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Last Updated on April 11, 2025 by Melanie
Devil’s Food Cake with Buttercream Icing – This rich and delicious chocolate cake is soft and the perfect go-to devil’s food recipe. Sour cream, butter, cocoa make this homemade cake irresistible!
Sigh* This cake is to die for. I’m going to be completely honest and tell you something. I did not want to share this cake. I seriously tried to persuade my kids to eat something else when there was only a bit left. What kind of mother does that?
This mom! The mom that loves chocolate more than her children. JUST KIDDING!
I have given chocolate up for periods of time. So I know I can do it. It’s not pretty at first but it has been done before. Even for 30 days stretches. No one came near me for those last 29 days either.
There’s a disclaimer that goes with my chocolate fast. It’s simple and it goes like this. ~ Don’t talk to Melanie! ~
I’ll be sure to give you a fair warning before the next one. 😉
Anyway, back to this decadent cake. It’s perfectly moist. Just the right sweetness. Oh and I’m totally okay with this as my birthday cake next year. Hint. Hint. It’s 3 months away. Well, I’d be okay with making it myself but don’t expect me to share.
Til we meet and eat again,
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Devil’s Food Cake with Buttercream Icing
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 8 -10 1x
Ingredients
For Devil's Food Cake
- 16 tablespoons 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 3/4 cup 3 3/4 oz unbleached all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup 3 oz plain cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 oz dark brown sugar)
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttercream Frosting
- 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick, softened)
- 3-4 Tbsp half and half
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- mini chocolate chips for decoration
Instructions
For Devil’s Food Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans with butter and line the bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment.
- Combine chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth.
- Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Increase to medium high and add the eggs one at time. Reduce speed to medium; add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl. On low speed add one third of flour mixture. Add one third of chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Do not over beat. Remove bowl from mixer. Scrape down sides again stirring to combine thoroughly.
- Divide batter evenly in cake pans. Smooth to the edge leveling with rubber spatula.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 – 23 minutes.
- Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife or rubber spatula around cake to loosen. Invert onto plate. Peel off parchment. Reinvert. Cool completely.
For buttercream frosting
- In a large bowl on lowest speed combine powdered sugar, butter, half and half and vanilla until ingredients are combined. Turn up to medium-high and beat about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Stop and scrape down once or twice to scrape down bowl.
- Frost cake and serve.
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Category: Dessert
Recipe from American Classics by Cook’s Illustrated Magazine
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It was JUST my birthday yesterday! I would have loved to have this fabulous looking cake! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy birthday Taylor! If you were close by I’d definitely share for your birthday. 😉
Oh my gosh – this cake looks ssssoooo good! I love it Melanie! This is fantastic! Good thing I don’t live nearby, or I’d be knocking on your door for sweets and coffee! 🙂
I lied. I’d totally share with you! 🙂
Haha – you had me LOL-ing at you giving up chocolate “…for 30 days stretches. No one came near me for those last 29 days…”!!!
My daughters bday is next weekend and she wants a 3 cake laryer/3 frosting layer cake – think this is gonna be one of her layers – this looks truly decadent indeed!
Hope you do get a chance to try it Sashi. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Happy birthday to your daughter!
Haha…my sister hid some Christmas cookies that I made for her family last year! No harm done. 😉
Um, I’m slightly obsessed with this cake! First, it’s gorgeous. Love the brown/black contrast to white. Second, it’s cake and chocolate…kinda hard to go wrong. Definitely need to make this asap! I could give up chocolate…for 1 day!
Thanks Tina! Yeah, giving up chocolate certainly isn’t easy!
To be honest, I wouldn’t have shared this cake either! It looks like the kind I’d love to hoard and eat all by myself… yeah. So stunning! I want it for my birthday as well, pretty please! 😉
This does look too good to share! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thanks Karly for hosting! It’s always a pleasure.
I love how rich and dark that cake looks! Amazing!
Thanks Jocelyn. It is much too good!
The recipe calls for 16 ounces of butter. But it then says 2 sticks of butter. Just a little confused about the amount. I am going with 2 sticks.
Sorry about that! It should read 16 tablespoons or 2 sticks. Updated the recipe. Hope you enjoyed it. Let us know or tag us on IG @gatherforbread. Happy 4th!
This cake will now be my go to chocolate cake recipe. Very delicious and moist. Thanks.