The Ultimate Devil’s Food Cake Recipe

For the ultimate indulgence, look no further than This Devil’s Food Cake with Ganache Frosting—it’s Guaranteed to disappear as soon as it’s sliced!

Finding a really good chocolate cake recipe can be tough, kind of like looking for the best brownie recipe. It can be disappointing to think you’ve found the perfect one, but it’s not as good as you hoped. This classic Devil’s Food cake recipe is a game changer. It wins over everyone at parties and celebrations, rarely leaving a slice left over.

Making this is easy! You just need one bowl and a few basic ingredients. This cake is super chocolatey, soft, and moist, with just the right amount of sweetness. The luxurious ganache frosting makes it the dream cake for anyone who loves chocolate.

Ingredient Notes

Flour: Use all-purpose or plain flour for best results.

Cocoa Powder: Choose high-quality cocoa powder for a rich flavor.

Coffee: Espresso powder or instant coffee granules enhance chocolate flavor without adding a coffee flavor.

Hot Water: Simply use hot water from the tap. This helps dissolve the cocoa powder and coffee. Hot, brewed coffee can be used for added richness.

Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred for control of the salt content.

Oil: Neutral-tasting vegetable oil helps keep the cake moist. Canola oil or melted coconut oil can be used as alternatives.

Sugar: Superfine sugar (AKA caster sugar) dissolves easier than regular sugar, resulting in a lighter cake texture. Granulated sugar can also be used.

Brown Sugar: Dark or light brown sugar can be used interchangeably based on personal preference.

Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature.

Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract is recommended for the best flavor.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Be sure to check the date on the package to ensure freshness which gives the best rise.

Cream: Heavy cream or whipping cream with a high fat content is best for making a rich and creamy frosting.

Chocolate: Semisweet chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content is recommended for the frosting. Bittersweet chocolate can be used for a darker chocolate flavor or milk chocolate for a sweeter frosting.

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Let’s Make
Devil’s Food Cake

You just can’t beat a delicious chocolate cake, and this Devils Food Cake is guaranteed to disappear as soon as you slice it!Photo-illustrated step-by-step instructions can be seen below the recipe.

Prep20 minutes minutes

Cook30 minutes minutes

Total50 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, instant coffee, and hot water. Set aside.

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, superfine sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

• Add the melted butter, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs, and coffee mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.

• Divide the batter evenly between two greased 8-inch/20cm round pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

• Allow the cakes to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely.

For the frosting:

• Heat the cream over medium heat until it simmers.

• Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Add the simmering cream and let it sit for 5 minutes or until the chocolate softens enough to whisk.

• Whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth and glossy.

• Let the frosting cool at room temperature, whisking occasionally to maintain its consistency.

• Once it reaches your desired thickness, it’s ready to use.

• Frost the cooled cakes by spreading half a cup of frosting on top of one cake layer and then placing the other layer on top (bottom side up). Use the remaining frosting to cover the sides and top of the cake. If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate the cake until it sets.

Tips + Notes

Please note: The metric conversion for this recipe is not a conversion, but an alternate recipe that was made using British ingredients.  If you are outside the US, please follow those measurements for the best results.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 612 (31%)| Carbohydrates: 60g (20%)| Protein: 6g (12%)| Fat: 39g (60%)| Saturated Fat: 24g (150%)| Cholesterol: 95mg (32%)| Sodium: 287mg (12%)| Potassium: 379mg (11%)| Fiber: 5g (21%)| Sugar: 36g (40%)| Vitamin A: 785IU (16%)| Calcium: 76mg (8%)| Iron: 5.4mg (30%)

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources.
To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Course:cake

Cuisine:Baking

Keyword:chocolate cake, Devil’s Food Cake, devil’s food cake recipe

Step By Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C. and grease 8″ pans.

Whisk together ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1½ teaspoons instant coffee, and 1½ cups hot water in a mixing bowl until well blended and dissolved into the water. Set the mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1⅓ cups superfine sugar, ¾ cups packed brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, and ¾ teaspoon baking soda until well blended.

Add the cocoa powder mixture to the flour mixture with 3 large eggs, 1½ sticks melted butter, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Mix until blended. Be careful not to overmix, as overmixing cake batter can affect the texture and rise of your cake. Mix only until there is no visible dry flour.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely

To Make The Frosting

Heat one cup of cream over medium heat until it simmers with small bubbles around the edge of the pan (you don’t want it to boil).

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and add the simmering cream.

Let the hot cream sit with the chocolate for 5 minutes or until the chocolate softens enough to whisk. Then whisk until the mixture is fluid and the chocolate fully melts into the cream.

Let the mixture cool and thicken, occasionally stirring, until it reaches your desired thickness. You can allow it to cool in the refrigerator, but be sure to stir often to maintain a creamy consistency.

Frost the cooled cakes by spreading half a cup of frosting on top of one cake layer and then placing the other layer on top (bottom side up). Then, Use the remaining frosting to cover the rest of the cake, starting on the top of the cake and then spreading onto the sides.

If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate the cake until it sets. Then serve and enjoy.

Update Notes: This post was originally published on January 17, 2014, but was republished with new information in 2024.