This is a print preview of "Red Eye Devil's Food Cake" recipe.

Red Eye Devil's Food Cake Recipe
by Monte Mathews

I

know Andrew is good, I mean really good. But his baking skills really hit an

all-time personal best with the making of this sinfully rich, fudgy,

bittersweet cake. As Melissa Clark, who

co-wrote “The Perfect Finish” (W.W. Norton and Co. (2010) the cookbook it came

from wrote, “If this is not the ultimate birthday cake, I can’t imagine what

is.” Its inventor is a pastry chef named

Bill Yosses. While his may not be a household name, in one household, he was

the king of all pastries. That household was the White House, where he presided

as Pastry Chef for both the Bush Family and the Obamas. Chef Yosses trained in France and then was

scooped up by Daniel Boulud and later, Thomas Keller. From there he went on to work at Bouley

Restaurant and Bakery. Chef Yosses left

the White House in June, a departure he says was “all Michelle Obama’s fault.”

The First Lady, it seems, piqued his interest in the relationship between food

and health. “Mrs. Obama’s quest to improve the way children eat was done “ with

humor and good will, without preaching, just the way you would hope the

‘Mom-in-chief’ would do,” he said. Yosses said Mrs. Obama is “definitely an

inspiring boss, a combination of spontaneity and seriousness.” She inspired the Chef to such an extent that

he’s headed back to New York to educate children about nutrition. But I am sure he’ll be forever remembered

there for his Red Eye Devil’s Food Cake alone.

Why “Red Eye”, you may wonder ?

Pastry Chef Bill Yosses

The Bridgehampton Florist's Incomparable

Birthday Party Decorations in our Garden

above and at left.

Chef

Yosses updated the American Classic Devil’s Food Cake with a double shot of

expresso. He took the name “Red Eye”

from Expresso Coffee Bars. Now coffee in a chocolate cake isn’t new. But in this case, the cake itself has slightly

bitter edge. Then, the coffee-enhanced

cocoa layers are separated by layers of a glorious bittersweet chocolate ganache. This is no half-hour-in-the-kitchen

cake. I reckon a half hour alone was

spent curling the block of bittersweet chocolate that decorates the top and

sides of this 6 layer cake. This

is truly a labor of love. In this case,

we were celebrating the birthday of a dear friend named Huey, whom we adore, and whose

birthday was cause for a great celebration.

I shared the “Best Ever Ribs” recipe that we served at the same

party last week. I also want to share the

spectacular décor that Jim and Michael of The Bridgehampton Florist

(631-537-7766) put together in the garden.

I cannot tell you how happy Huey was with the party. And it was truly beautiful as you can

see. And here’s the recipe:

Recipe for Red Eye Devil’s Food Cake from Bill

Yosses.

This

is listed as taking 50 mins to prepare with a total of 2 hrs. 30 minutes for

the whole process. (I think that’s on

the low side…). As does the “Serves 10”…very big cake fans.

For the Devil's

waxed paper rounds and butter the rounds.

2. Sift the flour, baking

soda, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Set

aside.

3. Place the cocoa in a small

bowl and whisk in the coffee, a little at a time, until smooth.

4. In the bowl of an electric

mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy, then

beat in the sugar. Mix on high speed until very light and fluffy, 6 to 8

minutes.

5. Add half the flour mixture

to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Add the

eggs, 1 at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Add the

cocoa-coffee mixture and beat to incorporate. Add the remaining flour mixture

and mix just until incorporated.

6. Divide the batter evenly

between the 2 pans and bake on the center rack, turning the pans from back to

front during the baking, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the

cakes comes out completely clean, about 45 minutes.

7. Let the cakes cool in the

pans on racks for about 30 minutes. Slide a thin knife or offset spatula around

the sides of the pans and turn them over to unmold the cakes onto the racks.

Carefully peel the parchment or waxed paper rounds from the bottoms of the

cakes and allow the cakes to cool completely, at least 30 to 40 minutes more.

Cover and refrigerate the layers. This will make the cake less crumbly and

easier to slice when cutting the layers.

While the cake is baking:

8. Use a vegetable peeler to create the chocolate curls that will decorate the cake.

Now make the ganache:

8. While the cakes cool, place

the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

9. In a medium saucepan over

medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the

chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes. Whisk until the cream and chocolate are

thoroughly combined and smooth and slightly cooled. Cover tightly with plastic

wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Once the ganache is chilled, whisk

just until fluffy.

10. Using a long, serrated

knife, cut each cake horizontally into 3 thin layers. To do this, place 1 hand flat

on top of a cake. Slice into the cake about 1/2 inch from its top and use a

sawing motion to slowly move the knife into the cake about 1 inch. Then, still

slicing back and forth, turn the cake (counterclockwise if you are

right-handed, clockwise if you are left-handed) on the table, going

around the

circumference of the cake but not cutting into its center. After the first full

outer circle is complete, hold the knife level, dig into the cake another inch,

and turn the cake again in the same direction. Repeat until you have sliced all

the way through the cake. Carefully remove this top layer and repeat to obtain

3 layers from each of the 2 cakes.

11. Place 1 of the bottom cake

layers on a serving platter and spread a thin layer of ganache over the top. Repeat

with the rest of the layers. Use some of the remaining ganache to apply a very

thin coat on the sides of the cake, giving it a “crumb coat” that seals in the

crumbs and prevents them from appearing on the outside of the finished cake.

Refrigerate the cake with its crumb coat for an hour, then slather the cake

with the remaining ganache.

12.

Finish by sprinkling the chocolate curls on the top of the cake and gently

pressing them against the sides. Voila. ( I could not resist posting yet another shot of this incredible cake!)