Best Grandma Willies Prize Winning Devils Food Cake Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• Sift flour, baking soda and salt, once then set aside. With an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat butter until soft and light. Add sugar and continue beating until very light, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate, then eggs, 1 at a time. Continue beating until light and smooth.
• Beat in half the sour cream, then half the flour mixture, scraping bowl and beater(s). Repeat with remaining sour cream and flour mixture, scraping again. Combine vanilla and boiling water and gently beat into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until firm and well risen. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool on a rack. For the frosting, combine all ingredients in bowl of mixer. Whisk to combine then place over a pan of simmering water, gently whisking until mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved. Use electric mixer on medium speed to beat until cooled, but not dry. To finish, cover top and side of cake with frosting, swirling it from the center outward.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside a 16-inch round cake pan and place inside. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter. Dust with flour and tap out any excess. Set aside. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside. Combine the cocoa and the warm water in a medium sized bowl, whisk until smooth. In another medium sized bowl whisk the buttermilk, water and vanilla, set aside. Add the softened butter to the bowl of a standard mixer. Add the white sugar and the light brown sugar, beat with the paddle until very light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Break 4 eggs into a small bowl. On low speed, add 1 egg at a time to the bowl. Add the additional eggs only after each is well combined. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Raise the speed to medium, beat 1-minute until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa mixture, beat on low speed until just combined. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately: 3 additions of flour, 2 of the buttermilk. I do this visually, a little more than 1 cup of flour, then about 1 cup of the buttermilk mixture, then repeating. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition. The batter will be smooth. Gently fold in the grated chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven until done, about 45 minutes. Do not over bake, the cake will fall firm in the center. Cool. Turn the cake over onto your work surface. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Fill the cake with Chocolate Cream Filling. Top the cake with Thick and Rich Chocolate Glaze.
• Warm the heavy cream in a heavy stainless pot. Add the chopped chocolate and butter. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is almost melted. Take off the heat, and stir until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate until cold. Whip until light and fluffy. Place the bottom layer of the devil's food cake on a cardboard cake circle. Top with the cream filling. Place the other cake layer on top. Press down gently with your hands. Finish the cake with the Thick and Rich Chocolate Glaze.
• Warm with heavy cream, in a heavy stainless pot until warm. Add the chopped chocolate and the butter. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is almost melted. Take off the heat and stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Whisk and pour over the filled cake when it has slightly thickened. Smooth with a spatula. For a perfect finish, refrigerate the cake with one coat of glaze on top. When cold and set, add another portion of glaze and smooth nicely with a spatula. Make sure that the second coat of glaze has not hardened. If so, reheat only for a few seconds to the desired consistency.

THE ULTIMATE DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment. Stir together boiling water, cocoa, and chocolate in a bowl. Let cool 10 minutes. Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in another bowl.
• In a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla, then chocolate mixture. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in two additions, alternating with sour cream, until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a tester inserted in centers comes out with moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack, top-sides up; let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they're level.
• Line the edges of a cake stand or plate with strips of parchment. Place one cake layer on stand, trimmed-side up, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream evenly over top. Top with remaining cake layer, trimmed-side down.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream over top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (this ensures a crumb-free finish). Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides. Cake can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.

GRANDMA WILLIE'S PRIZE WINNING DEVIL,S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Sift flour with sugar, soda, and salt. Stir shortening to soften.
• Add flour mixture, 1 cup milk, and vanilla mix until flour is dampened. Then beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer or 300 vigorous strokes by hand.
• Add eggs, melted chocolate and remaining 1/3 cup milk beat 1 minute longer with mixer or 150 strokes by hand.
• Pour into two greased and floured 9 inch layer pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
• Cool 10 minutes in pans, remove from pans and cool thoroughly on racks.
• This cake may also be baked at 350 degrees in three 8 inch layer pans about 30 minutes.