Watch me make this super moist and fluffy devils food cake from start to finish!
We LOVE devil’s food cake around here. Really any kind of chocolate cake will lift our skirts but I find myself making this recipe pretty much for every birthday, especially Isaac’s. It’s the perfect homemade devil’s food cake in my opinion; dark, chocolatey, super moist, fluffy, and light.
And did I mention it’s a one-bowl cake recipe? Loves! I usually make a basic white buttercream frosting (sometimes with a hint of mint extract) for my devil’s food cake and then sprinkle the top or sides with lots of mini chocolate chips (didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand, boooo) but a dark fudge frosting or ganache would work just as good. There is just something programmed in my southern brain that says a devil’s food cake MUST have white frosting but make what you wish mm-kay.
After all, the cake is the star here. It’s full of that dark chocolate flavor that’s enhanced by using coffee instead of water, as most from-scratch devils food cakes require. Don’t worry, you totally can’t taste the coffee. Also, buttermilk gives it a rich flavor and nice crumb texture.
Oh and don’t forget a tall glass of milk or ice water to wash it all down.
Moist Fluffy Devils Food Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup hot coffee plain
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- WHITE FROSTING enough for 2 layer cake
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 sticks butter softened
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
- Add coffee, oil, and buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Let cool in pans until warm and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- While cakes are cooling prepare frosting by creaming butter with a mixer.
- Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixture is thick, creamy and well combined.
- Mix in heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract.
- Frost cooled cakes.
- Serve.
Video
Notes
Be sure to grease AND flour cake pans to prevent sticking.
I use to use cake flour with this recipe, but now I prefer all-purpose for more stability.
I definitely plan to make this cake because your lemon velvet cake was the bomb! Question: Can you use powdered buttermilk instead of regular wet buttermilk and still have same results?
Hmmm…I’ve never used powdered buttermilk with this. If it’s the kind that you mix with water then that might work best.
I’ve been making this cake for years, ever since I found this recipe. This cake comes out perfect every time. As long as you follow the recipe, ingredients used are good then your cake should turn out fine. I’ve made layered cakes, cupcakes and a 13×9 cake using this recipe. Recently I made a Neapolitan cake for my daughters birthday and used this recipe for the chocolate layer. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
I made this cake for my birthday, as Devil’s Food Cake is my favorite cake. This recipe is by far the the best ever! Moist, fluffy and delicious. It was perfect! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi,
This cake looks amazing and just what I am looking for. The recipe says “all-purpose flour”, but in the video you say “cake flour”. Can you tell me what is to be used?
Thanks so much!
Bob
Soo delicious! I’ve been making this recipe for years and everyone I make it for asks for the recipe!
So moist and rich!
This cake has ruined all other cakes for me. I use it for a black forest cake and it’s the only cake I’ve ever had where I like the cake more than the frosting! Thank you!
My 9 year old son baked this cake for our family, and it was the best cake ever. A good moist sponge and the creamy frosting made this a solid winner. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you!
Despite extensive baking experience, I’ve never made a decent home-made cake—they’re always flat, dry, and flavorless. Until now! This devil’s Food cake is so unbelievably moist, fluffy, and delicious! Thank you! I will now progress to the rest of your recipes!
Hey, what is 2 sticks butter in grams please as I would like to try your recipe soon. It looks so good.
I just took the cake out of the oven. I baked the cake at 350° because I used lighter cake pans than the ones in the video. Perfectly bakednd it smells divine. I can’t wait to try it.
This is my go to recipe for chocolate cake. I pair it with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream or mocha buttercream and it’s an absolute dream!
My cake would not come out of the pan. Even though I buttered and floured the pan. It tastes wonderful but looked horrible.
Made this today. It did take about 8 minutes longer than the recommended 30 minute bake time. This cake is delicious! The family loved it and the frosting was a big hit. Will definitely make it again.
Can espresso powder be substituted for the one cup of hot coffee? If so, how much of the espresso powder should be used?
Baking this @325 for 30 minutes yielded a partially baked cake, Liquid in the center. It should be 350. When it was finally baked it was a very good cake.
weird mine are well done at 325 25 minutes
What kind of cocoa powder do I use. Dutch processed or regular unsweetened cocoa?
I wanted to ask how tall the cake turn out after baking?
How can I turn this recipe into 3 8″ cake instead of 2 9″? Increase by how much? 1/2? …like 2 cups AP flour to 2&1/2 cups?
what can i substitute for buttermilk?
This was by far the best chocolate cake I’ve EVER had!!!
I’ve been trying different chocolate cake recipes with no luck, all I was getting are dry and tasteless cakes , until I tried this one , I love it , it’s so moist and it is very easy to make 🙂
This recipe was so simple and delicious! I made them into cupcakes, baking them for 17-18 minutes. It made 26 cupcakes and frosted them all with one batch of frosting. It is a wet batter but it bakes up perfectly. Thank you for the perfect devil’s food cake recipe!
When my son asked for chocolate cake for his birthday, I was worried because they’re often so dry. This was moist, rich, and so delicious. I was worried that the batter was thin, because I am used to stick of butter cake recipes. It’s just part of the magic that makes this cake so good. Even the crumb that sticks to the pan after removing the layer is super moist. I was licking the pan. Thank you so much!
Your cake was moist and delicious! I iced it with a chocolate ganache and filled the center with ganache and chopped fresh cherries. Definitely a hit with the whole family. Many thanks!
Great recipe! Have you tried making a large batch and freezing for later use?
Hie Diva .Thanks for all the recipes im enjoying baking and cooking.Your inspiring me.
This recipe is the BEST!! My family loves it!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you guys enjoy it!
