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Royally good: Try Pippa Middleton's Devil's food cake

Stepping out from the shadow of her royal sister and the rampant discussion of her own comely posterior, Pippa Middleton is on the verge of releasing her party-planning book "Celebrate" in America. Parade Magazine will feature an exclusive excerpt from the book and shared Pippa's recipe for Devil’s food cake with TODAY. For more from “Celebrate,” visit Parade.com.Devil's food cakeServes 8–
Pippa Middleton is featured in the Oct. 28 issue of Parade Magazine.
Pippa Middleton is featured in the Oct. 28 issue of Parade Magazine.Parade / Today

Stepping out from the shadow of her royal sister and the rampant discussion of her own comely posterior, Pippa Middleton is on the verge of releasing her party-planning book "Celebrate" in America. Parade Magazine will feature an exclusive excerpt from the book and shared Pippa's recipe for Devil’s food cake with TODAY. For more from “Celebrate,” visit Parade.com.

Devil's food cake

Serves 8–10

This chocolate cake reminds me of holidays in the Lake District when I was a child. A friend who lived there would make this cake and leave it in an old tin for us to enjoy during our stay. It’s comforting, not too rich, and stays moist for ages (a treat for the rest of the week). Serve big wedges with a thick blood-red raspberry coulis to complete it as a dessert.

For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cups superfine sugar

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup cocoa powder, plus 2 tablespoons

1 cup water

1 cups self-rising flour

For the icing:

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting

2 tablespoons milk

For the raspberry coulis:

10 ounces raspberries

Lemon juice, to taste

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and line two 8-inch layer cake pans with parchment paper. Cream the butter and superfine sugar together until soft and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition. Blend the cocoa powder with the water. Add alternately with the flour into the butter mixture until all is blended smoothly. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes until firm and just coming away from the side of the pans. Cool on a rack. (At this stage the cakes can be frozen for up to a month.)

To make the icing, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and milk and beat until combined. Sandwich the cakes together using half of the icing, then use the remainder to top the cake. Decorate with a simple dusting of cocoa powder.

For the coulis, blend the raspberries, lemon juice and sugar until smooth, then strain to remove any seeds.

Tip: To make chocolate curls to decorate the cake, melt 3 1/2 ounces of dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), then pour onto a flat surface (such as a baking sheet) and spread it out thinly. Cool until set, then carefully drag a sharp knife from one end of the chocolate to the other to form curls.

Pippa Middleton is featured in the Oct. 28 issue of Parade Magazine.
Pippa Middleton is featured in the Oct. 28 issue of Parade Magazine.Parade / Today

For more from Pippa Middleton's "Celebrate," visit Parade.com.