A rich and decadent classic chocolate layer cake that is paired with a perfectly fluffy, old-fashioned 7-Minute Frosting.
Devil’s Food Cake
This moist cake is rich, chocolatey and decadent. Vintage cookbooks are filled with Devil’s Food Cake recipes – there’s a reason it has been popular for decades! It was even described as “The All-American Dessert” in the 1939 Baker’s Famous Chocolate Recipes collection.
Curious to know how this cake got its name? Although this cake has been around since the 20th century, the origin for the name Devil’s Food Cake is actually hard to pinpoint. Devil’s Food Cake tends to be richer and contain more chocolate than a traditional chocolate cake. For this reason, it has been said this “sinful” cake is “the Devil’s Food!”
Older recipes for Devil’s Food cake are often referred to as “Red Devil’s Food” due to the phenomenon of cocoa powder reacting with baking powder to create a dark red hue. This is not the same as a Red Velvet cake, which contains less cocoa powder than Devil’s Food. Some older recipes even called for using red food coloring to achieve that dark red hue.
Most old-fashioned recipes use either melted squares of baking chocolate or natural cocoa powder. Dutched cocoa powder, which tends to be more alkaline and not as acidic as natural cocoa powder was not readily available in the U.S until later in the 20th century.
About this Recipe
My version is adapted from my Grandma’s recipe collection, dating to the 1950’s. It has a generous amount of chocolate and does require the use of cake flour. I almost always sift flour when I am baking a cake, but at a minimum make sure you are whisking the dry ingredients to eliminate any clumps.
The original cake recipe contains lard (as in almost all of her recipes do). I have tested this recipe using both shortening and butter, but I prefer to use unsalted butter in most of my baked goods. The cocoa powder used in this recipe is natural cocoa powder and the boiling water that is added to the batter helps the cocoa powder incorporate into the batter better and also improves the chocolate flavor.
This cake also contains an acidic ingredient that heightens the chocolate flavor – sour milk. Sour milk, not to be confused with milk that has actually gone sour, was common in farmhouse kitchens. It was created when unpasteurized milk was allowed to sit at room temperature and ferment. You can make your own (see tips below!) or substitute buttermilk.
This old fashioned cake pairs best with the classic 7-Minute Frosting, but you can use any of your favorite frostings.
Tips for this recipe
- Make your own sour milk: add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk or you can substitute buttermilk.
- Make sure the eggs and butter for the cake are actually room temperature, as indicated in the recipe. This ensures that your ingredients will incorporate easier.
- The boiling water should be added to the cake batter last.
- For the 7-Minute frosting, making sure the sugar is dissolved while cooking over the double boiler is an essential step.
- The cake can be baked ahead of time before it is frosted; store unfrosted cake in an airtight container.
- 7-Minute Frosting is best when eaten the day it is made, but will keep up to 48 hours (chilled).
- Store frosted cake chilled in an airtight container.
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Devil’s Food Cake with 7-Minute Frosting
Equipment
- parchment paper
- two 9" cake pans
- double boiler
- hand mixer
- flat spatula
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk *see notes below
- 1/2 cup boiling water
7 Minute Frosting
- 2 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 7 and 1/2 tbsp water, room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F and place oven rack in the middle of oven.
- Cut parchment paper to size of cake pans and place in bottom of cake pans. Grease pans with a baking spray or with softened butter.
- Sift the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.
- Mix the boiling water and cocoa powder in a bowl or glass measuring cup; stir until combined and no lumps of cocoa remain.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture. Add in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding the sifted dry ingredients and the sour milk, in three different batches to the liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until each addition is combined; do not overmix.
- Slowly pour in the boiling water and cocoa mixture on low speed; only mix until combined.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans, only filling cake pans 2/3 full. Gently tap pans on counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake 28-30 minutes until toothpick or knife comes out of the center of the cakes clean. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto wire rack to cool completely.
- Remove parchment paper from cakes when completely cool.
- Frost cake layers with 7-Minute Frosting, or your other favorite frosting.
For the frosting
- Using a double boiler, combine all ingredients except for vanilla extract in a heat proof bowl on medium-low heat over simmering water, careful that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Cook meringue mixture about 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. The mixture should not be grainy if you rub a small amount between your fingers. It if remains grainy after 3 minutes, cook for 1 minute longer or until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove double boiler from heat, but leave the bowl over the hot water. Begin to beat meringue mixture with hand mixer on high speed until fluffy, about 6 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract and continue to beat 1 minute longer, or until of thick spreading consistency. Use immediately to frost cake, before it sets.
Notes
- To make sour milk: add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Storage: Cake can be baked a day ahead of being frosted if stored in an airtight container. Refrigerate cake after frosted, will keep up to 48 hours.
- If using 7-Minute Frosting, it is best when eaten the day it is made.