Bake That Thing! Sassy Bakes Brings us Runway-Ready Inspired Recipes
This isn’t just cake. It’s Runway.
Yield: Two 20 cm cake layers
Oven Temp: 170°C
Ingredients:
The Cake Batter:
- Dry Ingredients:
- 2¼ cups cake flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda (bicarb)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Wet Ingredients:
- 2 cups white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 120 g soft butter
- 3 large eggs + 1 extra egg yolk
- 3 tsp vanilla essence
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 cup sour cream (room temperature)
- Bloom Liquid:
- 2 tbsp coffee mixed with 1 cup hot water
Chocolate Frosting & Berry Coulis:
- Frosting Ingredients:
- 300 g dark chocolate
- 250 g salted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Berry Coulis Ingredients:
- 250 g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
How To Make Devil’s Food Cake
1. Bake the Foundation
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 170°C and grease/line two 20 cm cake tins.
- Sift: In a large bowl, sift and whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Cream: Beat the butter for 2 minutes until smooth, then gradually add both sugars and beat on high for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Emulsify: Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, mixing well between each, then stir in the vanilla.
- Combine: On low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and the sour cream/oil mixture using a 3:2 ratio (start and end with flour).
- Bloom: Pour the hot coffee mixture into the batter, let it sit for 30 seconds, then gently fold it in.
- Bake: Pour into tins and bake for 40–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
2. Prepare the Frosting & Coulis
- Frosting: Sift cocoa powder and icing sugar. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, chocolate, sugar, and cream until just combined. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and transfer to a glass bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let set at room temperature for 2 hours until thickened.
- Coulis: Combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes until the fruit breaks down and the sauce thickens. Stir in vanilla and strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Let cool completely.
3. The Runway Finish
- Level: Trim the cake layers so they are perfectly flat.
- Stack: Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the first layer to act as a dam, then fill the center with berry coulis before stacking the second layer.
- Decorate: Apply a crumb coat first for a clean look.
- Final Touches: Finish with fresh strawberries, vibrant raspberries, soft whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. For that ultimate high-fashion glow, dust the fruit with edible red glitter.