Devil's Food Cake with Seven-Minute Frosting

Happy 15th Birthday Nurul Hanisah! Ummi and Ayah love you!

This entry is long overdue. I bought MS’ latest book entitled Martha Stewart’s Cakes (2013) at MPH three days before my lovely girl, Nurul Hanisah’s 15 birthday. There are more than 150 scrumptious recipes on cakes, frostings, fillings and decorative tips. I enjoy looking at the images of the delicacies Martha has presented in the book.

Since Nurul Hanisah turned 15 on the 29^th October, I decided to bake the Devil’s Food Cake and topped it with the Seven-Minute Frosting. I did not really follow the exact measurement of the recipe. My reason was not wanting to waste the leftovers i.e. the sour cream, which I used the whole tub of 250 gram instead of 1 cup. Since I did not have cocoa powder, I used chocolate powder instead. Whatever it was, the cake was fantastic and undeniably delicious. We really enjoyed it. The Seven-Minute Frosting was gooey like marshmallow. It was a decadent treat!

Devil’s Food Cake (adapted from MS’):

339 g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup chocolate powder

1 cup boiling water

250 g sour cream

450 g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

470 g sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.     Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper.

2.   In a medium sized bowl, whisk boiling water into chocolate powder until smooth. Then whisk in sour cream.

3.     Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4.  Beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy on medium-high speed of the electric mixer, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each.

5.    Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of chocolate mixture; beat on low speed until combined. Beat in vanilla extract.

6.    Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake (rotating halfway through) until a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool completely.

7.     Spread the Seven-Minute frosting in between layers, over the top and sides of cake, using an offset spatula.

Seven-Minute Frosting (makes about 5 cups and enough to frost the cake)

1 ½ cup sugar

5 large egg whites

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I added:

2 teaspoons strawberry paste

1 drop of red food colouring

1)   In a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pan of simmering water (double boiling method), whisk together sugar, egg whites, and corn syrup until warm and sugar is dissolved. The mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between the fingers. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

2)   With an electric mixer on high speed, beat about 7 minutes till stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in vanilla, strawberry paste and red food colouring.

3)    Use the frosting immediately (it will set onced cool and it will be difficult to spread).