Going to try this today
Hi. Your recipe says “2 cups cake flour or sifted all purpose flour” but i saw somewhere in the comments the APF conversion is 1c flour MINUS 2T. Can you please confirm? Do I use 2c APF or 1c minus 2T. Thank you.
This is my family’s favorite chocolate cake–it’s easy, moist, delicious, and it turns out perfect every single time we make it. (I do bake it at 350 instead of 325.) I have tried many chocolate cake recipes and nothing has ever come close to this one!
Anybody?. I just put the batter in the oven. Tasted and tasted real chocolaty . But very thin. Most of my mixes are sour cream based and are quite thick. Is this the normal? 15 minutes in and not rising yet. Hmmm. Anyone who has made this please respond??????
This is my families favorite chocolate cake. I seriously can’t wait to buy your cookbook!! You are an amazing chef! Thanks for bringing so much joy and light to the world!
I have a nespresso machine… can I make this with a couple shots of nespresso instead of coffee?
It was delicious. No changes except I used organic cacao powder.
I love this recipe but I had to add 1/2 cup more flour because the batter was to thin for me and it turned out great. Super moist but it does rise quite high. I’m making another one today. I also used cake flour instead since I made so much.
This is by far the best DFC recipe that I’ve ever made. But you have to understand that the cake is really wet so parchment paper is a must to get it out of the pan correctly. Also, be careful of the top of the cake when you invert it out of the pan. Put some wax paper on the plate so that the cake doesn’t stick to it when you invert it.
But insanely good. I’ve been messing around for 20 years trying to find the best one and Aunt Beedie’s from Barefoot Contessa was my go to but this is better…
This cake is AMAZIING!! My husband loved it and said it was the best chocolate cake that I had ever made and said it tasted like his Grandmothers. Ge said it tasted like the “old mothers” To receive that comparison is a HUGE compliment. Thank you so much for sharing this!! This will now be my go to chocolate cake.
great recipe here, tried it soo yummy
This was the best cake I have ever had followed recipe and my family loved it
I made this recipe yesterday and unfortunately it was not good. I love to bake and I know what I’m doing. I followed the recipe to the tee, but sadly the cake did not rise well. I think the proportions are off and there is not enough of the leavening agent. I also feel it tasted bitter. I had my family try it as well just to get other opinions and they agreed. I wound up having to throw it away and bake a whole new cake (I used a Martha Stewart recipe and that came out amazing).
The cakes are in the oven but I’m telling you, this is a strange recipe. The coffee was way too much so I cut it in half.
I am ppraying it is just palatable because it is for a birthday party tomorrow and somehow I think I am going to have to make more cake tonight.
Hi. Saw the recipe for your devil’s food cake. Cake looks delicious. In the recipe you have mentioned to add 1 cup hot coffee. How much tsps of coffee powder do i add?
This recipe is the bomb!! I don’t like chocolate, I know right..lol, but family & friends absolutely LOVE it!!! It is moist and fluffy…OMG!!!
KUDOS to ya Mo’nique!! It also actually turned out completely correct…shocker!!
Made this for Christmas and everyone LOVED it! It was a huge hit! Definitely going to make this again!
oh, but this looks GOOD!
i’m making my own recipe today for the cake (because i’m baking for a special christmas event and can’t risk attempting a recipe i’m not totally familiar with) BUT! i’m making your frosting!
heavy cream = BRILLIANT.
as for your sister’s artistry, if this were me i would avoid her kitchen at all costs to safeguard my alteady vulnerable baker self-esteem.
lol
Can this be made in a 9×13 pan instead? IF so, any idea about how long it should bake for?
Thank you 🙂
I made this recipe and it was moist, tasteful and easy to make. Loved it and the frosting was so creamy and silky. My favorite go to chocolate cake.
This cake is amazing. A few years ago, I decided no more box cakes and had been searching for a good homemade devils food cake. My mom never made cakes from a box and they were amazing except for her chocolate cake, I hated it. I tried several recipes and they all tasted like my mom’s homemade chocolate cake, bland and not “chocolatey”. Then I tried this recipe. It’s moist and delicious! I’ve made it several times and every year for Christmas, my family loves it. Thank you!!
Cam this be made with cupcakes?
The best Chocolate Cake Ever!! But every time I make this recipe my cake tends to sink in the middle. What am I doing wrong?
I’m gonna ask my mom if we can go get the stuff for it because I love to make cakes and this is a great recipe so I’ll tell you if we ho when were going
????????
How do you make cake flour can you make a video on that and also do you know how to make coco powder because I don’t the money for it so please make a video on that to if you know how to make it
Made it for a devil’s food cake lover’s birthday. Huge hit. Very moist and simple to make. It’s a keeper!
lovely recipe. the best ave ever had
ave made cakes but this one was awesome. thanx for the recipe
I wasn’t sure this was going to some out good. The batter was super thin. I thought I did something wrong. Decided to watch the video and I did it correctly. This cake is amazing!!!! Thank you for this super easy delicious recipe. I cut it in half and made a 8”x8” square snack cake and frosted it with a vanilla French Buttercream. I can’t sing the praises of this recipe enough. It’s moist, delicious, and fluffy. Absolutely perfect and just what I was looking for. Thank you. This will definitely be on my “go to” recipe list.
Hi! I’m making it right now – I truly sticked with the recipe, but I’ve baked the layers for 30 minutes now and they are still gooey inside, but starting to get really dark on top. What could be the reason for that? Also, they are rising like crazy (I think the amount of cake has doubled by now).
I am having the same problem. I think maybe this was supposed to be a 3 layer cake and not 2. That should have been specified.
