Devil's Fudge Cake

If you have an unshakable craving for deep, rich chocolate and find it difficult to satisfy, then look no further. The CIA's decadent Devil's Fudge Cake can calm the most relentless yearning for chocolate. A true chocolate lover's dream, the dense cake and thick fudgey icing is easy to prepare and quick to assemble.

Directions

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 8-inch cake pans lightly with cooking spray and dust lightly with all-purpose flour.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Add the butter and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the water and blend until a smooth batter forms, another 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder last, mixing on medium speed until evenly blended, 2–3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed while you mix.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake until a skewer inserted near the center of each comes out clean, 40–50 minutes.

Cool the layers in the pans for a few minutes before turning out onto wire racks. Cool completely before filling and icing.

For the icing:
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the cocoa powder and butter on low speed until blended, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to mix until evenly blended, 1–2 minutes. Add the hot water and mix on low speed until evenly blended.

Add the confectioners' sugar, mix on low speed until blended, then increase the speed to medium and whip until the icing is very smooth and light, 2–3 minutes. Use immediately or transfer to a storage container, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

This recipe is from Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America, which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide.

Ingredients

Makes two 8-inch layers
Flourless cooking spray for greasing
All-purpose flour for dusting
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Devil's Fudge Icing
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup hot water
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

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