Page 67 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

L U S C I O U S L A Y E R S 49

3 large eggs
R
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fluffy Chocolate Frosting (page 408)
the Cake Mix Doctor says

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven Adding extra cocoa to a devil’s food
and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously cake recipe can crank up the flavor
grease two 9-inch round cake pans with immensely, but I must play the devil’s
solid vegetable shortening, then dust with advocate, so to speak, here. Cocoa has a
flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the drying effect on cake batter.Adding 1
pans aside. to 2 tablespoons of cocoa to this batter
improves the flavor.A full 3 table -
2. Place the cake mix, cocoa, buttermilk, spoons of cocoa provides a real
punch, but also a drier cake.
oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
Blend with an electric mixer on low speed
for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape
down the sides of the bowl with a rubber
spatula. Increase the mixer speed to 4. Meanwhile, prepare the Fluffy Choco-
medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping late Frosting.
down the sides again if needed. The batter
should look well combined. Divide the bat- 5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a
ter evenly between the prepared pans, serving platter. Spread the top with frost-
smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. ing. Place the second layer, right side up, on
Place the pans in the oven side by side. top of the first layer and frost the top and
sides of the cake with clean, smooth
3. Bake the cakes until they spring back strokes.
when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to
30 minutes. Remove the pans from the Store this cake, in a cake saver or under
oven and place them on wire racks to cool a glass dome, at room temperature for up to
for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1
the edge of each layer and invert each onto week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum
a rack, then invert again onto another rack foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months.
so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator
cool completely, 30 minutes more. before serving.