When it's melted, add the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (still over a low heat) to help it blend with the melted butter.
• Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and pinch of salt, and then stir into the pan; when mixed (this will be a very dry mixture, and not wholly blended at this stage), remove from the heat.
• In a bowl or jug, whisk the eggs with the vanilla extract and then mix into the brownie mixture in the pan.
• Stir in the chopped chocolate and quickly pour and scrape into a foil-lined baking tin or disposable foil pan, spreading the mixture with a spatula, and cook in the preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. It will look set, dark and dry on top, but when you feel the surface, you will sense it is still wibbly underneath and a cake tester will come out gungy. This is desirable.
• Transfer the pan to a rack to cool a little before cutting into 16 pieces and dusting with confectioners' sugar. I love these gorgeously warm. But then again, I love them cold, too. Actually, when cold they are properly speaking more brownie-like: gooily tender within and moreishly chewy on top.
• Make Ahead Note: The brownies can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in airtight container. Will keep for total of 5 days.
• Freeze Note: The brownies can be frozen for up to 3 months in airtight container, layered with baking parchment. Thaw overnight in cool place.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
• Spread batter into prepared pan. Tap pan firmly on countertop several times to force out large air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely (bottom side up). Set rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour glaze over; spread gently to coat entirely. Let stand until set. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve with whipped cream.

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

EVERYDAY COCOA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.
• Add flour mixture and water alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing just until combined.
• Pour batter into cake pan and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in pan 1 hour. Invert onto a rack, then turn right side up and dust with confectioners sugar.

VELVET COCOA CAKE WITH INSTANT BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Beat in vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape bowl as needed.
• Pour batter into pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before inverting cakes onto rack to cool completely.
• Make the buttercream: In mixing bowl, beat butter and marshmallow cream until fluffy. Beat in cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. If too thin, refrigerate about 5 minutes.
• Place one layer on platter. Spread top with 1 cup buttercream. Place second layer on top. Frost entire cake with remaining buttercream.

COCOA FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour baking pan.
• 13x9x2 or 2 round layer pans, 8 or 9x1 1/2 inches.
• Measure all ingredients into mixing bowl.
• Blend 1/2 minute on low speed blending constantly.
• Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Pour into pan(s).
• Bake oblong 35 to 40 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Can frost with your favorite frosting if desired.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9x9-inch square pan with parchment paper, set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the sugars and oil for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing well after each addition. Pour in the vanilla, buttermilk and hot water. Mix until combined.
• Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift cocoa powder over top. Mix until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Pour into prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top springs back when touched (or a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean).
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• For the frosting: in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
• Carefully add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla and salt, beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Spread over the cooled cake. Top with desired garnishes.

EVERYDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar.
• Add eggs, beating in 1 at a time.
• Stir in vanilla and grate in a little fresh nutmeg.
• Combine dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) together in a separate bowl.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in part of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then add some of the milk, then stir in more of the flour mixture, repeating until everything has been added, beating after each addition by hand.
• Pour into a greased cake pan (square 9inch) and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Let cool, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.