Don't let the name Devil's food cake fool you. This chocolate cake is one of the most uplifting desserts to taste. In fact, many might have already heard the word "heavenly" thrown around when it comes to describing this cake. It's light, moist, packed full of rich cocoa, and often glazed with buttercream frosting or chocolate fudge icing. However, this recipe includes some espresso thrown into the mix.

The recipe

Ingredients:

  • Two cups cake flour
  • One cup Dutch cocoa powder
  • One tsp espresso powder
  • Half tsp baking powder
  • Half tsp baking soda
  • One stick unsalted butter
  • One cup caster sugar
  • Two large eggs
  • One cup buttermilk
  • One tsp vanilla extract
  • Half tsp salt

Frosting ingredients:

  • Two sticks unsalted butter
  • Two cups powdered sugar
  • Two tbsp milk
  • One tbsp cocoa powder
  • One tsp espresso powder

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC and boil one cup of water. Grease and flour the insides of 2 round cake pans (eight inches each). Set aside.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on low speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one a time, fully incorporating each. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
  4. Combine the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Turn on the stand mixer and alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, including the boiling water in three different phases (six in total). Scrape down the bowl between some of these phases.
  5. Divide the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until the centers bounce back when pressed lightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool. Unmold them onto a paper-lined sheet pan.
  7. To make the frosting, cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a clean stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Combine the milk, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a bowl and add the mixture to the buttercream while it's still mixing. Keep mixing until it reaches the desired consistency.
  8. To glaze the Devil's food cake, place one cake onto a cake stand and apply a generous amount of frosting on the top and sides. Smooth down the tops and sides of the cake with a metal spatula. Place the second cake on top of the first one and repeat the glazing process.
  9. Serve the cake once it's complete or store and refrigerate.

Serves 12.
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