September 2012 was when one of my closest friends, Nachiketa Chandra of http://thevariable-nachiketa.blogspot.in/ fame was all pack to set sail to the high seas of London to become a professional Pâtissière. How we-Shuchi, Gauri [http://www.backyardbaker.com/] and I let her go without making sure she doesn’t forget us once she has moved to London!! So we decided to make this brief bittersweet parting of in our lives’ paths sweet rather than sad by throwing her a small farewell dinner...after all, she is going to be world famous soon and we all want to be the first ones to taste the sinful masterpieces she conjures up after the professional training (which she doesn’t really need!!!!)!!:-)
Now what does one serve someone whose already such an amazing baker? As I sat conversing with my trustworthy companion, Mr Google and seeking his advice (the poor guy is always there at times like these!) for something that would not make me break into hives while baking, I stumbled upon Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Devil’s Food Cake...something that had been always in the back of my mind to try ever since I had seen her make it in one of her shows on TLC. What attracted me towards it was its simplicity of preparing it and the promise of sheer pure chocolately heaven as the end result! :-)
And not to forget...the NAME! What could be more BEFITTING THAN A DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE FOR THE DEVIL’S REINCARNATION HERSELF, NACHI!!!! [I can hear her say...HOW MEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNN]:-p
Finally all sorted with the ingredients and an idea of decorating the cake like a Galaxy for the Star Guest it was being baked for, I set about with the mixing, whipping, tasting, pouring whiskey (ok couple of sips went into my mouth as well...after all, one has to taste every component while cooking!!!!;-) )
With the cake in the oven, with the warm chocolate scent slowly enveloping the air around me, I started on the frosting..and that’s when disaster struck!! Yes I know! How could it not when it’s me we are talking about right??
The frosting was supposed to be fudgy and gooey..the kind that tempts one to dip a finger into that dense, glossy chocolate and lick your fingers..even if your 50 and not a 5 years old!!
But either I was impatient (nothing surprising about that, is it??) Or I didn't follow the recipe to a T (and nothing surprising in that either!!!)
So to my utter disappointment, the frosting was not thick enough to give me a fudgy look but more of a ganache...tasted fab (after all, its CHOCOLATE) but I wasn't happy....anyways, everyone learns..I learnt to improvise!! :- )
So on went the ganache between the 2 layers after I added some whiskey on the cake and then on top it poured like a curtain of dark brown liquid silk!
I put the cake in the fridge so that it could cool down a bit and the frosting could set..after all, it had gone through a lot in my hands! :-p
Now, the task of turning it into a galaxy cake..so I went hunting into the big bad world of departmental and cake shops for different sized silver edible balls..had this image set in my mind that it would look like a galaxy, covered with planets and stars!
Living in Noida has its disadvantages! All I could find were lousy colored chocolate chips which I find very childish! Ughhhhh
So another minor disappointment and the image in my mind modified yet again of what my cake was suppose to look like:-(
Now, I could have easily left it plain sans decoration but I wanted to make it look a bit special...after all it was for a special lady!! So improvisation time yet again! Out came my little blender, couple of fistfuls of almonds and whizzed into a rough grind! Slapped them around the cake...YIPPPPEEEEEEE....saving grace...the last minute attempt worked and the poor cake looked pretty neat!!!!:-)
We all had a ball with Gauri’s charming hubby, Kartick keeping our glasses full and entertaining us with their “jab we met” storyJ, awesome food prepared by the Princess who Can Cook a.k.a Shuchi and take out from Burmese kitchen!
How the whole dessert tasted? Well, the guest of honour is whipping up sensational desserts in London and the other two ladies are still my friends!!! ;-)
DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE
Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Recipe of Devil’s Food Cake:
Cake Ingredients:
- 50 gram(s) cocoa powder (sifted)
- 100 gram(s) dark muscovado sugar
- 250 ml water (boiling)
- 125 gram(s) unsalted butter (soft - (plus some for greasing))
- 150 gram(s) caster sugar
- 225 gram(s) Plain flour
- ½ teaspoon(s) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon(s) bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
- 2 medium egg(s)
I used Amul butter since I couldn’t find unsalted one and the saltiness of it was a nice offset to the sweetness of the frosting!
Frosting:
- 125 ml water
- 30 gram(s) dark muscovado sugar
- 175 gram(s) unsalted butter (cubed)
- 300 gram(s) dark chocolate (finely chopped)
Used 30 ml whiskey for putting between layers but its totally optional as the cake is super moist without it as well.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
- Line the bottoms of both sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.
- Put the cocoa and 100g dark muscovado sugar into a bowl with a bit of space to spare, and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy by hand or hand mixer/free-stand mixer
- While this is going on – or as soon as you stop if you’re mixing by hand – stir the flour, baking powder and bicarb together in another bowl, and set aside for a moment.
- Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg.
- Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping its bowl well with a spatula.
- Divide this batter between the 2 prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool.
- But as soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on your frosting: put the water, 30g muscovado sugar and 175g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
- When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy.
- Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again –by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.
- Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side down, on a cake stand or plate, and spread with about a third of the frosting, then top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula or a smooth look, anyway you prefer J
Hope you guys would try it at home and do leave your valuable suggestions J
