Let me answer a few devil’s food questions.
What is the difference between chocolate cake and devil’s food cake?
Devil’s food cake is richer, darker, and fluffier thanks to the use of Dutch-processed cocoa powder and some baking soda. The extra baking soda in a devil’s food cake increases the cake’s pH level, which adds more bubbles during the baking process. This is what makes the cake fluffy and airy.
Now, how about this Dutch-processed cocoa powder?
Dutch-processed cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent, to reduce the cocoa’s natural acidity. So, Dutch-processed cocoa tastes less bitter than natural cocoa. Although all cocoa powders can vary in color from light reddish brown to a richer dark brown, the Dutch-process gives the powder a noticeably darker hue. Dutch-process cocoa has a smoother, more mellow flavor.
Here, I bake cupcakes instead of a full cake with Zoë François’ recipe, as she suggests as an option in her recipe. The formula of Dutch-processed cocoa + tangy buttermilk + bittersweet coffee combine to make rich and lovely cupcakes.
I choose cream cheese frosting to top these lovely cakes.
After the long, patient mixing of the frosting, I’m surprised how I’ve achieved true smoothness. No more sticking to the paddle. It’s fine to put the mixer bowl filled with the frosting into the refrigerator for an amount of time, because I don’t need that mixer bowl anymore.
The cupcake batter is combined in a bowl, by hand. It’s always a relief, hands-on.
The color of the combined dry flour and sugar and cocoa is actually gray. Interesting. But, once the liquids are mixed in, the batter becomes a deep chocolate color.
After baking the cupcakes for 20 minutes, I have 12 lovely, smooth, uniform domes. I let them sit and cool for three hours, while the frosting chills in the refrigerator. The chilled frosting behaves as it should -- it pipes decoratively and spreads evenly.
I manage to shave some bits of chocolate from a bittersweet bar, to sprinkle atop some of my cupcakes.
I take a bite of cupcake and gasp. I’m holding my breath, wallowing in the pleasures of sweet, creamed frosting, of fluffy chocolate darkened black. This is the kind of cupcake that I dream about. I dream about waking up to eat yet another.
Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is Zoë Bakes Cakes by Zoē François. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!
Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.
The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.
It is a new year and a new book - Zoë Bakes Cakes - and our choices for February 2022 were ~
Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake
- All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
- A Day in the Life on the Farm
- My Recipe Reviews
- A Little Bit of All Right
- Camille Cooks
- Amandie Bakes
Black Forest Cake
Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Raspberry Charlotte Royale
- Note: No group members choose this cake to bake
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