This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Devil’s Food Cake is two tall layers of dark, tender chocolate cake wrapped in a silky chocolate buttercream. Sour cream is the secret to its incredibly moist crumb, with a little oil and a cup of hot coffee making every bite even richer.
It’s the cake I bake when a celebration calls for something truly special, especially for the chocolate lovers in my life. Make it for birthdays, holidays, or any day that needs a showstopping Devil’s Food Cake on the table.
Devil’s Food Cake
I’ve always loved baking, and birthdays are my favorite excuse to pull out the stand mixer. My kid is a chocolate lover through and through, so when the birthday cake request came in, I knew it had to be rich, deeply chocolatey, and moist enough that nobody would leave a crumb behind.
I wanted the kind of cake that has everyone at the party asking for the recipe. After plenty of testing in my kitchen, this Devil’s Food Cake is the one. The sour cream keeps the layers soft and tender, the hot coffee deepens the cocoa, and the chocolate buttercream ties it all together.
Watching my kid’s face light up when this cake comes out, candles glowing, is one of my favorite parts of the whole day. And the best compliment? Empty plates and requests for a second slice.
Equipment You’ll Need
To prepare this Devil’s Food Cake, you’ll need:
- Two 9-Inch Round Cake Pans – Aluminum or stainless, light-colored for even baking.
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer – Creams the butter and sugars and whips the buttercream.
- Glass Mixing Bowls and Stainless Whisk – For the dry ingredients.
- Stainless Measuring Cups, Spoons, and Glass Measuring Cup – Heatproof for the hot coffee.
- Parchment Paper Rounds – For easy release.
- Stainless Steel Cooling Rack – Cools the layers evenly.
- Offset Spatula – For smooth frosting.
- Cake Stand – Glass or ceramic, for frosting and serving.
What Makes Devil’s Food Cake So Moist?
Devil’s Food Cake is darker, richer, and more tender than a typical chocolate cake. The biggest reason is sour cream. Its fat and gentle acidity tenderize the crumb and lock in moisture, so the layers stay soft for days instead of drying out.
Two more ingredients back it up. A little light olive oil or avocado oil alongside the butter keeps the cake moist even after it’s been chilled, and a cup of hot coffee blooms the cocoa for a bolder chocolate flavor. Don’t worry, it won’t taste like coffee.
Why I Choose Organic Ingredients
Whenever I can, I reach for organic butter, eggs, sour cream, cream, and sugar, along with an organic or fair-trade cocoa and coffee. For me it’s about knowing a little more about how my family’s food was grown and produced. In a cake where cocoa, butter, and eggs do most of the work, I like choosing the best quality I can find.
That said, this Devil’s Food Cake bakes up beautifully with whatever you have in your pantry, so use what fits your family and your budget.
Ingredients for Devil’s Food Cake
Sour cream is the star here. It’s what gives this Devil’s Food Cake its plush, moist, tender crumb, so use full-fat and let it come to room temperature. Exact amounts are also in the recipe card below.
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) light olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (75 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) hot brewed coffee (or very hot water)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
For the chocolate buttercream:
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (420–480 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or whole milk, plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional garnish: chocolate curls, sprinkles, or cake crumbs
Step by Step: How to Make Devil’s Food Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and grease the parchment.
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the oil, then the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the hot coffee in two parts.
- Mix in the sour cream just until smooth. This is what makes the cake so moist.
- Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Make the buttercream: beat the butter until creamy, then add the cocoa, powdered sugar, salt, cream, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, adding more cream a splash at a time until spreadable.
- Place one layer on a cake stand and spread a generous layer of buttercream on top.
- Add the second layer, cover the whole cake in a thin crumb coat, and chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Finish with a final, thicker coat of buttercream, smoothing it with an offset spatula. Top with chocolate curls, sprinkles, or cake crumbs.
Tips for Making Devil’s Food Cake
Bring your ingredients to room temperature. Set out the butter, eggs, and sour cream before you start. Room temperature ingredients blend into a smooth batter, and cold ones can make it look curdled.
Use full-fat sour cream. Sour cream is the secret to this cake’s moist, tender crumb, so don’t swap in a light version. If you don’t have any, full-fat plain Greek yogurt is the closest substitute.
Choose light olive oil or avocado oil. A little oil alongside the butter keeps the layers soft, even after the cake has been chilled. I always use light olive oil or avocado oil here, never vegetable oil.
