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This recipe for Devil’s Food Cake with Buttercream Frosting is so moist and delicious, it’s sure to become one of your favorite chocolate desserts! Enhanced with dark coffee and buttermilk, the cake could be eaten on it’s own, but the vanilla frosting is oh, so delicious and compliments it wonderfully.
I made this cake when my husband and I first married and through our girls’ early years in 4-H. But then it became lost with the various other cake recipes that I have stashed away in my kitchen. Fortunately, I kept it tucked away in the back of my mind, and returned to the recipe this spring. And I’m so glad I did! It’s even better than I remembered.
When I first made this cake, it was in Bundt-cake form with just a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Thinking the recipe would be really good for potluck dinners or family gatherings, I decided to make it in an oblong cake pan with frosting.
Most Devil’s Food Cake recipes boast a rich chocolate icing, making it completely, sinfully delicious. However, there are already several chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting on this site, so I chose to do this cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting. I’ve always been fond of a chocolate cake topped with white frosting. Not always, of course. But every now and then, a girl needs a little change in her chocolate cake!
And I really like the black and white contrast that it gives visually on the plate as well as the chocolaty indulgence accompanied with sweet, buttercream. Mmm mmm. It’s quite yummy!
What is Devil’s Food Cake
From what I could find online, Devil’s Food Cake originated in America in the early 1900’s, as a double or triple layer cake. It tends to be more dark and rich than a regular chocolate cake due to the amount of baking soda and baking cocoa in the batter.
Many of the recipes (including this one) also include dark coffee, which serves to enhance the flavor of the chocolate and moisture in the crumb.
My husband enjoys Peet’s Coffee, especially Major Dickason’s Dark Roast blend. For this recipe, I brewed 1 cup (or 8 oz) and then let it cool before using.
Where did it get it’s name? No one really knows other than it being dark and sinfully delicious. Other recipes such as deviled eggs or deviled ham, also appeared at this time.
As a girl, I remember my mom buying Devil’s Food Cake mixes, probably Duncan Hines, or Betty Crocker. And they were quite delicious and easy to make. But this one is, too!
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Easy Fudge Cake with Ganache Icing
- Chocolate Cream Cake
- Chocolate Applesauce Cake
Ingredients for Devil’s Food Cake with Buttercream Frosting
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- strong coffee, brewed and cooled
- buttermilk
- vegetable oil
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking cocoa
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
Buttercream Frosting
- butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- whole milk
- vanilla extract
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Grease and flour a 9″x 13″ baking pan or coat the inside with baking spray.
Prepare the Cake Batter
Using a large mixing bowl, combine the strong brewed coffee, buttermilk, vegetable oil, large eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.
If you’d like to give your arms a workout, you may mix the batter by hand with a long-handled whisk.
The batter will be rather thin at this point. Pour batter into prepared oblong baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until center springs back when touched.
You may also test cake for doneness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has wet cake batter on it, the cake needs to bake a few more minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream Frosting
Using a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until incorporated. Add the whole milk and vanilla extract.
Continue mixing for an additional 2 – 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Spread the frosting over the cooled cake all the way to the edges.
It takes quite a bit of frosting to completely cover the dark chocolate. Do not worry about how thick it is. It will taste delicious!
To serve, slice the cake into 20-24 pieces, cleaning the edges of the knife on a napkin or washcloth between each cutting. Serve on pretty plates alone or with vanilla ice-cream. Or with a tall glass of icy milk.
If you’ve visited this recipe site very often, you may already know that I love collecting dishes and that I adore chickens. I’ve combined these two loves in the purchase of Pfaltzgraff Farmhouse Hen pattern. It’s quite sweet. I also found French Rooster flatware on Amazon by Cuisinart.
Store cake at room temperature by covering the top with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil for up to 5 days. This recipe will serve 20-24 people.
See more Cake Recipes Here. Browse Chocolate Recipes Here.
Devil's Food Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dark Roast Coffee brewed and cooled
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups baking cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Grease and flour a 9"x 13" baking pan with coat the inside with baking spray.
Prepare the Cake Batter
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine the strong brewed coffee, buttermilk, vegetable oil, large eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- The batter will be rather thin at this point. Pour batter into prepared oblong baking pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until center springs back when touched.
- You may also test cake for doneness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has wet cake batter on it, the cake needs to bake a few more minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream Frosting
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed until incorporated. Add the whole milk and vanilla extract. Continue mixing for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake all the way to the edges.
- This recipe will serve 20-24 people.
Notes
