There's chocolate cake and then there's Devil's Food Cake. Devil's Food Cake is everything that chocolate cake should be! I layer my cakes with a whipped chocolate ganache frosting. Whipped ganache has a beautiful velvety texture, a rich chocolate flavour and isn't overly sweet.
Why is it Called Devil's Food Cake?
The name "Devil's Food Cake" because it is sinfully rich, dark and indulgent. It is basically the exact opposite of an "Angel Food Cake"!
Where did Devil's Food Cake originate?
The name was first coined in Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book published in 1902, although it has since been popularised all throughout and America and now globally.
So what does Devil's Food Cake taste like?
It's the richest, moistest cake you'll ever eat with a very true chocolate flavour. Try it for yourself and see! It's easy, quick and always turns out perfectly.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cakes
- Self-raising flour: or plain / all-purpose flour combined with 2 teaspoon baking powder (in addition to the baking soda)
- Baking soda: NOT baking powder. Baking soda is much more potent.
- Cocoa powder: I use Hershey's (US) or Nestle (AUS/UK) brand. Do NOT use hot cocoa powder or raw 'cacao powder.'
- Salt: cuts through the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavour.
- Caster / superfine sugar: this finer form of sugar dissolves easily into the batter and gives you a lovely soft and fluffy cake. You can also use regular granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: gives the cake a rich flavour and enhances the chocolate flavour.
- Boiling water + instant coffee granules: this won't make the cake taste like coffee! It just enhances the chocolate flavour. If you don't have instant coffee granules, just use the boiling water.
- Canola oil: or any other unflavoured vegetable oil.
- Milk: or dairy-free alternatives.
- Eggs
- White vinegar: or use any old mildly flavoured vinegar, or lemon juice.
- Vanilla
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- Heavy (whipping) cream: not double cream.
- Block of dark or semi-sweet chocolate: don't substitute with white or milk, as the ganache won't set.
- Icing sugar / confectioners sugar: NOT granulated sugar.
How To Make Devil's Food Cake
Creating a devil's chocolate cake is surprisingly easy, with a rich and velvety batter that comes together effortlessly. This decadent delight is the ultimate showstopper, making it the perfect indulgent sweet treat for any occasion, from birthdays to dinner parties.
1. Start by mixing together all of the dry ingredients except the instant coffee granules.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve the instant coffee granules in boiling water. Whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Distribute evenly among two 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tins and bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
5. Make the ganache and cool, then beat for 8-10 minutes. Sift over icing sugar and beat until firm.
6. Spread a quarter of the whipped ganache frosting over the first cake.
7. Place the second cake upside-down on top of the first.
8. Spread half of the remaining ganache on top of the cake. Use what's left of the ganache to cover the sides. I use a long palette knife (flat spatula) to evenly spread the ganache. With some extra smoothing, its ready to serve!
Storing Devil's Food Cake
You can keep cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze Devil's Food Cake?
Yes! To freeze the chocolate cakes (without frosting), allow to cool completely then wrap tightly in clingwrap and place in zip-loc or freezer bags. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight then cover with ganache as normal.
Top Tips and Troubleshooting
Why is my devil's food cake dry or tough?
The cake may be tough if it is overcooked. If your oven runs hot, reduce the cooking temperature. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the cakes during cooking. Test the cakes with a skewer to ensure they are cooked through fully.
Why has my cake sunk or collapsed?
This can happen if your rising agent (baking soda or self-raising flour) is expired. Always double check whether your rising agent (in this case, baking soda and self-raising flour) is within the best-before date. If the cake cannot rise effectively, it will be flatter and denser, or may sink in the middle.
This can also happen if you open the oven door too early. Make sure not to open the oven door until at least the 40 minute mark. Opening the oven while the cake is quite undercooked can destabilise the oven temperature and cause the centre of the cake to sink or cave in.
Can I use any frosting?
Yes, feel free to use your favourite frosting to top this cake! I love an easy chocolate buttercream frosting or vanilla buttercream frosting. You can even try this German chocolate cake frosting by The Anthony Kitchen!
Devil's Food Cake
This sinfully rich layered chocolate cake is dangerously easy to make. Perfectly moist, ultra chocolatey and ridiculously simple. Topped with a fluffy whipped chocolate ganache, this Devil's Food Cake is perfect for even the biggest chocolate addict.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cakes
- 1 ½ cups self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
- 400 g (14 oz) block of dark or semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- ½ cup icing sugar / confectioners sugar
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 160 C (320 F). Grease and line TWO x 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tins with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in sugars.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together boiling water and instant coffee powder until coffee granules dissolve. Whisk in canola oil, milk, eggs, vinegar and vanilla essence.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients. Whisk together until well combined. A few lumps is fine.
- Pour batter evenly among prepared tins (I use a ladle to evenly distribute the batter). Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, microwave the cream on full power for 90 seconds or until very hot and just beginning to bubble.
- Add chopped chocolate and allow the cream and chocolate to sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir together until chocolate has melted in completely. If the chocolate isn't melting, microwave the ganache in short 10 second bursts, stirring well in between, until smooth. Allow the ganache to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Transfer ganache to the large bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on the highest speed for 8-10 minutes or until ganache is pale and fluffy, and holds a soft peak.
- Sift over icing sugar and whisk for another 2 minutes or until ganache is a bit stiffer. Set ganache aside at room temperature until you are ready to assemble the cake. If the ganache begins to set too hard, beat for 30 seconds to loosen.
To Assemble
- Place one cooled cake onto a large plate or serving board. Take a quarter of the ganache frosting and place on top of the first cake. Using a palette knife or flat bladed knife, spread out evenly over the top of the cake.
- Place the second cake upside down onto the first cake. Top with half of remaining ganache. Spread out evenly in a thick layer over the top of the cake, pressing any excess ganache down the sides of the cake.
- Using the remaining ganache, cover the sides of the cake in a thick layer and smooth out using your palette knife or flat bladed knife. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The ganache will continue to get firmer over the next couple of hours. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage
- You can keep cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- To freeze the chocolate cakes (without frosting), allow to cool completely then wrap tightly in clingwrap and place in zip-loc or freezer bags. Keep for up to 6 months frozen. To thaw, allow to defrost at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight then cover with ganache as normal.
Substitutions & Tips
- Flour: you can substitute 1 ½ cups of self-raising flour with 1 ½ cups of plain flour combined with 3 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Baking soda: you can substitute 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Oil: you can substitute canola oil for any type of vegetable oil. Note that if you're using a rich olive oil it may change the flavour of the cake.
- Vinegar: you can replace the white vinegar with any other mildly flavoured vinegar (apple cider, malt, red wine, white wine, dark).
- Instant coffee: You can replace both ½ cup boiling water + 1 teaspoon of instant coffee granules with ⅓ cup boiling water + 1 shot of espresso.
- Chocolate: many chocolate chips aren't designed to be melted down. If you want to use chocolate chips instead of a block of chocolate, make sure they are high quality (not labelled 'compound' or 'candy melts'). Substitute the 400 g blocks of dark chocolate with 400 g (14 oz / 2 heaped cups) of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Whipped chocolate ganache: if you have a favourite icing or frosting recipe, you can use that instead. You can also use a tub of ready-made frosting if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/10th of CakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 805Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 15.6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19.2gCholesterol: 70.8mgSodium: 195mgCarbohydrates: 86.4gFiber: 3.8gSugar: 68.6gProtein: 7.9g
Chef Robilyn Lyndon says
Hi Chloe,
What a talent you have. I love your recipes. I have a question can I use buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar? I look forward to letting you know how my cake turns out. I just know they will be delicious.
Blessings Robilyn
Chloe says
Hi Robilyn, thank you so much for your lovely comment. You can absolutely replace milk and vinegar with buttermilk - it will probably taste even more delicious! Hope you absolutely love the cake. Many thanks, Chloe.
Denise says
Hello,
I would love to make this cake! However I have a few questions:
1. Do i have to use a stand mixer for the frosting or can i use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment?
2. Is vanilla essence the same as vanilla extract?
3. Are tin cake pans the same as regular cake pans?
4. Do I have to use baking paper inside the cake pans? And if so, how do I put it in the cake pans?
5. Do you have an alternate whipped chocolate frosting recipe that's a bit simpler?
Chloe says
Hi Denise, to answer your questions:
1. You can use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment however it is likely to take a lot longer (10-15 mins).
2. Vanilla essence is a little bit weaker than vanilla extract, so I'd use half the amount of extract compared to essence.
3. That's correct, they are the same!
4. Yes I definitely suggest using baking paper unless your pans are new non-stick pans. I cut a circle for the base of the pan and then line the edges with thin strips of baking paper.
5. You can also use my chocolate buttercream frosting.
Hope that helps 🙂