Devil’s Food Cake	Devil’s Food Cake

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Devil’s Food Cake

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 28, 2010

Yield: 10 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour

• 7 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp buttermilk, divided

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp vanilla

• Buttercream frosting (see recipe)

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Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

In the large bowl of electric mixer, combine flour, shortening, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. Add 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Beat 2 to 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. Stir baking soda and vanilla into the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk; add in 2 parts, scraping the bowl after each addition. (Batter will be thin.) Beat at medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven about 27 minutes or until cakes begin to pull away from the side of the pans, and the center springs back when touched lightly. Turn out onto a cake rack immediately; invert onto a second rack, right side up. Let cool completely before assembling and frosting.

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buttercream frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

• 2 1/2 cups lightly packed powdered sugar

• 5 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening

• Vanilla to taste

Combine ingredients. Beat 1 minute, then scrape bowl. Beat at high speed for 10 to 15 minutes. If frosting is too soft to hold its shape, beat in additional powdered sugar to desired consistency.

Yield: About 4 cups