Devil's Food Snack Cakes

Chef James Thomas's Note:

These tasty little snack cakes have been a family favorite for years. They taste great served at room temperature, but everyone that I know absolutely LOVES them from the freezer. The snack cakes are small in size so you can satisfy that chocolate craving without feeling too guilty about calories. Great for kids and adults alike. If you bring them to a party they are always the first dessert gone!!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 20-24

Yield: 40.0 Snack C ...

• 3 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups light corn syrup
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 (18 ¼ ounce) box devil's food cake mix
• 1 1⁄3; cups water
• ½ cup yogurt or ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Directions:

1. Start by making the marshmallow cream topping. Separate three eggs, discard the yolks, and beat the whites until foamy. Then add the salt and corn syrup, and beat on high for ten minutes (until thick). Add powdered sugar at low speed. Add the vanilla and mix until blended. Refrigerate.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Empty the devil's food cake mix into a large mixing bowl and add the water, the yogurt or oil, and three eggs. (I usually substitute plain yogurt for the vegetable oil. Keeps the dessert much healthier, and in my opinion, improves the texture.) Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray and fill each with the batter to no more than 1/4 full. Cakes will rise slightly, and you want them to finish at about the size of a cookie. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool on parchment or wax paper.
3. To make the chocolate coating, put 18 oz of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. (I prefer semi-sweet) Add the vegetable shortening and microwave on high for about a minute and a half. Stir until smooth and well blended adding microwave time if necessary.
4. Cover the top of each "mini-cake" with a spoonful of the marshmallow cream. Then coat with a spoonful of the chocolate topping, allowing it to cover the top and sides of each cake. Let sit out until chocolate hardens. Store at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the freezer to suit your preferences.
5. *It works best when you add the cream and the chocolate alternately to each cake (1 at a time) so that it can form layers.
6. * Also to add a bit of style, I usually drizzle a bit of the leftover marshmallow cream on top of each finished cake for decoration.

Reviews

[marygoe]

These were WONDERFUL. No one could stop eating them. I made them for a large gathering and doing 80 in one day was a chore, but worth it.