Spoon and level your flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping straight from the bag. This keeps you from packing in extra flour, which can make a cake dry.
Pour in the coffee while it’s hot. Hot brewed coffee blooms the Dutch-process cocoa and gives this Devil’s Food Cake its deep chocolate flavor. You won’t taste coffee in the finished cake, and very hot water works if you’d rather skip it.
Let the stand mixer do the creaming. Beat the butter and both sugars in your KitchenAid stand mixer for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Then switch to low speed when you add the dry ingredients and coffee.
Mistakes to Avoid When Making Devil’s Food Cake
Overmixing the batter. Once the flour goes in, extra mixing can make the cake tough instead of tender. Mix on low just until you no longer see streaks, and stop as soon as the sour cream is smoothly blended in.
Overbaking the layers. Waiting for a perfectly clean toothpick usually means the cake has gone too far. Start checking a few minutes before 30 minutes and pull the layers when a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Worrying about thin batter. This batter is fairly thin because of the hot coffee, and that’s exactly how it should be. Don’t add more flour; just divide it evenly between the two 9-inch pans and bake.
Skipping the parchment. A tender, moist cake can stick to the pan and tear when you turn it out. Grease the pans, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, and grease the parchment too.
Frosting warm layers. Buttercream melts and slides right off a cake that’s still warm. Cool the layers in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting your Devil’s Food Cake.
Skipping the crumb coat. Dark chocolate crumbs love to show up in the final layer of buttercream. Spread a thin crumb coat over the whole cake, chill it for 15 to 20 minutes, then finish with a thicker, smooth coat using an offset spatula.
How to Store Devil’s Food Cake
A frosted cake keeps at room temperature, loosely covered with a cake dome, for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Thanks to the sour cream and oil, it stays moist even when chilled; let slices sit out 30 minutes before serving.
To freeze, wrap unfrosted, cooled layers in parchment and then foil, or freeze slices in a glass container, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
FAQs for Devil’s Food Cake
Why is it called Devil’s Food Cake?
The name dates to the early 1900s, when it was seen as the rich, dark opposite of light and airy angel food cake. A cake this decadent felt a little sinful.
What makes this cake so moist?
Sour cream does most of the work. It adds fat and gentle acidity that keep the crumb tender, while the oil and hot coffee add even more moisture.
Can I skip the sour cream?
I don’t recommend it, since sour cream is the key to the moist texture. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt is the closest swap.
Do I have to use coffee?
No. Very hot water works fine. Coffee simply deepens the chocolate flavor, and you won’t taste it in the finished cake. Decaf works too.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Bake the layers a day ahead, cool, and wrap them in parchment and foil. Frost on the day you serve it.
Additional Dessert Recipes You’ll Enjoy!
A Cake Worth Celebrating
Whether it’s a birthday, a holiday, or just a day that needs chocolate, I hope this Devil’s Food Cake becomes a favorite in your home too. If you make it, leave a comment and a star rating below, and tag me on Instagram at @our.family.cooks. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
Devil’s Food Cake
Equipment
- 2 9-inch round cake pans
- stand mixer
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- parchment
- wire rack
- cake stand
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) light olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (75 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) hot brewed coffee (or very hot water)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, room temperature
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch or natural)
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups (420–480 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or whole milk, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional garnish
- Chocolate curls, sprinkles, or cake crumbs
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, and grease the parchment.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the oil.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa.
- On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the hot coffee in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix just until combined.
- Add the sour cream and mix on low just until smooth. The batter will be fairly thin.
- Divide evenly between the pans. Bake 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, and cool completely.
Buttercream and Assembly
- Beat the butter on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa, powdered sugar (start with 3 1/2 cups) and salt and mix on low until combined.
- Add the cream and vanilla and beat on medium-high 2–3 minutes until fluffy. Add more cream or powdered sugar to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Place one layer on a cake stand and spread about 1 cup buttercream over the top. Top with the second layer.
- Spread a thin crumb coat over the top and sides; chill 15–20 minutes.
- Finish with the remaining buttercream, smoothing with an offset spatula. Garnish with chocolate curls, sprinkles or cake crumbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe for yourself? Leave a comment and photos below!
Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube
Nutrition Disclaimer: Our Family Cooks is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
