This Devil’s Food Cake from Zoë Bakes Cakes is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever tried and believe me, over the past 20+ years, I’ve tried them all. It is perfect for devil’s food cupcakes with cream cheese icing.
Want a Devil’s Food Cake fit for a celebration? Try my layer cake with Champange Buttercream!
My Secret Devil’s Food Cake Ingredients
- Lyle’s Golden Syrup
- Rum
- Coffee
The dark chocolate cake has a texture that is smooth and rich. The flavor is not overly sweet, because of the intensity of the coffee (you don’t actually taste the coffee, it just cuts the sweet). The rum makes it a great match for cream cheese frosting sweetened with Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
If you haven’t tried Lyle’s you are in for a huge treat and a new addiction. I first had it when a friend from South Africa gave it to me on a peanut butter sandwich. It is a decidedly British snack and like nothing you’ve ever had before. It’s a syrup made of sugar cane that looks and feels like honey, but the taste is not nearly as cloying. It can be found in some grocery stores and even on Amazon, gotta’ love the internet!
How to Pipe Icing
For those of you who want to learn to decorate your devil’s food cupcakes with a little more flair, here is a post on piping icing roses.
pottery by Kevin Caufield
Ingredients
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/3 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (50g) Cocoa Powder (I like the flavor and color of Dutch-processed cocoa but Natural cocoa produces a more even crumb)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/8 cups (300ml) hot coffee
- 1/4 cup rum
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (I am really brand loyal, having tried lots!), softened
- 1 1/2 cups (330g) unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract optional
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 5 cups (600g) confectioner's sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup use honey if you are in a pinch
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 1 dozen large muffin tins with Paper Baking Cups (or two 9-inch rounds).
- Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
- Whisk together, eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk, while slowly adding the coffee and rum to the batter and whisk until totally blended and smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be quite runny.
- Fill a measuring cup or pitcher with the batter and then fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full.
- Bake the devil's food cupcakes for about 18-20 minutes (about 25-30 for 9-inch rounds) or until a tester comes out clean.
- Allow to cool on a cake rack and then frost with cream cheese icing (recipe follows).
- Cream Cheese Icing: Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and cream together until smooth. I used a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip to decorate these devil’s food cupcakes. You may want to double the icing recipe just in case you find yourself dipping into the bowl with a spoon!
hi Zoe! after reading the comments right down there regarding your devil’s food cake. i feel like i wanna give it a try but i am curious whether this chocolate cake recipe is too sweet or not sweet? If i’ll reduce the sugar, it might affect the texture.. and also is it too fragile to handle? i plan to bake a mini fondant cake using this recipe for my cousin’s coming wedding this weekend.
Thank you and waiting for your reply. Anne
Hi Anne,
I always recommend trying a recipe as it is written, then you can make adjustments if it doesn’t suit your liking. I don’t consider this a very sweet cake, the coffee and rum really cut the sweet nicely. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi! I made this recipe yesterday and got 36 beautiful cupcakes. I used Hershey’s natural cocoa. I asked my chocolate lover 7 year old daughter if it was good and she said -“No … it is D E L I C I O U S!!!” 🙂 I made the cream cheese frosting too but used honey and the result didn’t make justice to the cake had to change to nutella frosting…Divine! Guess will need to include dime Lyle’s on my next Amazon delivery. Thanks for sharing will be trying more recipes!!!
Haven’t made this recipe for a while and today added an extra 1/2 cup of coffee by accident and it still turned out great! Guess, you can’t mess this one up.
I made this cake and topped it with chocolate cream it was like an explosion of happiness in my mouth, everyone loves it because it’s so moist so tasty……so hummmmmmm……
Next time I will make a layer cake……
Thanks for sharing
Love your blog….
I made it again with the one recipe and 30 minutes baking and it came out perfect.
Hi Shirley,
That is great, thanks for letting me know!
Cheers, Zoë
I made the cake in a 11 x 18 x 2″ pan and used 1-1/2 recipe and that was nearly perfect. It could have used more but it is fine
I would like to make the cup cake receipe as a cake, do you have suggestions for time and size of pan? I was thinking of using a 11 x 18″ pan, and wondered if I would need more batter than this recipe.
