Eat Pray Love – Devil’s Food Layer Cake
My girlfriend Magi was thumbing through my Tartine cookbook one evening and the Devil’s Food Layer Cake caught her eye. She would be graduating from Yoga Teacher Training and I volunteered to make the cake for the reception after the ceremony. The ceremony, held at Yoga Tree's Castro studio, was simple and beautiful. Students dressed in white, wearing their beads. Friends and family sat along the perimeter of the walls, encircling the students. Rose petals were scattered about the hardwood floors and sunlight thinly filtered through the high windows bringing a feeling of warmth and openness into the room. It was truly a special honor to be part of it.
The cake was a hit! Needless to say, it was another fantastic recipe. Think of an intense chocolate explosion with layers of chocolate cake, ganache, and caramel. Once the layers were assembled, I decorated the top with left over ganache piped through a plastic bag. I started out wanting to do a five-point flower that then just turned into a lacy pattern across the top of the cake. I went all out for this one, buying a cake box and doily to present the cake in.
This may sound like a no-brainer for bakers but through this recipe I learned to cut the top off the cake, then when assembling, invert it such that the bottom surface is what you use for the top layer to ensure that your cake has the flattest surface. It was really an aha! moment for me, whose only baking experience had to do with lopsided Betty Crocker cakes.
Devil's Food Layer Cake for Magi's graduation
Taste: Dark and rich flavor
Ease of recipe: Medium
Time: 3-4 Hours
Total calories* per recipe: 11,655 (12-16 servings) <--highlight this area with your cursor to see the calories
* Calories based on recipe calculator from MyFitnessPal.com