Eggless Devil's Food Cake

I'm back!!

I hope I don't sound like a Hollywood movie hero(picture Arnold as Terminator! Lol)I really feel so happy to be back to blogging and hope to blog once in a while at least,if not regularly.

So,a lot of things have changed in the past year.2014 was a very very special year for us,with the arrival of our dear Arjun who has made our life worth living for.It was an eventful year but the blog bore the brunt as I struggled with regular everyday cooking,leave along cooking for the blog.Our anniversary,Ajay's birthday went without a cake for the first time in years!

As we start our new life as parents,I hope to contribute a little to the blog as well.Sweet beginnings with something sweet :)

I made this cake a while back for a birthday cake order.All the birthday girl wanted was a double chocolate cake loaded with chocolate chips.I stuck to my foolproof recipe which gives a super moist chocolate cake,each and every time.So when this year,as always,Ajay asked for a chocolate cake for his birthday I remembered this cake.Especially since when I posted a picture of this cake on Instagram,I was loaded with recipe requests for the same.

I chose to name this one a Devil's food cake because of the lovely deep,dark Mahogany colour.

Devil's food cake is generally more moist and airy than other chocolate cakes, and often uses cocoa as opposed to chocolate for the flavor as well as coffee.The lack of melted chocolate and the addition of coffee is typically what distinguishes a Devil's food cake from a chocolate cake, though some recipes call for all, resulting in an even richer chocolate flavor. The use of hot, or boiling water as the cake's main liquid, rather than milk, is also a common difference.Devil's food cake is sometimes distinguished from other chocolate cakes by the use of additional baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) which raises the pH level and makes the cake a deeper and darker mahogany color[source]

Eggless Devil's Food Cake

Ingredients

Maida/All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Cocoa powder - 4 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/4 cup

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Grease/Line an 8' round cake tin.
 
Sift together the dry ingredients - maida,cocoa,baking soda and salt,reserve.

In a mixing bowl add sugar,
 
water,
 
oil,
 
vanilla 
 
and vinegar.

Beat for 1-2 minutes or till the sugar dissolves.


Mix in the sifted dry ingredients,

one tablespoon at a time till you get a smooth lump-free batter. 
 
Pour the prepared batter into the cake tin and tap well on the counter top to eliminate air bubbles. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes or till a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
 
Remove the cake from the tin after 5 minutes and finish cooling on a wire rack.Slice horizontally and fill with a filling of your choice,I chose Chocolate ganache.

For the ganache

Dark chocolate - 400 gms
Cream - 200 ml

Melt together the chocolate 
 
and cream in a microwave for 1 minute.
 
Remove and stir well.
 
If chunks remain,microwave again for another minute.
 
You could strain the ganache if you prefer.Keep the ganache in room temperature for 8-10 hours for it to set well to a consistency wherein you could frost and fill the cake.

This recipe is enough to fill and frost this cake.

*pictures taken with my phone as lack of planning led the battery of my camera to die down and no time to charge before cutting the cake :)