Devils Food Chocolate Cake (Printable Version)

An indulgent, ultra-moist chocolate cake with rich cocoa flavor and smooth chocolate buttercream layers.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
03 - 2 cups granulated sugar
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
06 - 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
07 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 1/2 cup vegetable oil
10 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
11 - 1 cup boiling water

→ Chocolate Frosting

12 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
14 - 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
15 - 1/2 cup whole milk, plus additional as needed
16 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
17 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper.
02 - Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
03 - Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla extract to dry mixture. Beat on medium speed until just combined.
04 - Reduce mixer speed to low, carefully pour in boiling water, and mix until smooth. Batter will be thin.
05 - Evenly distribute batter between prepared pans.
06 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
07 - Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
08 - Beat butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, beating until smooth.
09 - Add milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until fluffy and spreadable, adding extra milk if necessary.
10 - Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread with frosting. Top with second layer and frost entire cake.
11 - Slice the cake and serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The boiling water trick creates a cake so moist it practically melts on your tongue—no dry crumbs, just pure indulgence.
  • The frosting whips up fluffy and silky without requiring any fancy techniques or special equipment you don't already have.
  • It's the kind of cake people assume took hours, but you'll have two beautiful layers cooling while you're still holding your coffee.
02 -
  • The boiling water makes the batter thin and almost alarming—that's when most people second-guess themselves, but that liquid is what creates the impossibly moist crumb, so trust the process.
  • Room-temperature ingredients are non-negotiable; cold eggs and milk won't blend smoothly and can create a broken, lumpy batter that won't rise properly.
  • Let your cakes cool completely before frosting or your frosting will melt and slide off, turning your careful work into a frustrating mess.
03 -
  • Invest in Dutch-processed cocoa powder—it costs a bit more but makes a noticeably deeper, less bitter cake that tastes more like genuine chocolate.
  • Use a kitchen scale if you have one; it removes the guesswork from measuring flour and cocoa, which is the difference between a cake that rises perfectly and one that sinks slightly in the middle.
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