Devils Food Cake Alton Brown

CHOCOLATE FROSTING FOR DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Beat the butter and mayonnaise in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on high, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer on low, slowly add the melted chocolate. Continue mixing on low speed until all of the chocolate is incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Turn off the mixer and add one-third of the sugar. Mix on low to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat until all of the sugar has been incorporated. Add the salt and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth and lightens slightly in color, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 hours or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before using chilled frosting.

GOOD EATS POUND CAKE - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Liberally butter two 9x5 loaf pans, or one 9" tube pan. Add the flour and coat all surfaces (if using loaf pans, simply place one on top of the other and shake vigorously). Discard any excess flour.
• Warm the butter to 65-70F (about 3 hours at room temperature). Place sugar and butter in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (placing the butter on top of the sugar helps keep it from flying all over your kitchen). Mix on medium for a full 5 minutes.
• With the mixer turned down to low, add eggs one at a time, waiting 20-30 seconds after each addition, until the egg is fully incorporated and emulsified before adding the next. Add vanilla and salt.
• With the mixer still on low, add 1/3 of the flour. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the next 1/3 of the flour. When that's fully incorporated, scrape down again and add the last of the flour. When fully incorporated, scrape down a third time, then beat on medium for 30 seconds.
• Using a scale, pour 2 lbs of batter into each loaf pan (or pour the whole thing into the tube pan). Smooth the top lightly; it doesn't need to be perfect. Bake about 1 hour, until the internal temperature is 210F and the cakes are golden-brown.
• Place the cakes, in their pans, on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place bake on rack for at least another 10 minutes. Store loosely wrapped in a towel at room temperature for up to 3 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months. (It's very good toasted, right out of the freezer; one cycle thaws, and another toasts.).

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (8- by 2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms of each with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together boiling water and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla. 3Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
• Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled).
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean and layers begin to pull away from sides of pans, 20 to 25 minutes total. Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove wax paper, and cool completely.
• Put 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on a cake plate and spread with about 1 cup buttercream. Top with another cake layer, rounded side up, and spread with another cup buttercream. Top with remaining cake layer and frost top and sides of cake with remaining buttercream.

RED VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper round, spray the parchment with nonstick spray, and set aside.
• Whisk the flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Combine the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until lightened in color, 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Return the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the eggs and beat until they are fully incorporated.
• With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 installments, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each installment. Mix on low speed until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until the cake springs back when pressed or reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pans and cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.
• Combine the cream cheese and butter on medium speed, just until blended, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches, beating until smooth between each addition. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes before using.