Devil’s Food Cake

A wickedly rich, deeply chocolatey Devil’s Food Cake, layered with smooth chocolate buttercream and covered in glossy chocolate sauce. We’re finishing it off with a spider web design made from melted white chocolate. It’s dark, dramatic, and absolutely perfect for Halloween. It is honestly the BEST CHOCOLATE cake I have ever made!

Serves: 10–12
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Special Equipment: 2 x 20cm (8-inch) cake tins, piping bag, toothpick

Let’s learn how to make it

This is my take on a classic Devil’s Food Cake, rich, soft, and full of that signature dark chocolate flavour. We’ll layer it with chocolate buttercream, coat it in glossy chocolate sauce, and finish it with a spooky spider web pattern that looks incredible but is so simple to do.

Ingredients

Cake

• 265 g all-purpose flour

• 375 g caster sugar

• 65 g cocoa powder

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp salt

• ⅔ coffee shot, or ⅔ tsp instant coffee powder mixed with 1½ tbsp boiling water

• 220 g whole milk

• 85 g vegetable oil

• 85 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 2 large eggs

• 165 g boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream Filling

• 113 g unsalted butter (softened)

• 25 g dark baking cocoa (sifted)

• 0.75 g fine salt (a small pinch)

• 155 g powdered sugar

• 45 g heavy whipping cream

• 58 g dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Chocolate Sauce (for coating)

• 340 g dark chocolate, chopped

• 60 g unsalted butter

• 20 g brown sugar

• 250 g heavy cream

For the Spider Web Design

• 50 g white chocolate, melted

• Piping bag

• Toothpick or skewer

Method

For the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C fan (340°F). Grease and line two 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking paper.

2. Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift the the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Give it a good stir to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients: Pour the coffee, milk, oil, melted butter, and the eggs into a jug. Mix until smooth. Then add to your dry ingredients. 

4. Add boiling water: Carefully stir in the boiling water until fully combined. The batter will be thin, that’s what makes it so moist and fudgy.

5. Bake: Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. If your tin is a little deep and not as wide as mine it may take 40 minutes. 

6. Cool: In the tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

For the Chocolate Buttercream Filling

1. Beat the softened butter until pale and creamy.

2. Add the powdered sugar, and beat again until pale.

3. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave until smooth and glossy. And then add in the cream. If it seized up a little, pop it back in the microwave for 10 secs at a time until it is smooth and creamy.

4. Add the cocoa and salt, then mix well. the cocoa, vanilla, and salt, then mix well.

    

5. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Chocolate Sauce (Double Boiler Method)

1. Place the dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and cream into a heatproof bowl.

2. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom doesn’t touch the water. Stir until melted and smooth.

3. Remove from the heat, pour in to a jug and allow to cool completely. It will thicken slightly as it cools.

4. If it becomes too thick, warm in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until pourable, when you are ready to decorate and only at that time should you do this. 

Note: Make sure you make the sauce to coat the cake while the cakes are baking. It needs to be completely cool before you pour it over the cake. If it is not, it will just run off your cake and not coat it properly.

To Assemble & Decorate

1. Fill the cake: Spread the chocolate buttercream evenly on one cake, and sit the other on top.

2. Coat the cake: Place the cake on a wire rack set over a tray. Pour the cooled chocolate sauce over the top, letting it drip beautifully down the sides until fully covered.

3. Create the spider web:

   • Melt the white chocolate and spoon it into a small piping bag.

   • Pipe concentric circles over the top of the cake (like a target).

   • Drag a toothpick or skewer from the centre outward through the circles to create a spider web pattern.

   • Repeat around the cake for the full web effect.

4. Allow the cake to set before slicing.

Chef’s Tip

If you want even more drama, sprinkle a little edible glitter or place a chocolate spider on top before serving. This cake stays so moist, even 5 days later its still a winner!

Enjoy

Del x

Head to my YouTube channel to watch how to make it.