Chocolate Heaven

This is a recipe for the best chocolate cake that I have ever had! It's called Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Mousse Buttercream icing. I got the recipe from this great cookbook called Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Cookbook by Jill O'Connor.
Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients. For the cake you will need:
1/3 cup of Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted
4 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 and 1/4 cups CAKE flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Light grease two 9-inch round pans.

2) Combine the cocoa and the chocolate. Pour in the boiling water and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla and then let the mixture cool down. Then stir in the buttermilk.

3) In another bowl use a mixture to mix the butter and oil together until light and fluffy. Add in the sugars and beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each add each egg. This bowl is going to be referred to as the batter.

4)Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and beat at a low speed for a few seconds, until just combined. Now beat in half of the chocolate mixture and beat for just a few seconds. Next beat in another 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then add the rest of the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Finally fold in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture by hand, using a whisk or rubber spatula. Mix until no streaks of flour remain.

5) Finally divide the mixture between the prepared pans. Bake around 25-30 minutes until a wooden tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.


Now for the frosting. I forgot to take a picture of it too! You will need:
6 large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
6 sticks of cold unsalted butter
8-12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, melted

Directions:
1) We need to prepare the butter. You will need to unwrap the butter and rewrap them loosely in plastic wrap. Then pound the butter 5 or 6 times with a rolling pin or until it is soft and malleable. Set this aside it will be needed later.
2) Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cocoa in a metal bowl.
3) Fill a large pan or skillet with water and bring to a simmer on medium-high. Place mixing bowl in water and whisk the mixture until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is fluffly and hot, around 3-4 minutes.
4) Remove bowl from water and beat at medium-high speed until the eggs triple in volume and form soft peaks. The bottom of bowl will cool to touch. It will take around 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
5) Now we start adding the butter 2 tablespoons at a time to the bowl of eggs while we are still mixing at a medium-high speed. Beat in each time before adding the next. NOTE: Don't panic it the mixture starts to look too liquidy while you are adding the butter, by the time you beat in the last of the butter everything will be fine.
6) When you are finished mixing in the last of the butter the mixture will look smooth and glossy with a subtle brown tint from the cocoa. Turn off the mixer. Now you will add in about 2/3 of the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula. After fully mixed in, taste the frosting. Add as much of the remaining chocolate as you want for an even richer, denser buttercream. Make sure the cake is completely cool and then frost it.


I know this seems like a lot of work for a cake, but this is seriously the best chocolate cake that I have ever eatten. It is well worth the time it takes to complete it. If you make this everyone who tastes is sure to notice and fall in love with the taste.

Sunny & Star