Description
Ina Garten’s devil’s food cake delivers rich chocolate decadence with perfect moisture and depth. Chocolate enthusiasts and home bakers can savor this classic dessert that promises indulgent moments of pure pleasure.
Ingredients
Scale
- 15 oz (425 g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsps (250 g) sugar
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups (310 ml) water
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) heavy cream
- 12 tbsps (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (65 g) non-alkalized cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsps baking soda
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
Instructions
- Ganache Preparation: Chop chocolate into fine pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream until boiling, then pour over chocolate. Let rest for 4 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to stabilize at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Oven Preparation: Center the oven rack and preheat to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Thoroughly sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside for later use.
- Butter Creaming: Use a stand mixer to cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Incorporate cocoa powder and vanilla extract, mixing completely.
- Egg Integration: Add eggs one at a time, ensuring full incorporation after each addition and scraping bowl sides to maintain consistent texture.
- Liquid Combination: Bring water and milk to a boil. Reduce mixer speed and alternately add flour mixture and hot liquid, creating a smooth batter.
- Baking Process: Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, tapping to remove air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cakes pull away from pan edges and spring back when touched.
- Cooling Stage: Rest cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cake Assembly: Place first cake layer on a serving plate, spread one-third of ganache. Top with second layer, applying remaining frosting to cover top and sides with elegant swirls using an offset spatula.
- Storage: Protect cake under a dome or wrap loosely, storing at room temperature for optimal freshness up to 48 hours.
Notes
- Chocolate Selection Matters: Use high-quality dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content for a deeper, more intense ganache flavor.
- Temperature Control Critical: Ensure ingredients like eggs and butter are at room temperature for smoother batter consistency and even mixing.
- Prevent Dry Cake: Do not overbake; check cake doneness by gently pressing the center and watching for slight springback.
- Ganache Perfection: Let ganache rest and cool naturally without refrigeration to achieve ideal spreading texture and rich chocolate depth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 36 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 21 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 61 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg