Velvety soft uber-chocolate cake with rich and decadent dark chocolate buttercream frosting makes the most chocolately chocolate cake. This is a very adult version of chocolate cake, with chocolate that isn't too sweet, and the full-bodied flavor of unsweetened cocoa does the heavy lifting. Enjoy!
Chocolate Devil's Food Cake
For Cake:
4 oz butter
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup strong coffee
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream
For Buttercream:
18 oz unsalted butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons salt
For Garnish:
2 oz bittesweet chocolate, grated
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
In a double boiler or in a small pot over low heat, melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cream together the sugars, butter and add the eggs one at a time until a pale yellow (about 2-3 minutes). Add the melted chocolate to the eggs mixture by pouring it in slowly while beating at medium speed. This is to ensure a smooth mixture, rather than scrambling the eggs.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together the coffee and sour cream. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients on low speed, ending on the wet ingredients.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
For the buttercream, add the butter to a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, and whip until soft and smooth. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, mixing until fully incorporated, and then add the agave nectar (or maple syrup), cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Taste for sweetness and add more powdered sugar if necessary.
To finish, place a layer of cake on a plate and coat with 1 inch of buttercream. Use an offset spatula to even it out, then add the other layer. Add a big scoop of buttercream on top of the cake, and using the spatula, smooth the buttercream out until it's coating the cake about a 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Scoop more buttercream on and smooth out if necessary. Top with grated chocolate.
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