Moist Devil's Food Cake
intro
Deeply fudgy, moist two-layer chocolate cake slathered in fluffy chocolate buttercream, a beloved timeless American celebration treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and pans
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter, line the bottom of each with a circle of parchment paper, and lightly dust the sides with cocoa powder (to avoid white flour residue on the dark cake). Set prepared pans aside.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar, 3/4 cup (75g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp fine sea salt for 30 seconds until fully combined and no clumps of cocoa remain.
Mix wet batter base
Add 1/2 cup (113g) softened unsalted butter, 2 room-temperature large eggs, 1 1/2 cups (360ml) room-temperature buttermilk, and 2 tsp vanilla extract to the dry ingredient bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl sides once halfway through, until the batter is smooth and thick.
Thin batter and bake
Slowly pour 1 cup (240ml) of boiling water into the batter, stirring on the lowest mixer speed for 15 seconds until fully incorporated—batter will be thin, this is normal. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with 2-3 moist crumbs attached (no wet batter).
Cool cake layers fully
Remove baked cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn them out directly onto the rack to cool completely to room temperature (about 1 hour) before frosting—warm layers will melt buttercream and cause sliding.
Whip chocolate buttercream
In a large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups (340g) softened unsalted butter on medium speed for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add 2 1/2 cups (300g) powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (50g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Beat on low speed for 1 minute to avoid sugar dust clouds, then increase to medium-high and beat for 2 more minutes until light, spreadable, and free of lumps.
Assemble and frost cake
Place one fully cooled cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread 1 cup of the finished buttercream evenly across the top of the bottom layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border to prevent oozing when stacked. Place the second cake layer on top, then use the remaining buttercream to frost the top and sides of the cake in a smooth, even layer. Slice and serve, or chill for 30 minutes to set the frosting before serving.
Tips
2.Ensure all cold ingredients (butter, eggs, buttermilk) are brought to 65-70°F (18-21°C) room temperature before mixing to create a smooth, emulsified batter that rises evenly without lumps.
3.Never frost warm or partially cooled cake layers: residual heat will melt the buttercream, causing it to slide off the cake and create a soggy, uneven finish.
OMG this is the best devil's food cake I've ever made! Baked it for my son's 10th birthday party and every single kid (and parent!) asked for the recipe. It stayed so moist even after being in the fridge overnight, total game changer. I skipped the fancy coffee addition the note mentioned because I was worried about kids, used hot water instead and it was still SO good.
Taste was incredible, don’t get me wrong, but I had a little trouble getting the bake time right in my old oven. Took almost 15 extra minutes before the toothpick came out clean, and I was worried I’d dry it out, but it still ended up moist! Made it for our weekly family dinner and my husband said it’s better than the grocery store bakery version we usually buy.
No notes, this is perfect. I’ve tried half a dozen devil’s food cake recipes over the years and this is the only one that doesn’t come out dry or too blandly chocolatey. The fudge frosting pairing (I used the linked recipe) is chef’s kiss. 10/10 will be my go-to for every chocolate cake need from now on.
Full transparency, I’m a total baking newbie and this was the first layer cake I’ve ever attempted. It looked a little lumpy when I was mixing the batter and I panicked I messed it up, but it baked up so perfectly! My roommates lost their minds when they tried it, said it tasted like it came from a fancy downtown bakery. Only note is the cooling time felt FOREVER but it was 100% worth the wait.
Made this over the weekend to slice up and pack for school lunches all week, and it’s held up so good! I added a handful of mini chocolate chips to the batter for extra chocolate oomph, and it was such a good call. My kids keep asking for extra slices in their lunch boxes, total win.
The cake itself is perfectly moist and super chocolatey, I’ll give it that, but I think I messed up the frosting ratio? I ended up with way too little to cover both layers and the sides, had to run to the store for a backup can last minute when I made it for my neighbor’s potluck. Next time I’ll 1.5x the frosting amount for sure.
Brought this to my office potluck today and people were literally coming up to my desk 2 hours later asking for the link. It’s so rich and moist, you’d never guess it didn’t come from a fancy bakery. I used dark cocoa powder for an extra deep chocolate flavor and it was such a good call. Will absolutely be making this again for our holiday party next month.