The Problem: The problem with defining the Devil's Food Cake, beyond the obvious issue of color, is that over time the recipe has been changed and embellished to the point where different recipes have little in common.
The Goal: After reviewing lots of recipes, we came to the conclusion that the essence of devil's food cake is a very moist, velvety texture combined with an intense chocolate experience. Our challenge was to develop a recipe that lived up to our definition.
The Solution: Use a combination of unsweetened chocolate and Dutch-processed cocoa powder (which is less acidic than regular cocoa and therefore enhances browning), mixed with hot water rather than milk; milk tends to dull the flavor of chocolate (think of milk versus dark chocolate). A mixture of cake and all-purpose flour provides both structure and delicacy. Sour cream deepens the flavor and adds substance to the texture of the cake. Finish with vanilla or coffee buttercream frosting.
4 | ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped |
1/4 | cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder |
1 1/4 | cups water (boiling) |
3/4 | cup unbleached all-purpose flour |
3/4 | cup cake flour |
1 | teaspoon baking soda |
1/4 | teaspoon table salt |
8 | ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus extra for greasing pans |
1 1/2 | cups packed dark brown sugar |
3 | large eggs , room temperature |
1/2 | cup sour cream |
1 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
1. Adjust oven rack to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, grease three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round. Combine chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl; pour boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt onto large sheet parchment or waxed paper; set aside.
2. Place butter in bowl of standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high and add eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Reduce speed to medium; add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 10 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl. With mixer on low, add about one third of flour mixture, followed by about one half of chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 15 seconds. Do not overbeat. Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix gently to thoroughly combine.
3. Divide batter evenly among cake pans, smooth batter to edges of pan with rubber spatula. If baking three 8-inch cakes, place two pans on lower-middle rack and one on upper-middle rack. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes for 8-inch cakes. Cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cakes onto large plate; peel off parchment, and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing.
4 | large eggs |
1 | cup granulated sugar |
2 | teaspoons vanilla extract |
pinch table salt | |
1 | pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened, each stick cut into quarters |
1. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer.
2. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed with whisk attachment until light, airy, and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time. (After adding half the butter, buttercream may look curdled; it will smooth with additional butter.) Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.)
3 | tablespoons instant espresso powder |
3 | tablespoons water (warm) |
4 | large eggs |
1 | cup granulated sugar |
pinch table salt | |
1 | pound unsalted butter (4 sticks), softened, each stick cut into quarters |
1. Dissolve instant espresso powder in warm water; set aside.
2. Combine eggs, sugar, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer.
2. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed with whisk attachment until light, airy, and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time. (After adding half the butter, buttercream may look curdled; it will smooth with additional butter.) Once all butter is added, add dissolved coffee, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined. (Buttercream can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.)