Top Tier Devils Food Cake With Sour Cream Fudge Frosting

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE-SOUR CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Bring 1 1/4 cups water and the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa and vanilla, and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute between each addition. Reduce the mixer to low and beat in the flour in four additions. Carefully pour the hot milk mixture into the batter. Use a rubber spatula to stir until smooth. Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans and lightly tap the pans on the counter.
• Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from sides of the pan and the centers spring back to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto the rack and cool completely.
• For the frosting: Bring about 1-inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Put the milk and semisweet chocolates in a heatproof bowl that sits comfortably in the saucepan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate completely melts and is smooth. Let cool slightly and then stir in the sour cream, coffee and vanilla until smooth. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the frosting is silky and fluffy. (Use the frosting right away as it will become firm as it sits.)
• Put one cake layer on a serving plate or platter spread about one-third of the frosting all the way to the edge of the cake. Put the second cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

"TOP TIER" DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH SOUR CREAM-FUDGE FROSTING

Steps:

• For cake:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter two 5-inch cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; butter parchment. Combine cocoa powder and milk chocolate in medium bowl. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over; whisk until mixture is smooth. Whisk in buttermilk.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add flour and cocoa mixtures; beat until blended (batter will be thin). Divide batter between pans.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, 28 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks; peel off parchment. Turn over; cool on racks.
• For frosting:
• Place chocolate in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Add butter and stir until melted, then add sour cream and corn syrup and whisk until smooth. Let frosting stand at room temperature until thick enough to spread, about 20 minutes.
• Using serrated knife, trim top of cakes to make level. Cut each cake horizontally in half. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on platter. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over, leaving 1/2-inch border. Top with second cake layer, cut side down. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over, leaving 1/2-inch border. Top with third cake layer, cut side up. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over, leaving 1/2-inch border. Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread 1/3 cup frosting over top and sides. Chill until frosting is set, about 30 minutes. Keep remaining frosting at room temperature.
• Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.
• Arrange roses atop cake and serve.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of two greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper., In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream and water, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool completely., For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. In a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add chocolate mixture, beating until light and fluffy. Spread between layers and over top and sides of cake.

FUDGY DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Butter parchment; dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. Whisk in sour cream; let cool, then whisk in chocolate. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition; scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans (or muffin tins lined with paper liners); smooth with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (18 to 20 minutes for cupcakes).
• Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto rack; peel off parchment. Re-invert cakes; let cool completely, top sides up.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cake layers to level. Transfer a cake layer to a cake turntable or platter to frost. Using an offset spatula, spread 3/4 cup frosting on top. Set remaining cake layer into place.
• Spread remaining frosting over entire cake, swirling to coat. Serve immediately, or cover with a cake dome and refrigerate; let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

DEVIL'S FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Coat 2 8-inch pans with cooking spray with flour in it.
• Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of mixer fitted with the whisk atttachment.
• On low speed add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Add the butter and mix for 2 minutes, until smooth.
• Add the water and mix for 2 minutes, until smooth.
• Add the cocoa and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until evenly mixed throughout.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each ingredient addition.
• Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.
• Cool completely before filling or icing; you may even wish to refrigerate the layers for a couple of hours.