Devil Dog Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for dusting (not dutch-process)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 to make cake:.
• 2 preheat oven to 350°f with rack in middle. butter and flour a 9-inch square cake pan (2 inches deep).
• 3 whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
• 4 beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. add eggs 1 at a time, beating well, then beat in vanilla.
• 5 add flour mixture and water alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just combined.
• 6 pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.
• 7 cool in pan on a rack 1 hour.
• 8 transfer cake to a cake plate.
• 9 make frosting:.
• 10 combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes.
• 11 remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled.
• 12 mound frosting on top of cake.
• 13 dust with additional cocoa powder.
• 14 cooks' notes:.
• 15 • cake, without frosting, will improve in flavor if made 1 day ahead. cool, then keep, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature. frost cake just before serving.
• 16 • the egg whites in the frosting are not fully cooked. you can substitute pasteurized or reconstituted dried egg whites if salmonella is a problem in your area.