Heavenly Palate: [Devil's Food Cake] The most chocolatey cake in the whole wide world

I think I've been baking this Devil's Food cake for, at least, each of Mr.D's birthday for past five years.

I guess it became one of our family traditions.

Devil's food cake is a beautiful tall cake with a strong rich chocolate flavour. That is why this cake is one of my favorite cakes, but also this is why I am reluctant to bake it often.

I love it so much that I gobble up two or three slices easily. It can be called a chocolate decadence.
You understand why it is called "Devil's food" cake as soon as you have the very first bite.
A forkful of cake attacks my palate first with its dark chocolate taste, then brings about sensations as it passes by.

Kids look forward to their dad's birthday, mainly because of this Devil's food cake.
Devil's food cake was introducedin the early 20th century and the first printed recipe goes back to as early as 1905. (Source: Judith M. Fertig, All-American Desserts: 400 Star-Spangled, Razzle-Dazzle Recipes for America's Best Loved Desserts.)

I've been using MarthaStewart.com's recipe even though I've wanted to try Jamie Oliver's recipe some time. I think I wrote it before, that I find the recipes that use weights instead of measurements very inconvenient. That would be the main reason I've never tried Jamie Oliver's Devil's food cake recipe.
Anyway, I've been content with the recipe I've used.

Here goes the recipe I almost swear by :)
(Source: Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients

<Cake>
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

<Chocolate Frosting>
24 ounces Nestle semisweet chocolate morsels
4 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

How to make:

1. You need to make frosting first since it takes time to have it cooled.

Place chocolate morsels and cream in a heavy saucepan. I am too lazy to chop chocolates, and thus I use semi-sweet chocolate chip bits.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until combined and thickened, between 20 and 25 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium low; cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.

2. Stir in corn syrup. Transfer frosting to a large metal bowl. Chill until cool enough to spread, about 2 hours, checking and stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. I leave the bowl submerged in the cold water. Use immediately.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange two racks in center of oven.

4. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans or 8-by-8 square pans. I used one 8-inch round pan with two 8' x 8' square pans. (who has three same size round pans?)

Line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms

5. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in boiling water. Set aside to cool.

6. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy.

7. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides a couple of times.

8. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.

9. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture.

10. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter,

starting and ending with flour mixture, i.e. 1/3 flour mixture - 1/2 cocoa mixture -1/3 flour mixture - 1/2 cocoa mixture -1/3 flour mixture.

11. Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans.

12. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking.

Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.

13. If you use the three same round pans, you can skip this step.

But, if you used different sized pans, cut the cake sheet using the round cake ring without bottom as a cake cutter.

Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. :)

Well, actually it doesn't really matter once you spread frosting :)

14. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread generous amount of chocolate frosting over the top. Add the second cake layer, and spread with frosting.