Hi , I love your recipe . Can this cake be made in a bundt pan?
hi, do you know how long this cake will be good? If I make it on Tuesday, will it still be as good on Saturday?
i doubled this recipe because I wanted four layers. I’m not sure if that changed the consistency, but the cakes just did not hold up during cooling. When I tried to list them to place them on my cake place, the broke in half and fell apart.
I was down to three cakes because my Belgian Maligator ate one (well most of it) .
Since the layers were in such disarray, I wrapped them up and put them in the freezer.
I made the cakes for a chocolate peanut butter cake, with a peanut butter cream between the layers.
Because the layers were such a mess, I thought I would just use a box cake instead- holy cow! A box cake compared to this decadent cake- nope. I tossed that nasty, chemical tasting Dunkin Hines in the trash.
I pieced the layers together, used the peanut butter cream as a glue and topped this cake with chocolate ganache and melted peanut butter! It was ugly but delicious.
One of my co workers was caught scraping the cake carrier for the last bit of cake.
I swear I am not as illiterate as my post sounds. I wrote my comment late after a very long week, from my iPad. The font is small an light gray, I can barely see what I have written!
Wow what a save!!!! You rock!
In baking if you want to change something like adding two layers don’t double the recipe make two separate batches . I have learn from my past messes baking is a science don’t play with the recipe. Although it sounds good but not the best idea. Happy baking.
Dear Monique,
A few times now that I have made this cake, can i use this recipe if I want to make a Black Forest Cake ?
Thanks a lot
Lin
love this cake thank you for recipe
Thank you! The best and easiest cake recipe I have found. The cake was so moist and just perfect. Making it for my sister’s 30th tomorrow 😀
Loooove the cake .. Thanks so much.this the perfect recipe. And has become a part of all our celebrations at home..
Everyone raves about your Red Velvet Cake so I already know this is going to be a hit! I was searching the internet before I thought, “Check out Divas Can Cook, silly!”
I have tried a LOT of chocolate cake recipes and this one is by far the best I have ever had! It is moist, fudgey, fluffy, and not too dense. Rich in chocolate flavour. So so good! I topped it with a whipped chocolate frosting.
Cake was excellent!! Frosting tasted a little greasy to me with the proportions of butter and powdered sugar, but was good. Next time would tweak that a little bit.
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe, it’s perfectly rich and moist! (I’ve had great results with at least three of your other recipes as well) I think the combination of coffee, buttermilk, and canola really does the trick! Do you think I could use this recipe to make cupcakes if I shorten the baking time?
wished someone would respond to the cupcake question….
This recipe is perfect for the cupcakes. I just cut down the oil to 3/4 cup.
I want to try this! Can I use whole milk instead of buttermilk? I happen to have that on hand as well as everything else so I hope yes!
I took this as a birthday cake to my bridge game tonight. I had replaced half the oil with applesauce, reduced the sugar to 1-1/2 cups and used buttermilk powder and water in place of buttermilk. The batter was very thin but the cakes baked perfectly in 30 minutes and everyone at bridge was raving about it. It couldn’t have been easier; I will definitely make this again!
Thank you thank you thank you!! THIS is the devil’s food cake that I remember!! Moist, choclaty, and not overly sweet…PERFECT!!
Thank you for the great recipe! I am wondering if you have a recipe for a chocolate frosting instead of the white vanilla frosting?!
Hello Monique,
I would like to receive recipes, newsletters from you. Do you offer this for your readers? If not, I’ve added you to my Favorite bar. Thanks,
Kim
P.S. I apologize for asking a question not pertaining to recipes, reviews, and such.
Hi there, I absolutely love your recipes. I want to try this recipe and I was wondering ik its okay to use vegetable oil instead of canola oil?
Thank you and greetings from The Netherlands.
I have Dutch processed baking cocoa. Can I use that istead of unsweetened cocoa powder? 🙂
Amazing cake! So moist and delicious. I decided to warm a slice and I definitely smelled and tasted a hint of the coffee but it was amazing!
Thank you Monique! I love this recipe. I made it for my birthday in June and I am making it again now to bring to a party. Devil’s food cake is my favorite. I have been looking for a great recipe and finally found it.
This time I am going to pair it with 7 minute frosting. 🙂
Best wishes,
Lilli
This recipe is perfect. Super easy to make and my boyfriend RAVED about how amazing it was. Definitely keeping this recipe, thank you!
I loved the cake. I thought it was delicious. However, I had two problems. I cooked it for 30 min. However, it was not nearly finished cooking. I had to add 15 more. Second problem, the cake stuck to the pans even though I buttered and floured it really well. Any suggestions??
Should I use presto cake flour or Swanson?
Can you use this recipe for chocoflan or impossible flan ???
???
Could I use this recipe, and replace the cake flour with Pamela’s artisan flour? I’m trying to make gluten free German chocolate cupcakes. If so, do I make any other adjustments to the recipe?
Or do you have another recipe that would be better?
I’ve actually never tried it with Pamela’s. One thing I’ve noticed with the little gluten-free baking I’ve done is that I usually have to increase the sugar and flavorings when I’m converting a regular recipe to gluten-free.
thank you, giving it a try
Update: I made cupcakes from this recipe substituted all purpose flour with Pamela’s artisan flour and topped them with German chocolate frosting. They are moist, fluffy melt in your mouth goodness. The best cupcakes I have ever had. I even got comments that they liked them better than regular flour cupcakes. Thank you so much for your tips and recipes on gluten free baking they work perfectly and make me look amazing.
Can I use milk instead of butter milk ?
I cannot describe the deliciousness of this cake. Its perfect am so excited….. Was thinking of reducing the sugar but I changed my mind and it’s amazing. Thank you so much. I made it using grams
Words cannot describe the deliciousness of this cake. Its perfect am so excited….. Was thinking of reducing the sugar but I changed my mind and it’s amazing. Thank you so much. I made it using grams
I live at an elevation of 6 thousand feet. Should I adjust the sugar / flour amounts as well as
the oven temperature?
I made these into cupcakes for my friend’s baby shower and mannnn oh mannnn these were something special. People are still talking about it. I found that they were a bit oily though and next time I’m going to try to substitute the oil with butter! Still it’s a 5 star recipe!!!
I have been working my way through the devils food cake recipes available on line, and I think my quest may have ended here. Moist and light and perfectly cooked, even in my cranky old oven, I just kept an eye on it. Lined tins with baking paper for extra protection, and made cream cheese frosting, because I am a little extra devilish! Made this for my mums 81st birthday and it was a hit! Hi from Australia :).
Excellent! Everyone loved it, especially the birthday boy.
Can I share your link/recipe on my newly formed blog?
Thanks for sharing.
Have been making this cake since past two years.. And was never disappointed with the results… This my go to chocolate cake recipe.. All time favourite..
Made devil cake last week for my house guest all wanted seconds great cake so moist, send me more recipes
Perfect! Made these into mini cupcakes.
Made this into mini cupcakes in silicone cups this evening. We have not frosted yet… But they are absolutely perfect — moist chocolatey goodness. Definitely adding this to my recipe box! Thank you for sharing!
For those with sticking issues — might try parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Five star worthy
Hi, Monique! I was really excited for this recipe, and my mother and I followed it to a T outside of adding two tablespoons extra flour for high altitude. However, within a few minutes of putting it in the oven, both pans had bubbled over–we used two 9-inch pans–and batter had spilled into the rack and the bottom of the oven. We let it keep baking for hope of the remaining batter coming out well, but it kept overflowing. When the thirty minutes were up, the batter had developed an odd crust, but was still completely liquid otherwise.
I have no idea what went wrong, but I’d love it if we could get a little light shed on the issue. It probably won’t happen this year, but I’d love this recipe to work out one day. (Also the coffee instead of water is an amazing idea)
Hi,
Just stumbled across this post. With high altitude, it’s good to reduce the leavening agent. This recipe has a ton of baking soda and powder. Depending on where you are at, you may have wanted to reduce it by half even. Check out this link to help with baking at altitude:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hope this helps!!!!
Would this work for 8inch pans? If so, how many pans will I need and how long should I bake it for at what what temp? Thanks!
Words cannot describe the deliciousness of this cake. If you’re worried about coffee flavor, don’t fret – you cannot taste it at all, it just makes the cake rich and delicious. I love you for posting these cake recipes that are easy and we know every ingredient!
Hello) Could you please tell the size of the cup that was used, so I can measure the ingredients in gramms?
Thanks
I love this cake recipe, it’s delicious! I only have one problem. When I make this cake, I bake it in 2, 9″ round pans. I follow the direction to the letter but when it’s cooled off and I loosen the sides to take the cakes out, the whole cake comes out but it breaks in half so easily. The cake isn’t stuck to the bottom of the pan but part of the cake comes out and the other comes out separately. What do you think could be going on? I’ve been baking since jr. high and I’m going to be 40, help!
I weight measurements for some parts.
210g cake flour (to make this substitute 2 TBL of cornflour w/ std flour; sift 5X)
NOTE: I reduced flour amount a bit
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
89g (¾ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder- I use Dutched
356g castor sugar( 2 cups or 400g of sugar granulated)
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk (245g) (1TBL vinegar or lemon juice added to 1 cup milk)
2 eggs (120g)
1 tsp vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 163C for dark non-stick cake 9” cake pans and 177C for other pans —grease and flour pans to prevent sticking. Line bottom w/ greaseproof paper.
2. Follow instructions as given
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Ovens vary–don’t overcook this
4. Let cool in pans until warm and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Loosen edges; flip onto cooling rack. Since the cakes are a little on the fragile side, wrap them in plastic wrap (after cooling) then freeze them for an hour. It made assembly/ frosting easier.
Love, love, love this recipe!! This is the third time I am baking it for a birthday party…. Thank you very much for sharing this fabulous recipe for a perfect moist chocolate cake. I also highly recommend your moist vanilla cake….. it’s an all time seller at every party:)
Truly divas can cook!!:)
Happy Baking,
Aurea
I love, love this devil’s food cake. It’s so moist but I do have one problem. When I bake this cake, I follow the directions to the tee, and I wait until the cake is fully cooled. Every time I go to release the cakes from the pans, I make a two layer cake, part of the cake stays in the pan. It’s super frustrating and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Help! Thank you!
use parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pans
Can you taste the coffee with this recipe?
I have made cakes that claim to be moist before and I’ve been disappointed, but not this time. Best cake i’ve ever made. Tastes like lava fudge cake!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. It’s very light, fluffy and moist. Very easy to make. It’s taste delicious!!! This is my new Devil Chocolate cake recipe to keep.
Made it yesterday for my daughter’s 24th birthday gathering & everyone fell in love.. I used cream cheese icing instead.. Today there’s a small 2 ” piece left..
One last thing, I used it as a sheet cake…
???????????????????????????????? great chocolate cake tried it all the way from zimbabwe
Could I make this as a sheet cake? (9″X13″)
I just made a 9×13. Took 40 minutes to bake at 325.
I am a self proclaimed chocoholic and I am so glad to have come across your recipe. It is just like the boxed mix but soo much better because I know I’m using quality ingredients. I use coconut oil and about 1 1/3 cups sugar, geez it’s heaven on earth. My kids dont even ask for frosting because it’s so moist.
I’ve been looking for a chocolate cake recipe made from scratch for years. There’s only a couple that I halfway like. This one, I LOVE! I’ve made this cake twice once with the natural unsweetened cocoa powder and the second time I accidentally grabbed the Hershey’s Special Dark which is a blend of natural and dutch cocoas. I prefer the Special Dark blend. This is by far the best chocolate cake recipe that I’ve used. It is listed on many sites that rank the top cake recipes. I highly recommend the red velvet cake on this site as well. Thank you so much for this. It is rare that I take the time to sit and review something.
Looks good. Can it be covered with fondant.
I tried your recipe because I have been looking for a homemade devils food recipe and let me just say, it was delicious! I made it ( but I put homemade cream cheese frosting on it), and it looked JUST like yours when it was done and it was soooo moist! Thank you so much. This is the recipe I will be using from now on when I want a devils food cake. This is the second recipe of yours I have tried and they both came out great! You Divas REALLY CAN COOK!
If you are looking for the perfect chocolate cake….you have found it! This has the perfect texture of a boxed mix, but made from scratch. I’ve been testing homemade chocolate cakes for years, and never found one I was satisfied with until now! Most come out so dense. This one rose nicely and is light and fluffy. I am so excited to have finally found my new go-to chocolate cake recipe! Thank you so much!!! 5 STARS all the way!!!!!
Can this go into cupcake cups?
Hi, where does it say the measurements for the ingredients I cant seem to find them?
It’s just below the video if you scroll down. This is a great recipe and perfect to even mix sour cream if you like it. Great for me.
I just found your site while looking for my husbands request for a great devils food cake. This recipe is 5 star. The cake was easy, rose beautifully, with a nice moist crumb. The chocolate taste was just perfect. We ate one layer, and I froze one for Valentines day. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will be trying more of your great recipes.
I am so thrilled by the remark seen so far. I have watched your video and boy your cake looks super moist and fluffy. I’m gonna try it and get back to you. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I used your recipe to make my first cake from scratch. Let me tell you, I brought it to church for a cake baking contest (all from scratch) and I won 2nd place! Thank you so much for providing a delicious and easy recipe.
Udochi
Ooooo do you have the recipe for that yellow cake in the video???
Sis
Why my cake is not moist or delicious.
Is it true your recipe can be made..?
Not like yours
Made this cake on January 18,2016…It was the best, I will be making this again!????????????
looks delicious! really want to try this out! question tho! can i use whey instead of buttermilk?
I have made this cake 4 times & it is the best chocolate cake we’ve ever had! I made it for my daughter’s graduation & it lasted a few hours ???????? I had to make another one immediately!!
This is by far the best cake recipe I’ve ever made, and the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten! I made this for my own birthday it’s that good. Normally there’s loads of cake leftover, but people were going at the cake with forks, eating it straight off the platter. I’ve become a snob to even fancy restaurant cakes.
The best of the best!
If you’re reading this wondering if you should make it, do it, you won’t regret it.
Hi! Do you think this recipe can be used for Hostess suzy q cakes? I’ve been looking all over for a recipe… this one looks really good.
i just wanted to leave a comment saying how much i enjoyed making and eating this recipe. to all of those wondering about cupcakes, yes it does work, and yes they are delicious. here is the method i used:
preheat oven to 350
follow steps in recipe
place in lined cupcake trays about 3/4 full
bake 18-20 minutes.
18 minutes wound up being perfect for me. just be careful because they are very delicate when they come out of the oven. best to let them cool slightly before removing from pan.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! Thank you so much.. I particularly loved the part where I didn’t have to use an electric mixer to beat the cake batter. This cake is super easy and delicious for an everyday/birthday/special occasion cake. xoxo
I made so many of your recipes and was happy to find a chocolate cake one. My family loved it! Especially, my husband. I had to hide a piece for me. As always, I enjoy your recipes and the stories that goes with them. Looking forward to making more!
I have already tried your red velvet cake mix which I LOVE! Can this cake be covered with fondant without any problems? I have seen a couple of people ask, but don’t think I am across an answer.
I have been using this recipe under fondant for a year now. It works fine ????
HI!
I MADE THIS RECIPE ALONG WITH YOUR RED VELVET AND VANILLA FOR A BIRTHDAY ORDER I HAD AND LET ME JUST SAY OMG THEY WERE A HIT! I ALWAYS HAVE ONE FLAVOR THAT IS LEFT BEHIND BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ALL 3 OF THE CAKES WERE EATEN WITHOUT ANY LEFT!!!! THE KIDS, TEENAGERS AND ADULTS ALL ATE IT UP. I WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF BUT SO THANKFUL I FOUND YOUR WEBSITE AND RECIPES. I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH.
This is the best chocolate cake recipe iv ever used. Loved the cake! Nice flavour and super moist too.
Do I have to use the coffee hot or at room temperature?
The flavor was good but the texture was far too moist. I did not make the frosting.
3/5
Thank you, for the non cake mix recipe. Haven’t tried it yet, but will be making it tomorrow. So hard to find recipes that don’t used processed everything. I find it takes no longer to make it from scratch then it does to use a mix. As well anything made from scratch just tastes better.
Thanks
Richard
hi. i was wondering, can i steam this instead of bake? and still get the same texture?
HELP! Need. Cupcake. Recipe. Of. This.
…..Please 🙂
Not sure about times/frosting amount/etc.
Hi, I absolutely love this recipe and have made it a few times all to rave reviews. But I was wondering could anyone who has tried it tell me how many cupcakes it would make and what their cooking time should be? 🙂
I found your lovely blog late last night while searching for a Devil’s Food recipe. I have since bookmarked it.
I made the cake this evening, and it was RIDICULOUSLY moist, fluffy, and soft!!!! I have never had such a moist cake. Ovens vary, so I had to increase the baking time. Since the cakes were a little on the fragile side, I wrapped them in plastic wrap (after cooling) then froze them for an hour. It made assembly/ frosting easier. Thank you!!
You may want to increase your oven temp to 350 if you are NOT using dark non-stick cake pans. You always lower temp by 25 degrees when using dark non-stick 🙂
I want to give this a go for my son B’day. Can I double it with no problems? Also the coffee should be cooled before using? Please let me know A.S.P.A want to make today. Thank s much.
Lorraine
hi,
I really love this recipe. So moist and fluffy. I am just wondering.. Can i use this recipe for fondant cakes? or it’s too soft for fondant? thanks!
I was wondering about that too! Will give it a try. I did the red velvet recipe and was able to cover it though it was super moist! Ganached it and it set real hard which kept it sturdy on the outside and easy to be covered!
I noticed that the red velvet calls for 1/2 cup of coffee in the recipe whereas for the chocolate it’s 1 cup, I’m afraid it will be too moist given the other wet ingredients. Anyways it will be a trial and error thing! If you tried it and it worked with you let me know!
i tried your red velvet cake..wow super moist…i made my husband cake for his bday everyone love the cake…thank you so much…ill finally found the right recipe i been looking for…
HELP what would be the time for cupcakes?!? Btw love this recipe I make for cake all the time
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I tried it this weekend and it turned out even better than I imagined. Heaps of praises from everyone who tasted it. However I had trouble turning out this cake from my pan, it was so soft it literally broke into two. Could you tell me what I did wrong? Otherwise the taste was great
This looks so good! I am going to give it a stab with my experiment of a gluten free devil’s food cake mix recipe. Buttermilk instead of vinegar sounds like a much better acidic ingredient to use. Thanks!
I’m planning on making this for my mom’s birthday, and she absolutely detests coffee; can you taste the coffee in this recipe? Is there a way to bake the cake without including it?
danielle, you cannot taste the coffee, it is just added to intensify the flavour of the coffee. you can omit coffee as well, won’t matter.
You can’t taste the coffee at all. It’s only to bring out the chocolate flavor, and it’s so good. I’m sure your mom would love it.
you cannot taste the coffee at all… been making recipe like this for years all you taste is the chocolate i dont know what the coffee does exactly but my grandmother used it in several chocolate cake recipes and no detection of coffee flavor 🙂 Im using this recipe to make a chocolate marshmallow cake for my moms bday…. kitchen aid seven minute frosting but with almond extract and i add almond extract to this as well 🙂
My FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe! Moist and delicious. I’ve even made cupcakes from this recipe and my family loved them.
Oooh i made something very similar a few months ago, and it was delicious! Loved seeing how you had a different take on it. I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing!
This cake is UNBELIEVABLE!!! And then add how easy it was to put together… this will definitely be my go to chocolate cake recipe. Thanks so much!!!!!
Hi I absolutely love your recipes! I have tried the pound cakes from you and your grandmother. The came out wonderful! I made the peanut butter cake with the frosting to die for! The banana oatmeal cookies were delicious. I recently just made the easiest devils food ever.. thx for the help
Hi, Monike, I totally love your cakes, I have made this one, and also your death by chocolate cupcakes and of course the red velvet cupcakes. And their flavor is amazing!, But I have a little tinny problem, and that is… when I’m about to remove them from the pans they fall apart. The first time almost half of the cake got stucked in the center of the pan and it was a mess to put it back together…Next time I used parchment paper and it helped a lot, but I see your videos and your cakes look so compact. Mine look as if they are kind of gooey or fudgy.. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Do you think I should remove some liquid from the recipe? I live in a city in the coast, and I don’t know if that might cause a problem, you know with all that of the temperatures or altitudes and yada-yada… What do you suggest?
I have never made a devil’s food cake before and I used this as my recipe. I followed everything you said and it turned out AMAZING. This cake was SUPER DUPER moist! Everyone absolutely loved it. I will be making this again for special occasions. Thanks for this recipe!
My mother’s devil’s food cake recipe came from a cookbook published in the 1950’s. Unfortunately, both the book and Mom are no longer with us. I do remember coffee and boiling water being important parts of the recipe as well as that distinctive thin batter. This is the first recipe that seems to come close. I can’t wait to try it. Also, I agree that white icing is the BEST compliment to devil’s food cake.
I have made this cake twice and i can’t believe how moist it is, for the coffee i use 4 sachets of instant espresso from nescafé with 1 cup of boiling water. Never switching to another chocolate cake ever!!
I dont have canolla oil, can i use vegetable oil instead? How do u make the hot coffee? I only have nescafe coffee powder.
Yes. I just made this last night and used vegetable oil in place of canola. I also used AP flour instead of cake flour just changed the measurements. And I always use instant coffee for these cake recipes that call for coffee and the cakes have came out perfect. Go ahead and try it, it’s moist and sinfully delicious.
Hi Destinie. What were the measurements you used for the AP flour?
Great cake and moist. This recipe is also nice with the dutch processed cocoa. If you need this for a wedding cake, I would suggest using APF for more structure. This is a pretty tender cake to move around and dowel.
The substitution for cake flour would be for every cup of cake flour (listed) use 1 cup of APF plus 2 Tablespoons of sifted flour. To keep cakes moist from the inside out, without simple syrup, I always use 1 Tablespoon of real mayonnaise in the mixture when I put my butter in.
Sorry folks…..I had a typo in the APF conversion. It was actually 1 cup of APF minus 2 Tablespoons to use it instead of cake flour. It is PLUS 2 Tablespoons if you are trying to use cake flour instead of regular flour in a recipe.
This cake was DELICIOUS! Made it for my guy’s family including his mom and picky grandma and OMG! It was all the rave. Thank you soooo much!
My partner absolutely LOVED this recipe, I made this for him on our 1st anniversary and he just can’t get enough 😀 thanks Monique!!!!!
I hope one day you HV your own cooking show !
Hi Monique ! I just made this delicious moist chocolately cake and it is awesome ! My young adult daughters and I really love and enjoy making your recipes…thank you for your creative culinary talents and sharing with the world..God bless you and your family and much success !
What kind of cake flour is to be used? Bleached or unbleached cake flour. I want to make this tomorrow. . Thank you linda
I did this cake yesterday for my mum on the occasion of her birthday as a surprise. 🙂 It was a hit!! Thanks for sharing <3
Tried these and they were delicious, super soft and chocolatey, but not too sweet, PERFECT! they are super easy to make also. I made 18 cupcakes and a small square cake. I used a raspberry butter cream and topped with a fresh raspberry 🙂
hi guys what is the recipe for the WHITE FROSTING?
Awesome recipe…thx u
Hi am I able to make cup cakes with this recipe? And if so are there any adjuatments that need to be made? Also instead of buttermilk am I able to use sour cream mixed with a bit of milk?
I made your devils food cake two weeks ago, I will make another one today! Love love love them! Do you have any lemon cake recipes? Thank you!
I made this cake yesterday for a restaurant I bake for. I keep hearing about how coffee is a must use in chocolate cakes so I tried yours. I’m not sure there are words to describe how rich and moist this cake is. I am very, very impressed. I made mine with two different frostings. One was a fudge frosting for the middle and a chocolate buttercream for the sides and the top. The customers at Rossely’s are flipping for this cake. This will be a mainstay in my arsenal from now one. Thanks for the post.
im gonna make this one also this week but im gonna use splender instead of regular sugar, blessing to you
Hello im want to try this one also but i want to use slpender instead of regular sugar, your cakes recipes will be used in my house regular blessing to you
I live in Mexico, and they don’t have buttermilk here. Is there a substitute? Maybe sour cream or yoghurt with a little milk to thin it? Also can I use butter instead of oil, and if so, how much butter?
I really would like to make a devil’s food cake for my friends here (and for me too). Can you believe it, they grow chocolate here in Chiapas, but they only make white cake!? Thanks — Sue
You can measure out 1 cup of milk (240 ml) take away a tablespoon of it (15ml) and add one tablespoon (15ml) of vinegar, leave it for 5-10 minutes until it curdles and there is your buttermilk 🙂
Can i substitute buttermilk with sour cream? Thanks in advance!
yuuuuuuuuuuuuumy i will do this recipe
I just made this cake for the 2nd time. This cake the bomb!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this. I love all your recipes!!!!!
Can I sub the coffee or just leave it out?
I made this cake for my mom’s birthday. this cake is unbelievably delicious. thanks so much for sharing this recipe
this the best cake I’ve ever eaten!!! thank you so much. I would absolutely love to see the recipe for your yellow cake.
Hi, I live in the Uk and we don’t have cake flour. There are all these suggestions on how to make alternatives but I don’t have the time. Could I substitute with plain/all purpose flour or even self raising?!
If so how would the measurements vary. I quite like thw texture of your red velvet recipe. Please note, I have never had devils food cake and have no clue what thw consistency is meant to be like
Oh, can I also substitue canola oil eith vegetable oil because I don’t believe we have that either across the pond. If we do, it’s prbably not widely available
This cake is unreal soooooooo good. I have found out you cannot go wrong with any of your recipes.
Lady you are the bomb.
can you please gice me the ingredients in gram and dl? i live in norway, so i have no idea what cup is or a stick of butter 😛
This chocolate cake is the best ever! It makes me so happy that I can make a chocolate cake from scratch. This is one of the first cakes I’ve ever made from scratch and I’ve made it about 10 times now. lol
This cake is crazy delicious. The house smells like chocolate cake. Thanks. You rock again!!!!!!
Just made this cake. My husband is losing his mind. He can’t believe that this cake is so chocolaty and moist. He loves the icing. The house smells like chocolate when you come in. You rock Thanks.
looks great! I cant wait to try the recipe… but just a suggestion… is there anyway of getting measurements that are universally friendly? I live in sydney australia so Im having to constantly try and figure out how much is what….
other than that… THANK U!!! ur recipes are super easy and so user friendly! My red velvet cupcakes came out PERFECT!
Hey Monique! Love this recipe! I can’t find a poppyseed cake recipe anywhere!! Do you think you can help me out??
Made cupcakes from this recipe today and they were a huge hit! Thanks Diva! You are awesome!
Hi .
How long did you bake these cupcakes?
And at what temperature.
Many Thanks
Jacqui
why did you use vanilla icing instead of chocolate? is it better that way?
What a magnific recepie !!! JUST like it shows !! Exelent. I will LOVE to have a recepie for a white cake as GOOD And fluffy.
it was awesome …i am not a good baker but wen i baked it it was just came out as 100% everybody liked it even my sister who thinks she is a pro was like :O
really really thank you ^_^
the cake was beautiful :*
and really i am from india too n really as u named this page “divas can cook” too
it looks delish!
you are amazing!! I love this no-fail recipe. Iv made a few times and it is always a hit. Thnk u so very much.love from India
I just made this last night! It was super easy! Absolutely delicious & moist! Looks & taste like it came from a bakery! I used two 8.5 inch cake pans, which took about 10 minutes longer! The layers baked nice & high! I wish I could post a picture! The frosting taste like HEAVEN! This would be amazing with shredded coconut on top! Monique, just want to let you know that I appreciate what you do here! There’s nothing badder, than a woman who can put her foot in some food! God bless you! Muahhhhhhh
I just made this recipe for a Christmas party and put mint flavor in the icing tinted it green and decorated with Andes mints. It was AMAZING!!!! Really moist and perfect flavor. I will be making it for holidays and my birthday.
how do i make hot coffee?
Have made it today-LOVE IT!
It came out so good that I could have just a few bites 🙂 Thanks a lot!
Recipe sounds delicious. Can I use regular flour instead of cake flour?
Dear Monique,
I live in Europe, and love Your American style cakes. I came out with this frosting, ´cause I like frostings less sweet (but even my Cuban husband loves it, and he normally goes for sweeter treats). To make it sweeter, just add some more sweetened condensed milk. I let the cake stand night over, or a least some hours.
Very nice blog.
CHOCOLATE FROSTING (enough for 2 layer cake)
150 grams of Dark Chocolate (70%)
50 grams of Milk Chocolate (or substitute with Dark Chocolate for stronger flavor)
½ cup of sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup of butter, softened
200 grams of mascarpone
Hi, I just want to say that this recipe is awesome and it is definitely a keeper (:
Hi dear….really tempted to bake this lovely cake…but I am really new to baking. What’s cake-flour…can I use all-purpose flour (Maida)….Waiting for ur reply!!!
Hi, may I know how many ML in one cup??? Thx got answering.
I made this cake today and it was fantastic!! Light, fluffy and great texture. Do you have a recipe for a white cake? I love all of your recipes.
Just want to ask regarding your Butter stick. Can you just inform how many grams the Butter are? In here our butter are 250 grams. We dont have small one likeyours. Pls & thks.
One stick of butter is half a cup which is about 8 ounces.
one stick butter is 100 gm
112grams in one stick of butter.
Just loved the way u bake…Ur accent fascinates me to watch the video again & again. Can’t wait to give it a try…
I’ve made this cake twice and it gets better every time. The second time around, however, I made it with my own recipe for a cocoa icing. Everyone enjoyed it both times. I will absolutely continue to use this recipe!
What kind of coffee did you use? Does it matter?
Hello!! I made this cake, for my birthday on August 30th. It was sooo moist. It was better than any store bought birthday cake. Thanks you so much for this recipe. Keep them coming. I would love to see a lemon cake recipe
Hey Monique! I want to try this recipe but i was wondering if we could put nutella in the recipe? If so what do u think I should do? I love ur recipes! U’re always my go-to website when I need a great recipe!
Hey ! I made this recipe and I lust say this was wonderful !! The cake is so moist and the frosting very nice too. But, my cake was not as beautiful as yours because when I iced it, the frosting was full of little crumbs. This looked SO ugly 🙁
It was my first time using buttercream to coat a cake, though. Have you any advice for me ? =)
Rainbow, I found a trick online for that. Do your middle frosting, after you put on the top cake lightly frost sides & top ( there will be crumbs). Pop in the freezer for a few mins 10-15 (icing should be firm). Take out & use the rest of the frosting to frost top & sides again (crumbs will be gone),
hi,is this cake sturdy enough for fondant?i plan to use it along with chococlate ganache
Look soooooooooooooo delish cant wait to try it, thanks Diva
absolutely delicious, although I found the baking soda a bit over powering in flavor so I reduced it down to 1 1/4 teaspoons and it was much better, and I did a cherry flavor in my icing instead but a real hit very yummy I have put this on my favorites for cooking..thx
OMGGGG,,this cake is the BOMB,,i just made it and amazing is all I can say!!!!!
Excellent recipe.
Hello Monique, what kind of coffee do you prefer for this cake??
I tried this cake and it was the best devils food cake I have ever made. Can you please put a recipe of a basic vanilla cake.
love it
Hmmm… it’s really moist!!!!! I pinned this 10 days ago and my daughter tried it today. Guess what, I’m about to finish my slice now. Getting ready for another one 🙂
omg just made this!!! i think i found a winner!!!!! perfect !!!!!!
What type of cups are you using? I’m located in Australia and I would love to try this recipe out but unfortunately I have no idea what the measurements are. If you could help out that’d be awesome! Thank you! And I adore your accent!
I made this cake for Father’s Day… Monique it was amazing!! I did bake in a 9×13 because I was cooking a lot today. It was easy and delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there!
This is the first time I leave you a comment and the first time I try one of your recipes; just HAD TO tell you how wonderful and easy it was!
A really moist, fluffy and delicious cake, my whole family just loved it. We don’t have buttermilk here in France so I just used regular milk and it worked just fine. Thanks for all your lovely recipes!
xx
Hello monique, to be very honest you are the most amazing baker in the world! Every recipe of yours shall be considered the best in the world you are the only chef that i am 100% sure what i make will be the best i watch your youtube channel everyday. Your so amazing. Keep up the good or shall i say exceptional work. You’ll always be my favorite. Cooking/baking should be proud of you! <3
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe? if so, what alterations must be made?
I was soo in the mood for this and I can not wait to try this!
I have been on a hunt for a lemon cake and I CAN NOT find one…can u please share one with us PLEASE!!!!
I have been waiting for a basic chocolate cake recipe that I could trust to be actually fluffy and moist. This website I trust because I’ve had success with all your recipes. Cant wait to try this.
I made this today! The taste was so good. Cake is moist and full of flavor . However I was a bit impatient and apply the frosting a little too early when the cake hasn’t completely cool down… So the frosting melted a bit .. But this is definitely a good recipe! Will make again!
I will def need to try this recipe! How about your sister’s Lemon Cake? It looks delicious.