Devil’s Food Cake Recipe

Excerpted from ‘The Cake Bible’ by Rose Levy Beranbaum

AARP

Comments

Published October 08, 2024

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing, with one piece cut out on dish

Pair the deep, dark, delicious, and moist Devil's Food Cake with the Midnight Ganache for a decadent treat.

Matthew Septimus

This cake is so deep, dark, delicious, and moist, I was inspired to create the special ganache it deserves: the Midnight Ganache (recipe follows). Compared to the Chocolate Fudge Cake, it has a very similar flavor profile but has a slightly less fine texture and is a little less tender. It is darker in color and has a slightly more intense chocolate flavor. The cake is very level and is therefore ideal as a two-layer cake. —Rose Levy Beranbaum

Devil’s Food Cake

Makes two 9-inch layers

Serves 16-20

Baking time: 25 to 35 minutes

Special equipment: Two 9 × 2 inch round pans, encircled with cake strips, bottoms coated with shortening and topped with parchment rounds, then coated with baking spray with flour

Ingredients

1 ounce unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup plus 1½ tablespoons (sifted before measuring) unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
4 (to 6) large eggs, separated: 4 (to 6) yolks, 2 whites
¼ cup full-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2¼ cups (sifted into the cup and leveled off) bleached cake flour
1½ cups, firmly packed, light brown sugar, preferably muscovado
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven: Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Set the oven at 350˚F.

Combine the chocolate, cocoa, and boiling water: In a 2-cup glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the chocolate, cocoa, and boiling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature. It can take as long as an hour. To speed cooling, place it in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Mix the liquid ingredients: In a 2-cup glass measuring cup with a spout, lightly whisk the measured egg yolks and egg whites. Add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk just until lightly combined.

Make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and cocoa mixture and, holding the beater with your hand, mash the butter and cocoa mixture into the flour mixture so that it doesn’t jump out of the mixer when beating. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or use the splash shield. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 45 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. The batter will be slightly fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces evenly with a small offset spatula. Each pan will be almost half full (645 grams each).

Bake the cakes: For 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean and the cakes spring back when pressed lightly in the centers. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven.

Cool and unmold the cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pans and the cakes, pressing firmly against the pans, and invert the cakes onto wire racks that have been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Peel off the parchment and, to prevent splitting, reinvert the cakes so that the tops are facing up. Cool completely.

Store airtight: room temperature, 3 days; refrigerated, 1 week; frozen, 3 months.

Pointer for success: It is important to cover the cocoa mixture to prevent evaporation, which would cause the cake to be dry.

Understanding: Compared to the original version of this cake, which was baked in three 1½ inch high pans, the batter for this cake is two-thirds the recipe except for the cocoa, which is three-quarters. There is also added unsweetened chocolate, a little sour cream, and brown sugar in place of granulated. All this makes the cake more chocolaty, moister, and less sweet. Compared to the Chocolate Fudge Cake, this cake has a much higher percentage of fat (including the cocoa butter and sour cream), a little less water, and more cocoa solids. This makes it denser and moister.

Complementary adornments: Midnight Ganache or other ganache. Recipe follows.

Midnight Ganache

I created this ganache for Devil’s Food Cake and for the chocolate lover who always longs for deeper and darker flavor and the ultimate in voluptuous texture. The secrets are caramelizing the sugar to a deep brown and adding cocoa, bringing the cacao solids to a little more than double that of Caramel Ganache. Also, adding boiling water to the cocoa releases its full flavor. Using part water instead of the usual amount of heavy cream keeps the ganache very dark. —Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients

1½ cups minus 1 tablespoon (sifted before measuring) unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
I cup boiling water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Cognac or extra water
7 ounces dark chocolate (60% to 62% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup water
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, lukewarm to hot
2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Make the cocoa mixture: In a 4 cup glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and Cognac. Cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. To speed cooling, place it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

Grate the chocolate: In a food processor, process the chocolate.

Make the caramel: Use a medium heavy saucepan, preferably with a nonstick lining and a pouring lip. (Alternatively, if your saucepan does not have a lip, have ready near the cooktop a 4 cup/1 liter glass measure with a spout, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.)

In the saucepan, stir together the sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened. Heat on medium-high, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling.

Stop stirring completely and allow the syrup to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep amber. An instant-read thermometer will read 370˚F/188˚C or a few degrees lower because its temperature will continue to rise. Remove it from the heat and, as soon as it reaches temperature, slowly and carefully pour the cream into the caramel. It will bubble up furiously.

Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture gently, scraping the thicker part that settles on the bottom. Return the pan to very low heat, continuing to stir gently for 1 minute, or until the mixture is uniform in color and the caramel fully dissolved. Remove it from the heat and gently stir in the butter until incorporated.

If the saucepan doesn’t have a pouring lip, pour the mixture into the prepared glass measure.

Make the ganache: With the motor of the food processor running, pour the hot caramel sauce onto the grated chocolate. (The caramel will be between 160˚F and 200˚F when added to the chocolate. If the caramel in the glass measure should harden, simply put it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it.) By the time all of it is added, the chocolate will have melted and the mixture will be smooth and shiny. Add the cocoa mixture and process until evenly combined.

Cool the ganache: Scrape the ganache into a bowl and allow it to stand uncovered for 1 hour. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 5 hours, or until firm enough to use as frosting and/or filling. It should be the creamy consistency of softened butter.

To reheat: Use a double boiler, stirring gently, or a microwave oven, stirring and folding every 5 seconds, using a silicone spatula.

Store airtight: cool room temperature, 3 days; refrigerated, 2 weeks; frozen, 3 months

Plan ahead: Make the ganache several hours before using.