Hi Shirley,
I think this recipe will do for that size pan. It will probably take 30+ minutes to bake, but be sure to use a tester to make sure it is baked through.
Thanks, Zoë
I’ll be making these for my son’s 2nd birthday party and serving it to the kids. If I omit the coffee and the rum, do I need to add more of one of the ingredients? And I love the addition of Lyle’s in the icing. I can’t wait to open up my new jar and try it out here.
Hi Elina,
Yes, you will want to replace the liquid with something else, just warm water. I also recommend that you use buttermilk, not plain milk, since you are reducing the acid in the recipe so much.
The cake will have a much more mild flavor without the coffee.
Cheers, Zoë
Hi Zoe
I absolutely love your cupcake recipe. I have problems when using this recipe for big cakes. It comes out smudgy and not fluffy as the cupcakes. Help me find a solution as I love this recipe and cant find a better one. I’ve tried low temp and higher temp. Once in a while it comes out perfect but I cant pinpoint what I do wrong.
Hi Jane,
When you bake the batter as a cake, are you using a tester to make sure the cake is baked through? What size pan are you using?
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe
Thanks for your reply. I use a tester which makes it look like its completely cooked. It does not rise properly. I use all sizes of panc from 6inch to 14 inch. I have more success with smaller tins.
Hi Jane,
You say it doesn’t happen every time? Other than the size of the pan, are there any other changes made? Do you have an oven thermometer? The oven temperature can make a significant difference in baking success.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi zoe beautiful page I’m your new fan I’m still going through your recipes -one question though I’ve a small oven so can bake one tray or tin at a time any suggestions
Hi Mash,
You can either divide the recipe in half or stagger the baking. This recipe will hold up to the wait, if you need to bake one tray at a time.
Cheers, Zoë
Hi Zoe, I made this cake yesterday for a friend. She called and told me that it was the BEST chocolate cake she’d ever eaten in her life! Thank you 🙂
I sandwiched the layers with whipped cream and vanilla bean paste.
Hi Radhika,
Thank you so much for the sweet note, so glad your friend enjoyed it!
Cheers, Zoë
You can see my post in this link 🙂
http://sinsationscakes.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/a-tale-of-two-chocolate-cakes/
Hi Zoe, these look fantastic and I will definitely be making them over the next few days. Just one question – what coffee would you recommend we use; espresso or filter? Thank you from Greece.
i made these for halloween. delicious–thanks for the recipe!
Hi Zoë,
I ended up baking the devil’s food cake in a regular round pan and it went great. Used your outrageous mocha buttercream and your chocolate glaze from the praline cheesecake and I have a simple cake that I will decorate with pumpkins and autumn leaves (I even have a rake 🙂 ) that I’ve made from fondant and then painted. I’ll probably try the carrot cake in the fluted pan for a Halloween pumpkin, I think it’s more suited for the kids, and I’ll post about the result – maybe someone will need the information at some point.
Hi Zoë, I discovered your blog a while ago, while looking for a carrot cake recipe, and I made yours (it was my first carrot cake ever!) and is was a huge hit! Thank you so much for that wonderful recipe!
Now I was thinking to make it for a Thanksgiving dinner where we’re invited this Sunday, but I found this one instead and it looks so incredibly yummy!
I have a question, though: can I bake any of the two (carrot cake or this one, Devil’s food) in a fluted pan? I would like to shape and decorate the cake as a pumpkin so I need to bake it in a fluted pan. Any advice, please?
Thank you!
Hi Ioana,
They should both do well in a fluted pan, but you need to be sure to butter and flour the pan very well.
Thank you! Zoë
Hi Zoe,
I am making a dear friend’s wedding cake in November and am certain that your cake is going to be the winner-she and I are both true chocolate lovers and i have looked at many, many recipes, none of which sound just right. I will have a little tasting of a few different ideas and make a commitment then. My question is, how do I take your cupcake recipe and make it for a 2 tiered cake for 60? She wants either a mocha or espresso buttercream or a satiny chocolate glaze with a mocha or espresso filling. What do you think? Thanks so much! this will be my 5th wedding cake but the 1st in 4 years…a little nervous!
