Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with Cookies 'n Cream Icing

Could the month of May get any busier? Seriously, this is crazy. First Communion, Confirmation, my son's birthday, parents visiting, husband traveling, craft sale, 5th grade Oklahoma! musical, making cookies for the 5th grade Oklahoma! musical cast party, 5th grade graduation, Faculty Appreciation Luncheon, hockey, lacrosse, piano, making scones for the church tea, renovating a kitchen, planning vacation...I'm certain I left out a dozen more things.

Even so, the baking must go on. (It's just the blogging about it that goes by the wayside.) This one, however, just couldn't wait.

The devil's food cake recipe comes from the Sky High Cookbook. (Would you please just go out and get this book already!) The cake itself was so delicious! It was soft and light and moist, with a fine crumb. Unbelievably good. Just look at that crumb...(below)

There's no way you're getting that from a boxed cake mix.

And the icing - Light, creamy, smooth and delicious, it tasted just like cookies and cream ice cream. I used my favorite vanilla buttercream recipe and added crushed Oreos - maybe one row of the cookies in the package - don't be shy...I almost wish I had added more to the icing. I'll be dreaming about this in my sleep - oh, that's right- there's no time for sleep! It's May!

Devil’s Food Cake
From Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne
Makes an 8-inch triple layer cake

Note: I cut the cake recipe in half and made two 6-inch round layers and 8 cupcakes. Baking times need to be adjusted for different size pans.

1 cup of unsweetened cocoa, not Dutch process
1 ¼ cups of hot water
3 cups of light brown sugar; packed
2 2/3 cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon of salt
9 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature [2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons]
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
¾ cup of cold water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and grease the paper as well.

Place the cocoa in a medium bowl and add the hot water. Whisk until smooth and let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low blend to combine. Add the butter and the dissolved cocoa. Then raise the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and cold water until combined. Add this liquid to the batter in three additions scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Divide the batter among the three pans.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a cakes tester inserted into the almost comes out clean. There should be a few crumbs attached still. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes. Then invert and remove parchment paper and cool completely on a wire rack.


Cookies and Cream Buttercream Frosting
adapted from Katherine Seeley/Fine Cooking

Note: I made a single batch of the icing and had some leftover. Not much is worse than not having enough icing. Better to make too much than have too little. The extra icing will keep in the freezer.

Yields 7-1/2 to 8 cups enough to fill and frost a 9-inch four-layer cake or about 5 dozen cupcakes

5 large egg whites
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
1 lb., 4 oz. (2-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbs. vanilla extract

about 20 Oreo cookies, crushed with some bigger pieces remaining

Place the egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium-high speed until foamy. Sprinkle in 6 Tbs. of the sugar and beat on high speed to medium peaks (the whites should be smooth, full, and shiny, and the peaks should curl a little). Turn off the mixer.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar and the corn syrup in a medium (3-quart) saucepan over medium high heat, stirring briefly to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook just until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Immediately remove the syrup from the heat, turn the mixer onto medium-high speed, and slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl in a steady stream, being very careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk.

Reduce the speed to medium and continue whisking until the whites are barely warm, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butter 1 Tbs. at a time. Add the vanilla and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and creamy. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies.