Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 100 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 65 g dutch-process cocoa powder
- 6 g baking powder
- 7 g baking soda
- 5 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 240 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 240 ml hot coffee, boiling
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 340 g cream cheese, cold
- 120 g powdered sugar, sifted
- 240 ml heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 5 ml vanilla paste
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 503 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 38 g
- Sodium
- 515 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 83 mg
- Potassium
- 226 mg
- Calcium
- 116 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 40 mg
- Phosphorus
- 150 mg
- Zinc
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 186 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.22 mg
- Niacin
- 0.5 mg
- Folate
- 16 mcg
- Water
- 74 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 20 mg
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans with butter or oil spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk briefly to ensure the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
In a separate jug or bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until fully emulsified.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be thick.
Slowly pour in the boiling hot coffee while mixing on the lowest speed. Be careful of splashes. Mix only until the batter is uniform; it will be very liquid and runny. This is normal.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 175°C (350°F), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cakes must be cool to the touch (approx 20-25°C/68-77°F) before frosting.
For the frosting: In a chilled bowl, beat the cold cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat or it may become runny.
Gradually stream in the cold heavy cream while the mixer is running. Once added, increase speed to high and whip until fluffy, stiff peaks form. Add vanilla towards the end.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a thick layer of frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
Chef's Notes
- Using hot coffee is the secret weapon here; it doesn't make the cake taste like coffee, but it amplifies the chocolate notes significantly.
- This frosting is a hybrid between a chantilly and a cheesecake batter. It is much less sweet than traditional buttercream and must be kept cool.
- If you want a darker, Oreo-like color, use 'black' cocoa powder for 50% of the cocoa requirement.
- The batter is extremely liquid compared to standard cakes. Don't panic; this high moisture content is what keeps the cake tender for days.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight cake carrier to prevent the frosting from absorbing fridge odors.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unfrosted layers wrapped tightly. Frosted cake freezes well if flash-frozen first.
Reheating: Eat cold or let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Troubleshooting
Frosting is soupy or runny
Cause: Cream cheese was too warm or mixture was over-mixed, breaking the emulsion
Fix: Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then whisk briefly by hand; if broken, it cannot be fully fixed but can serve as a glaze
Prevention: Use cold ingredients and stop whipping the moment stiff peaks form
Cake sunk in the middle
Cause: Oven door was opened too early or underbaked
Fix: Fill the depression with extra frosting or fruit compote
Prevention: Do not open oven until at least 25 minutes have passed; verify temp with thermometer
Cultural Context
The 'Devil's Food' style cake emerged in the United States in the early 20th century as a counterpart to the white 'Angel Food' cake. The use of hot liquid to bloom cocoa is a distinctly American home-baking innovation that maximizes the solubility of cocoa solids, resulting in the iconic dark, dense, and moist texture associated with classic American birthday cakes.
