Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache
This rich, dark and delicious devils food chocolate cake is simple and easy yet light and decadent. Filled with my five minutes vanilla buttercream and frosted with a decadent chocolate ganache this is the ultimate chocolate cake for anyone chocolate lover. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that takes five minutes to mix and 40 minutes to bake.
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This Devils Food Chocolate Cake is one of my absolute favorite recipes. I just trust it so much it has never failed me. The best part? It is so versatile; I have made a quick evening dessert cake with ganache frosting as well as frosted it with whipped cream for a lighter dessert. It has a very stable structure with a tender crumb and so it’s ideal for tiered or carved cakes.
Last summer I made an Ice Cream cake with this as a base. I cut each layer in two, used a cake ring to layer cake and Ice Cream – I used two layers of Cookies & Cream and two layers of Belgian Chocolate. Once frozen I frosted it with fresh cream and drizzled some melted chocolate. I think the kids were in chocolate heaven.
Let’s Talk Ingredients and Substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Flour – I use regular all-purpose flour, plain flour (maida) for most of my cakes, This is easily available and usually always on hand in most households.
- Butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the quantity of sugar in my recipe but if salted butter is all you gave go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe.
- Brown sugar – The molasses in the brown sugar contributes to the soft texture as well as a rich flavor from the molasses.
- Eggs – we have only two eggs in this batch to make it two good large eggs.
- Sour cream – This can be made at home if you can’t find it near you. Here’s how you make homemade sour cream. If you must you can use buttermilk which again can be made at home in just five minutes. The sour cream contributes to that tender crumb you get in cakes and of course, adds more richness.
- Hot water – this melts the cocoa powder and gives this cake that deep color almost black color when baked. It also makes the cake structure lighter which works perfectly for dessert style cakes.
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Recipes – Ultimate Devils Food Chocolate Cake (Save/Pin)
Useful Tips and Tools
- If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this cake go ahead and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet.You don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
- Having said that, a simple Bowl, whisk and Spatula with a little extra effort will do the trick too.
- Personally, I believe in weighing ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scaleone of the most valuable items when baking.
- The same goes for mymeasuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
- I think one set of baking pans is a must for anyone a home baker. Personally, I like to bake three layers rather than torte my cakes and it bakes faster too. For most of my layer cake recipes on this blog I use 3 x 6-inch round pans or 2 x 8-inch round pans.
- Once baked always invert your cakes on a cooling rack. This encourages air circulation and prevents the steam from pooling at the bottom of the pan.
- Every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If the cake bakes too quick or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 113 grams Unsalted butter
- 220 grams Dark brown sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 190 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 45 grams Cocoa powder
- 120 ml Boiling water
- 3/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 120 ml Sour cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the filling and frosting
- One batch – Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- One batch – Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 30 ml – Simple syrup (boil 2 tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup water)
Method
Prepare
- Preheat Oven to 170 C / 340 F
- Grease and line two, 6-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and cocoa powder
- Add boiling water to the cocoa powder, stir to combine making sure there are no lumps – set aside to cool.
- Sift remaining dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt – set aside.
Prepare Batter
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (This will take a little longer than white sugar as brown sugar is more coarse)
- Add eggs one at a time making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Once the eggs are well incorporated. Add the cooled cocoa powder mixture
- Next, add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternating in three batches
- Lastly, add vanilla extract.
- Give it one last mix making sure you have a nice smooth consistency and color
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Bake
- Divide batter equally into two baking pans.
- Bake in the center rack for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled remove from the pan and let cool completely before you decorate.
- Always decorate cakes when completely cold or the frosting will melt off.
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Decorate
- Cut the domes off the cooled cake layers
- Give each one a nice drizzle of simple syrup
- Place on cake layer on a cake board or platter
- Add a generous amount of vanilla buttercream frosting
- Place the second layer on the first.
- Frost the outside with chocolate ganache
- Use a cake decorating bench scraper or spatula to smooth the top and sides.
- Place any remaining ganache in a piping bag with a star tip nozzle.
- Pipe a border on the bottom and top or as desired.
- Enjoy!
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Storage
- The cake will stay fresh for up to four days at cool room temperature, longer if kept in the fridge.
- It can be frozen for a month or more.
Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
Ultimate Devils Food Chocolate Cake Recipe, Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake, Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Devils Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
This rich, dark and delicious devils food chocolate cake is simple and easy yet light and decadent. Filled with my five minutes vanilla buttercream and frosted with a decadent chocolate ganache this is the ultimate chocolate cake for anyone chocolate lover. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that takes five minutes to mix and 40 minutes to bake.
Print Pin Rate Adjust Servings Here: 8 Servings
Calories: 367kcal
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Ingredients
For the cake
- 113 grams Unsalted butter
- 230 grams Dark brown sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 190 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 45 grams Cocoa powder
- 120 ml Boiling water
- 3/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 120 ml Sour cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the filling and frosting
- 1 batch Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 batch Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 30 ml Simple syrup
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat Oven to 170 C / 340 F
- Grease and line two, 6-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and cocoa powder
- Add boiling water to the cocoa powder, stir to combine making sure there are no lumps - set aside to cool.
- Sift remaining dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt - set aside.
Prepare Batter
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. (This will take a little longer than white sugar as brown sugar is more coarse)
- Add eggs one at a time making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Once the eggs are well incorporated. Add the cooled cocoa powder mixture
- Next, add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternating in three batches
- Lastly, add vanilla extract.
- Give it one last mix making sure you have a nice smooth consistency and color
Bake
- Divide batter equally into two baking pans
- Bake in the center rack for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Once cooled remove from the pan and let cool completely before you decorate.
- Always decorate cakes when completely cold or the frosting will melt off.
Decorate
- Cut the domes off the cooled cake layers
- Give each one a nice drizzle of simple syrup
- Place on cake layer on a cake board or platter
- Add a generous amount of vanilla buttercream frosting
- Place the second layer on the first.
- Frost the outside with chocolate ganache
- Use a cake decorating bench scraper or spatula to smooth the top and sides.
- Place any remaining ganache in a piping bag with a star tip nozzle.
- Pipe a border on the bottom and top or as desired.
- Enjoy!
Chef's Tips
Storage
- The cake will stay fresh for up to four days at cool room temperature, longer if kept in the fridge.
- It can be frozen for a month or more.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 10.1% | Vitamin C: 0.2% | Calcium: 7.4% | Iron: 13.7%
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Tried this recipe?Mention @veenaazmanov or tag #veenaazmanov!
More Cake Recipes?
You know I love cakes and so this blog has a huge selection of cakes. Layered cakes that are perfect for cake decorators or desserts, bundt cakes, and coffee cakes. Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions in the comments below.
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Katie
This recipe is so indulgent and tasty! I love ganache and combining it with cake is a delicious idea!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Katie.
Krissy Allori
This is the best devils food cake recipe that I have found!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Krissy. So happy to hear that.
Mike Hultquist
Make this for a special occasion and everyone asked for the recipe. Yep, it was a hit! Super chocolaty. Love it.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much, Mike. So happy to hear that you and your guest enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for the feedback.
Sabrina
This cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! So much yumminess in every bite!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Sabrina. So glad you enjoyed it.
Vicky
I have a daughter with a birthday coming up, and she would absolutely adore this cake. I was going to go with a store bought cake but when something looks this good I think I just might have to try it.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Vicky. I think she will love this cake. It’s so easy.
Jill
I appreciate the process shots and detailed descriptions since I’m not a confident baker. This is a fabulous looking cake!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Jill. Happy you found my progress pictures useful.