This devilishly good Devil’s Food Cake is next-level indulgence boos! Made with decadent cocoa powder, rich sour cream, and a shot of fresh, bittersweet coffee, this fudgy devil’s food cake recipe is giving all the chocolate dessert goals. It’s so decadent, you’ll be in chocolate heaven after one bite no lie!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“My Dad asked for this for his birthday. It was a huge hit! ”
—JEANETTE
Devil’s food cake is legit one of my fave chocolate cake varieties. Never too sweet, always fudgy, this crazy good dessert is a classic recipe that is sure to please y’all. Treat your family, friends or neighbors to this irresistibly wicked treat! I like to serve mine up with a not-to-sweet subtle yet light Swiss meringue frosting that is on point. Get into it y’all!
The Lowdown of The Best Devil’s Food Cake recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: American Classic
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free with ingredient swaps
Key Flavor: Rich Tender Chocolate Flavor
Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)
A Chocoholic’s Dream
This ain’t just cake y’all; it’s a chocolate experience that’s designed to satisfy even the most demanding chocolate lovers’ cravings.
Timeless Classic That’s Super Moist
Trends come and go, but devil food cake is forever. It’s a tried and true classic that’s been satisfying sweet cravings for generations y’all. And that texture is absolutely moist and fluffy, thanks to our secret tip: hot coffee in the batter!
The Ultimate Crowd Pleaser
Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or Tuesday night, this devil’s food cake steals the show. Its universal appeal makes it a safe bet for any occasion.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Devil Food Cake
- Butter and Oil: I grab unsalted butter because it adds richness and that oil adds so much more moisture. Both together provide a perfect crumb and bite.
- Sugars: I like to use a combo of light brown sugar and granulated so I get the perfect balance of sweetness plus the depth of molasses.
- Eggs: These gives the devil food cake structure
- Vanilla: This adds such a bomb aromatic essence to the cake.
- Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder and Coffee: That powder gives rich chocolate flavor while also darkening the color of the cake and the coffee amps up the intensity even more.
- Flour: This is the foundation of our cake.
- Leavening: We get a nice little rise from baking soda and baking powder. It gets nice and fluffy y’all.
- Salt: This helps balance all of the sweetness and enhance everything.
- Sour Cream: That tangy richness keeps the cake super moist and tender.
How to Make Devil’s Food Cake
How to Serve this Devil Food Cake
- Frost It Up: I like to contrast the rich chocolate cake with a vanilla frosting like my American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream options.
- Add Berry Vibes: Serve each slice with fresh berries or dollop of strawberry sauce on the plates.
- Dollop It Up: Add spoonfuls of whipped cream to each slice.
- A La Mode: Add a delish scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, mocha ice cream, coffee ice cream or cookies and cream ice cream.
Recipe Substitutions
- Unsalted Butter: Swap in salted butter but just omit the salt in the recipe.
- Sour Cream: Replace the sour cream with greek yogurt for a similar consistency.
- Sugar: Swap in more all brown sugar or all granulated sugar if you don’t have both. Or if you just have granulated, make your own brown sugar by adding in molasses.
- All-Purpose Flour: For a softer more tender cake, go with cake flour.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Get Chocolatey With It: Add chocolate ganache to the inside of the cake and frost with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and chocolate frosting.
- Add Caramel: Add caramel sauce in between the layers and coat the entire cake with my caramel frosting.
- Gluten-Free: Swap out the flour with your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour. The texture may change slightly but it will still be fire.
Expert Tips and Tricks for Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake
- Keep the Coffee Kick: Nothing makes a rich devil’s food chocolate cake recipe like that little kick of coffee y’all. It makes that chocolate stand out, and trust me, you won’t even taste the coffee boos, trust me.
- Don’t Overbake: Boos, make sure you watch that bake time like a hawk so you don’t dry out your layers.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: If you don’t want a super melty cake sliding around everywhere, make sure that the cake layers have cooled completely before frosting.
How to Store Devil’s Food Cake
Make sure you wrap leftovers tightly with plastic wrap or place it in a cake carrier to keep it fresh for up to 3-4 days. If you need it to last any longer than that, add to the fridge.
Just make sure you let your devil’s food cake slices come back to room temp before you eat them.
How long will devil cake last in the fridge?
It should stay all good for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze?
Absolutely boos! Start by chilling the cake in the fridge so the frosting gets firm. Next cut slices, wrap them in plastic wrap and add to freezer bags releasing excess air. Label with the date. They should stay all good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge then bring back to room temp before you indulge again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely boos. You can wrap your layers super well and store in the fridge or even in the freezer then bring to room temp before frosting them.
Try the good ole’ toothpick trick. Insert into the center and if it comes out clean or mostly clean, it’s good to go boos.
Absolutely y’all. You can bake the batter in lined cupcake tins instead. Just lower the bake time.
Best Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Deep Chocolate Pound Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Blueberry Buttercream
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Black Forest Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup hot brewed coffee
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream Find the Full Recipe HERE! if desired, halve the recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×2-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, grease the parchment and flour the pans. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. On low speed, add the eggs, on at a time. Add the oil and vanilla and beat until well mixed, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot coffee until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the chocolate mixture to the batter.
- Still with the mixer on low, slowly add half of the flour mixture to the batter, then all of the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture, mixing each addition until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold the batter until it is well mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Slice each cake layer in half horizontally. Place the bottom of the first cake, cut side up, on a flat serving plate and spread 1 cup of frosting on the top. Place the top of the first cake, cut side down, on top and spread another 1 cup of frosting on top. Next, place the top layer of the second cake on top, cut side up, and frost with another 1 cup of frosting. Finally, place the bottom layer of the second cake, bottom side up (so the top of the cake is flat). Frost the top and sides of the cake. The cake can be stored, covered, for up to 3 days. If you use the meringue buttercream, the cake should be refrigerated; bring to room temperature prior to serving. If you use any other type of frosting (a traditional vanilla, chocolate, cream cheese, etc.), the cake can be stored at room temperature.
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Made this for Bunco the ladies loved it!
Yay!!