This Devil's Food cake is G.O.O.D. It's rich, super chocolatey, has just the right amount of sweetness, and is so moist it's hard to believe it didn't come from a box. For those of you already familiar with this Devil's Food cake post here, you know that the inspiration for this recipe came from my 95-year-old Granny's cookbook collection. With a few tweaks and upgrades, it's definitely one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever made or eaten. And you can even make it 100% by hand. Yeah, that's right, no need for an electric mixer or stand mixer of any kind. I've made it every kind of way and the results are always the same. For anyone new to baking, I've included recipe step-by-step photos at the end of the post.

8 inch baked devil's food cake cooling on a wire rack and appearing almost black like the color of an Oreo cookie it's so dark and decadent after baking

super moist double layer devil's food cake

single bite of double layer chocolatey devil's food cake cut in half

A Vintage Devil's Food Cake Recipe For any Occasion

As you can see from below, I use this chocolate cake recipe for all kinds of desserts. It's versatile and really hard to beat. After researching the seven or so various different devil's food cake recipes in my Granny's cookbook, I decided to use one submitted by Mrs. Greer as the inspiration and starting point for this recipe. I altered it to ensure it would end up being as moist as the boxed version (it really is) and a little more devilish (so more chocolatey) and added a little baking powder to help with the lift. I substituted half of the butter with oil to make sure it not only tasted great but was super moist (like a boxed cake mix). Lastly, I substituted regular milk for tangy buttermilk which gives this cake great flavor and texture. It's a five-star recipe. And if you have kiddos, this is a good recipe for them to help with. They're so surprised at how good something they made from scratch tastes. That never gets old♡.

2 mini devil's food cake bundt cakes with a large dollop of white, fluffy 7-minute frosting on top with yet another dollop of homemade cherry pie filling on top of the 7-minute frosting

devils food cake cupcakes with dark chocolate ganache spooned over the tops leaving a perimeter of cake with stars and colorful sprinkles and Jimmies all over the tops of the richest, darkest, glistening chocolate cake in cupcake wrappers

single bite of double layer chocolatey devil's food cake on a fork

The Best Devil's Food Cake w/7-Minute Frosting Ingredients

CAKE INGREDIENTS

5 ½ tablespoons butter, room temperature (75g)
5 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil (grapeseed, canola, or vegetable) (75g)
2 cups sugar (400g)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (20g)
2 large eggs, at room temperature (100g)
½ cup boiling water (118g)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (250g)
2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
½ cup cocoa powder (50g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (4g)
1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder (3-4g)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (6g)

7-MINUTE FROSTING INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups granulated sugar (298g)
⅓ cup cold water (74g)
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons Lyle's Golden Syrup or light corn syrup (15g)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (about 1g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
pinch of salt

*I use 00 flour when I'm in Italy, and the weight of different flours varies based on the humidity content and absorption potential of the flour you're working with. Just be sure to use the 'scoop and level' method to measure your flour into measuring cups and spoons and the recipe works perfectly every time.

7-minute frosting ingredients in a stainless steel mixing bowl with a flat spring coil whisk

7-minute frosting smeared like clouds on top of one devil's food cake layer

How to Make Classic Devil's Food Cake with 7-Minute Frosting

Although it takes a little strength, it's possible to hand-whip a 7-Minute Frosting as I've done for this recipe. I didn't yet have my European Kitchen Aid stand mixer (or any mixer) after just having arrived back in Italy, but I really wanted to make this recipe. Yes, it's a lot easier to use a handheld or stand mixer for this frosting, but if generations before us did it without help, we can too if we must.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C + Prep the cake pans. Heat the oven and butter or spray two 8-inch aluminum cake pans. Lightly flour the pans making sure to cover the inside well. Tap out any remaining flour. Line the bottoms of the cake pans with parchment paper and set them aside until ready to fill.
Prepare the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine, set aside.
Prepare the baking soda + water solution. Boil the water (or microwave it until very hot), add the baking soda, and stir until dissolved, set aside.
Prepare the wet ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand using a whisk), beat the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy approximately 2-3 min - scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice while mixing to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Add the eggs and whisk just until incorporated. Add the buttermilk and baking soda water mixture and mix just until combined.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula or whisk to gently combine the ingredients until no flour streaks remain. *after combining everything you should still have some visible lumps and that's exactly what you want.
Portion the cake batter. Split the cake batter evenly between two 8-inch cake pans.
Bake the cakes. Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean and the tops are just set and slightly springy when touched.
Cooling the cakes. Remove the cakes from the oven and place them onto a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes to slightly cool and then gently remove the cakes from the pans to finish cooling directly on the cooling rack. When cakes are completely cooled, they may be frosted.
Prepare the 7-Minute frosting. Pace a small pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water on high heat and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. In a large bowl (that is larger than the circumference of the pot with the simmering water in it) add all of the frosting ingredients except the vanilla and vigorously beat with a wire whisk for 30 seconds and place the bowl onto the pot with the water. Be sure the bowl is not in contact with the simmering water. Beat the egg white mixture by hand for about 10-12 minutes (or with an electric mixer on high for about 7 minutes), or until the frosting is stiff and glossy. Remove from the heat, add vanilla, and beat until well incorporated about 30 seconds more. Frost the cooled cakes and add sprinkles for a little extra fun and Enjoy!

