Devil’s Food Cake with Mocha Cream Filling Recipe

Devil’s Food Cake with Mocha Cream Filling

12 servings

30 minutes or fewer

This cake can go from "merely delicious" to "extraordinary" by splitting the layers as described in the Cherry-Filled Lemon Cake recipe and making four cream-filled layers. If you do this, be sure to double the Mocha Cream Filling recipe.

2 Tbs. flaxseeds
½ cup unfiltered apple juice
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups soy milk
1 ¼ cups maple syrup
¾ cup canola oil
2 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 recipe Mocha Cream Filling (May '99/p. 49)
1 recipe Glossy Chocolate Icing (optional; May '99/p. 49)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. In coffee grinder or small food processor, grind flaxseeds. Transfer to blender along with apple juice. Let mixture soak 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, sift both flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
To mixture in blender, add soy milk, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar and blend thoroughly. Gradually add maple syrup mixture to flour mixture and mix well with rubber spatula.
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is firm with a little spring to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan. To remove from pan, run knife around edge of pan and turn cake out onto wire rack. Cool completely.
Reserve best cake layer for top. Place other layer upside-down on serving plate and spread with Mocha Cream Filling. Top with remaining layer and gently press into place. If desired, pour Glossy Chocolate Icing onto center of cake. Using metal spatula, spread icing over sides and top of cake. Let stand 10 minutes to set.