Hi Kali,
Here is a post where I made this cake in larger pans: http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2009/05/12/plate-lickingly-good-chocolate-cake-henris-two-birthday-cakes/
Here is a buttercream to try: http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2008/05/29/outrageous-mocha-buttercream/
Enjoy and have fun! Zoë
Hi Zoe,
love your site. I want to make 3-tiered cake with this recipe, do you think the cake is dense enough to hold?
thanks, Manjula
Hi Manjula,
You sure can use it, I have many, many times. It is a matter of having the proper supports. Here is a post on building a wedding cake that may be helpful: http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2008/09/08/maggie-and-steves-ultra-chocolate-wedding-cake-and-how-i-assembled-it/
Thanks, Zoë
Dear Zoe,
can I prepare the swiss meringue and “ice” my cake and either let it sit out a couple of hours until we are ready to torch it, or should I put in the fridge till torch time. Would it be best to go ahead and torch it? I wanted to have the torching be part of the party….is that a bad idea? thanks so much Terri
hi zoe
I love your blog. can I cut on sugar in the devil´s recipe please? if so what should I change/add?
living in europe and don´t like that much sugar…
thank you
p
Hi Petra,
The problem with reducing the sugar is not just the flavor, but also the texture of the cake. You can experiment with using less sugar, but reducing it too much will result in a dense cake.
Thanks, Zoë
How can this recipe be halved?
Hello Zoe,
Is golden syrup like corn syrup or completely different? I have another recipe “Millionaire’s Shortbread” that also calls for golden syrup. Is the flavor like honey- since you say hone is fine in a pinch? I know you are the person to help, Thanks
Hi Nia,
Golden Syrup is not like corn syrup, it is thicker, closer to honey. The flavor is not really like either of them, but honey will do to replace it.
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe,
I love chocolate cake and has tried this twice, however it turned out so different from your result. The taste was nice but the way my cakes rose was relly weird, they ended up like a volcano, not with smooth surface as yours, could you let me know what’s wrong with them?
Anw the taste is terrific. Thank a lot for sharing such a great recipe Zoe!!
Hi guzcon,
Several reasons come to mind, so let me know more details. Are you baking at high altitude? Do you scoop and sweep your flour, or spoon and sweep? Do you use convection heat in your oven?
Thanks, Zoë
Hello Zoe,
Is golden syrup like corn syrup or completely different? I have another recipe “Millionaire’s Shortbread” that also calls for golden syrup. Is the flavor like honey- since you say hone is fine in a pinch? I know you are the person to help, Thanks
hi zoë
i will love to bake these, but, i have 3 silicone cupcake molds where i usually bake brownies and i need to know if using silicone molds changes baking time/temperature, i usually use a little butter in them, but they already are “cured”, as i don’t have cupcake papers handy. or bake it in a bundt cake mold.
the other consideration is that i live 1000 mts /3.609 ft high above sea level, any changes?
i will use the best natural cocoa in the planet grown in chuao, venezuela 😉 and i will use high altitude brewed artisan coffee, and orange infused rum also from my country… that’s why i don’t want to mess up the recipe O.o many thanks… jjj
Hi Janine,
I think your molds will work just great for this recipe. The cakes may be a little too delicate to unmold them when they are still hot, so you may want to wait until they are cooled.
Have you had issues baking at that altitude with other recipes? I think the real problems come at 4000ft, but let me know if this has been an issue for you.
Thanks, Zoë
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe,
I am a young baker and I love your Youtube channel, and I just recently discovered your beautiful website, Quick Question, I have just made some coffee Butter cream, and i want to bake a cake to go with it, and I was thinking of using this recipe and turning into a chocolate devil foods cake with coffee butter cream frosting? do you think that would be a good idea and the two components will work together to make a beautiful cake?
Thanks 🙂 Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for visiting the site, I think the combination will be fantastic! Give it a try and let me know.
Cheers, Zoë
Wow! These cupcakes are amazing. They seriously taste better than a lot of bakery ones and they last (that’s if your partner doesn’t eat them all!) for days in airtight containers for days without going hard and horrible!
They are so very moist, and easy to make!!
I thank you Zoe, this recipe will be the only one I use from now on! 🙂
Sophie