Vintage Devil's Food Cake Recipe tips + tricks + FAQ's

Why use a scale versus measuring cups and spoons? Using a scale to measure ingredients produces more consistently reliable results versus measuring cups. Plus, it makes measuring ingredients quicker and there's less mess to clean up.

What's the best way to prepare baking pans for baking a cake? To prepare cake pans for baking, spray them with non-stick baking spray (or rub them down with butter ensuring full coverage). Sprinkle pans with flour or cocoa powder (or a 1:1 mixture of the two) and turn the pan while tapping it to ensure the flour/cocoa powder covers the entire pan with a light coating. Tap the back of the pan over a plate or piece of parchment paper so as not to waste the mixture. Use the remaining flour/cocoa powder to coat any remaining pans. This will help ensure the cake does not stick to the pan. You may also double up and line your pans with parchment paper (bottom) after you have buttered and floured them.
Why are room temperature ingredients important in baking? Room temperature ingredients like eggs, butter, milk, and other dairy ingredients when combined form an emulsion that traps air inside of a mixture. This trapped air expands and rises during the baking process, which ultimately produces fluffier and more tender baked goods. Room temperature ingredients = tender cake crumb and moist cakes and cupcakes.
Should I frost my cake? This cake is so moist that it kind of makes its own glossy 'icing" as it cools. It's a cake that really doesn't need to be frosted or iced in order to be enjoyed. It pairs really well with a scoop of ice cream.
Can I make devil's food cake ahead and freeze it? Yes, you can freeze devil's food cake. In fact, this cake freezes extremely well and tastes just as great when thawed in the fridge overnight or left at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Devil's food cake is a great make-ahead cake for get-togethers or dinner parties. You can even frost or ice the cupcakes (or whole cake) with the ganache and then freeze.
Why is Devil's Food Cake called devil's food cake? According to most food scholars, Devil's food cake was invented in the United States somewhere around the end of the 1800s or early 1900s. One of the first recipes for Devil's Food Cake uses melted baking chocolate instead of cocoa powder and can be found in print as early as the 1900s. It's believed that Devil's food cake gets its name from being the total opposite of Angel Food Cake which was very popular in the Victorian era. But it's also likely to have been so named because of the ingredients that give this cake an intensely rich flavor and a super moist crumb that are pretty decadent (and some thought devilishly good).
What makes Devil's Food Cake different from regular chocolate cake? Devil's Food Cake is simply a richer more chocolatey cocoa version of chocolate cake. This can be attributed partly to the espresso added to enhance the chocolate flavor, the addition of baking powder and baking soda in this recipe, and a hot liquid (sometimes coffee was used), but I use hot water. All of these elements provide a very moist tender crumb that isn't typically matched by a regular chocolate cake. Also, Devil's Food Cake almost always uses Dutch-process cocoa powder only versus using a combination of cocoa powder and melted baking chocolate like many regular chocolate cakes.
Why do you need to gently incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients? Stirring the dry and wet ingredients in cake batter too much or too aggressively can activate the gluten in the flour too much. This can ruin your otherwise perfect cake crumb by making it dense. If the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated gently and just until it's all well combined (and no more), you'll end up with a lighter crumb allowing your cake to be very moist and spongy.

Don't overbeat the frosting ingredients or you will end up with a gritty texture. Beat the egg white mixture just until you have stiff peaks. A good way to check for the right consistency is to turn the bowl upside down and when the frosting will not slide or fall out, it's ready. Another good way to know if egg whites are properly stiff is when the peaks will stand upright on a whisk without falling back into themselves.