Devil's Food White-Out Cake

There's only one word to describe this cake: AMAZING! The next thing you should know is that I got this recipe from the book called, Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. If you're a chocolate lover like me, you'll definitely LOVE this cake! On top of that, it's moist, dense, and fluffy with yummy chocolate pieces. When I made it for my brother's birthday, most of the cake was gone in one day! (And trust me, it's a huge 3-layer cake.) On a side note, I didn't make the frosting/filling provided in the book. In fact, Dorie Greenspan says that you can use any thick frosting to fill and frost the layers. I used my own quick and delicious vanilla buttercream frosting (you can even use a whipped cream frosting), and like I said before, the cake tasted amazing!

Ingredients:

For the cake -

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar1/2 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (You can also use semi-sweet baking chocolate instead)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 4 oz semisweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped OR 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  

For the filling and frosting -

• 4 cups icing sugar
  
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup whipping cream or milk
  

1. Center a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8 x 2-inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess, and line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2. To make the cake, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.

4. Add the sugars, and continue to beat for another 3 minutes.

5. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled.

6. Reduce the mixer to low speed, and mix in the melted chocolate. When it's fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk/whole milk (adding the dry ingredients in 3 additions, and the buttermilk/whole milk in 2 additions and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter.

7. At this point, the batter will be thick, like frosting. Still working on low speed, mix in the boiling water, which will thin the batter considerably. Switch to a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, and stir in the chopped chocolate/chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with the rubber spatula.

8. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Don't worry if the tops have a few small cracks.

9. Transfer the cake pans to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes. Then, run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them, and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

10. When you're ready to fill and frost the cake, inspect the layers. If the cakes have crowned, use a long serrated knife and using a gentle sawing motion to even them. With the same knife, slice each cake horizontally in half. Set 3 layers aside, and crumble the fourth layer; set the crumbs aside.

11. To make the filling and frosting, with a mixer (I prefer a hand mixer because it gives me more control), beat the butter until smooth, then add the sugar and beat on medium speed for a few minutes. Finally, add the vanilla and whipping cream/milk and beat until you acquire the desired spreading consistency.

12. To assemble the cake, put the bottom layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or on a cake plat protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Using a long metal icing spatula, cover the layer generously with frosting. Top with a second layer, cut side up, and frost it. Finish with a third layer, cut side down, and frost the sides and top of the cake. Don't worry about smoothing the frosting - it should be swirly. Now, cover the entire cake with the chocolate cake crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs into the filling with your fingers.

13. Refrigerate the cake for about 1 hour before serving. (If it's more convenient, you can chill the cake for 8 hours or more; cover it loosely and keep it away from foods with strong odors.