---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
  
       Title: VELVET DEVIL'SFOOD LAYER CAKE W/COFFEE BUTTER
  Categories: Cakes, Chocolate
       Yield: 12 Servings
  
     1/2 c  Nonalkalized cocoa, such as
            -Hershey’s measured by spoon
            -and-sweep
       2 ts Instant espresso or instant
            -coffee
       1 c  Boiling water
       2 ts Pure vanilla extract
      12 tb Butter; unsalted, softened-
            -1-1/2 sticks
   1 1/4 c  Sugar
       2    Large eggs; room temperature
   1 1/4 c  All-purpose flour; measured
            -by dip-and-sweep
     1/2 ts Baking soda
     1/2 ts Salt
            H
            COFFEE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
       1 tb Instant coffee (preferably
            -espresso
       1 tb Coffee liqueur
       1 tb Pure vanilla extract
     1/2 lb Butter; softened (unsalted -
            -2 sticks
       2 c  Confectioner’s sugar
       2 tb Beaten egg or pasteurized
            -egg, or 1 beaten egg yolk
  
   1. For the cake, adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350
   degrees.  Grease two 8x1-1/2 round baking pans with shortening. Line pan
   bottoms with waxed or parchment paper; grease paper as well. Dust with
   flour; tap out excess. 2. Mix cocoa and instant coffee in small bowl; add
   boiling water and mix until smooth. Cool to room temperature, then stir in
   vanilla. 3. Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer set at medium-high speed
   (#4 on Kitchen Aid) until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds. Gradually
   sprinkle in sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3 to 5
   minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
   4. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. With mixer on lowest
   speed, add about 1/3 of thedry ingredients to batter, followed immediately
   by about 1/3 of cocoa mixture; mix until ingredients are almost
   incorporated into batter. Repeat process twice more. When batter appears
   blended, stop mixer and scrape bowl sides with rubber spatula. Return mixer
   to low speed; beat until batter looks satiny, about 15 seconds longer. 5.
   Divide batter evenly between pans.  With rubber spatula, run batter to pan
   sides and smooth top.  Bake cakes until the feel firm in center when
   lightly pressed and skewer come out lcean or with just a crumb or two
   adhering, 23 to 30 minutes.  Transfer pans to wire racks; cool for 10
   minutes.  Run knife around perimeter of each pan, invert cakes onto racks,
   and peel off paper liners. Reinvert cakes onto additional racks; cool
   completely before frosting. 6. For the buttercream frosting, mix instant
   coffee, coffee liqueur, and vanilla in a small cup until coffee dissolves;
   set aside.  Beat butter in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed
   until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add coffee mixture and egg to frosting; beat
   until frosting mounds around beaters in a fluffy mass, 3 to 5 minutes
   longer.  Use a long metal spatula to spread a portion of the frosting on
   the first cake layer. Top with the second layer; frost the top of this
   layer, then the sides.  Once the sides are frosted, use the metal spatula
   to smooth the frosting on the cake top. Proceed to decorate as desired -
   combing, swirling, stippling, or using a pastry bag.
   
   From Cook’s Illustrated July/Aug issue.
   
   Formatted for MM by Pegg Seevers
  
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