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Devil's Food Cake

Food Network Kitchens

From Food Network Kitchens

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (23)

  • Cook Time:

    1 hr 45 min

  • Level:

    Intermediate

  • Yield:

    8 to 10 servings

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Times:

Prep
2 hr 15 min
Inactive Prep
--
Cook
1 hr 45 min
Total:
4 hr 0 min
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Ingredients

Frosting:

  • 15 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 cup nonalkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions

To make the frosting: Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, move the bowl gently to let the cream settle. Set the mixture aside until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Cover the surface of the frosting with plastic wrap. Set aside and let set up at room temperature, about 2 hours.

To make the cake: Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment or wax paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Lightly drop each pan onto the counter to settle the batter.

Set the pans on the middle rack in the oven. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and the center springs back when touched lightly, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool the cakes, in the pans, on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake layers out of the pans and cool on the rack. (If not assembling the cake right away, wrap the layers in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day, or freeze for up to 2 months.)

Assemble the Devil's Food Cake. Place 1 cake layer upside-down on a cake stand or flat plate. Scoop about 1/3 of the icing onto the center of the layer. Using a large, offset spatula, spread the icing evenly over the layer to the edges. Place the other cake layer, rounded-side up, on top. Evenly spread half of the remaining icing over the top, spreading any excess icing down the sides. Spread the remaining icing around the sides of the cake. Use the tip of the offset spatula to make a swirling pattern in the icing. Serve. Store under a cake dome or loosely wrapped with plastic, at room temperature, for up to 2 days.

  • Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, GP. All rights reserved

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Read more Comments & Reviews (23)

Comments & Reviews

  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    Kristen Boston, MA 10-20-2009

    Flag

    Worth the effort!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    This looked like a lot of work (as opposed to buying a boxed cake mix) but the reviews were so outstanding that I had to try... it. I made only the cake (and used a basic vanilla frosting with a different recipe from this website). I do not have a kitchenaid mixer and used a hand mixer. Used regular hershey's cocoa powder instead of the non-alkalized powder. And it all came out amazingly well despite these differences! The cake was pretty moist, rather dense (but not too heavy like some homemade cakes are) and the flavor was incredible. Worth the effort and extra steps (like the boiling of the milk and water..which was probably cooler than it should have been when I did it but it still came out fine.) If you need a chocolate cake recipe, this is the perfect one. Everyone raved about it!Read more
  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    Aneesa Washington, DC 10-09-2009

    Flag

    Super Moist and Delicious Cake

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I agree with all reviewers below - this is an excellent devil's food cake recipe. I made this for a friend's birthday with... an orange chocolate mousse filling with orange chocolate buttercream on top and it was a hit!Read more
  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    John NW Washington, DC 10-08-2009

    Flag

    Not great but OK

    Rated: 4 stars out of 5
    Tips: - The batter will be very liquid, don't worry. - When baking, make sure to check for doneness before 30 minutes. -... The frosting needs a long time to set. Leave the cake overnight at room temperature. - Serves more than 10 people Having high expectations, I was somewhat disappointed by the recipe. The frosting was delicious when it set, but the cake was only average. I used Dutch processed cocoa powder, but I don't see how that could have made a big difference (one of the main differences is a slightly redder color according to Wikipedia). This cake is quite easy, in spite of the rating. To make it even easier, put all the ingredients into a bowl and stir together gently.Read more
  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    Kris Secaucus, NJ 08-24-2009

    Flag

    Awesome!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I used this recipe for cupcakes and brought them to a friend's house party. Since the cupcakes are much smaller, I reduced... the baking time to 20 minutes and checked for doneness using a toothpick inserted in the center. The result was awesome! The cupcakes were so moist and chocolate-y. I also used fresh whipped cream as the topping. I sweetened it a little bit with confectioner's sugar and dusted with cocoa powder. The best part is that they aren't overly sweet either. Just the right amount of sweetness. Even the mothers at the party didn't mind letting their kids eat the cupcakes at 10pm! I just wish that I saved a couple of cupcakes for myself and didn't bring all of them over! My mouth is starting to water just thinking about how good they were. Read more
  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    Patti Geneseo, IL 08-08-2009

    Flag

    Blue Ribbon Entry at the Fair

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I just entered this cake in our county fair and won a Blue Ribbon! It was only the second time I had made it. The only other... time was a week earlier, when I wanted to see if I liked it. I LOVED IT and so did the judge.Read more
  • recipe Devil's Food Cake
    Kate Jacksonville, FL 07-18-2009

    Flag

    DELICIOUS! DEVINE! DELECTABLE!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    So the whole time I was making this, it looked like I was messing it up, but it came out so perfect. When you pour it into... the cake pans, it's about the consistency of thick hot chocolate. So don't worry! You didn't mess it up! It tastes so amazing. This will be THE go to chocolate cake from not on. Don't be discouraged by the intermediate level of this recipe. As long as you thoroughly read through the recipe before you do anything, you'll be fine. A couple of things that worked for me... -I didn't line my pan with parchment paper because I used Bakers Joy. It's a butter and flour spray just for occasions such as this. The cake came out perfectly! -Also, to make sure I was putting the same amount of batter in each pan, I used a ladle. Made it much easier. I hope this helps you guys! Read more
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