Not Your Average Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Hi KN,

It is a great way to sweeten not only cream cheese frosting but I also use it in place of Honey and/or corn syrup (like when I make caramel sauce I add a tablespoon to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.)

Not only is it tasty but a kitchen helper.

Thanks, Zoë

Hi Kris,

You really are a major talent. I love to garden but I fear I didn’t inherit my father’s green thumb, but I still try.

Thank you for your kind words about the site and the book.

I have heard many people talk about baking the bread on the parchment sitting on the stone. I am going to try it with my next loaf. I’ll let you know if I detect any difference at all.

Thanks! Zoë

Thank you Jaden!

Your site has been an inspiration to me! I am putting a link so everyone can see your beautiful work!

Zoë

Hi Jayne,

Enjoy the cupcakes! The recipe makes a few dozen. If you want to freeze some of them just make sure you wrap them several times so they don’t take on the personality of your freezer!

Thanks! Zoë

Hi Heather,

Thanks! These are as delicious as they look. Try them out, it really is the best chocolate cake I’ve had. If you find a better one, let me know!!!

Zoë

Zoe,

I noted that this recipe says to use either milk or buttermilk. Isn’t there going to be a big difference in the final result depending on what you use? I assume the acidity of the buttermilk will interact with the baking soda in a very different way than would plain milk. Isn’t buttermilk going to be better here?

Zoe,

Thanks for answering my question. I’m just a compulsive (!), home cook, who is especially interested in the science of baking. I am also sensitive to excess levening in baked goods, which often tastes soapy to me. Recipes like yours interest me, because I’m always trying to figure out how you know when the acid and base is balanced. If I want to make the recipe using dutched i.e. alkalized cocoa and buttermilk, which I think will produce the best crumb, would I leave out all of the baking powder, or just reduce it? Likewise, wouldn’t I have to change something if the recipe were instead made with regular cocoa, which is natually acidic?

those look divine. i’ve never heard of or seen lyle’s, so i’ll be doing my research.

The recipe looks very similar to my favorite choc. cake recipe( Black Magic) from Hershey’s. It makes such a moist cake. I usually throw in some choc. chips to gild the lily.

Btw, thanks for responding to my note about the thread on Egullet. I’ll be looking for you on the thread.

Hey Randi,

Thank you for inviting me to the forum, it is really a great discussion. It is so interesting to converse with people that are experienced bakers. They have more set ways and I think our method is challenging what they are used to. I so appreciate their willingness to try this!

I’ve never tried the Black Magic cake from Hershey’s but you know I’ll be checking it out!

Thanks, Zoë

Hi Mark,

Sorry it took so long to get back to this, life and sick kids got in the way.

The results of my buttermilk, soda and natural cocoa were excellent.

This is what I used:

3 cups sugar
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/8 cup natural cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cups oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups hot coffee
1/4 cup rum

Mix and bake as above.

It also worked beautifully to cut the recipe in half!

Thanks!

Zoë

Hi Amelia,

What a great idea to mix the ganache with the cream cheese! I’ll have to try it!

Thanks, Zoë

sweet recipe! :] i need to get me some Lyle’s.

Hey Becky,

You will need to buy a lot of it, very addicting!

Enjoy, Zoë

Thanks Sweet and Saucy!

Hi Karen,

The best thing about this cake is how moist it is. I think you can get away with baking on Thursday and serving on Saturday. You may want to let them cool, wrap them really well and then freeze them until Friday evening when you frost them.

Have fun and enjoy! Zoë

Hi Beth,

Yes, I’ve baked this cake in just about every form. Bake at 350°. I’ve baked it in a sheet pan which takes about 20 minutes to bake. In an 8″ x 2″ cake pan which takes about 35-45 minutes.

The rule of thumb is that you want to fill the pan about 2/3 of the way full and bake it until it is set. It should resist when you gently touch it with your finger. When poked with a skewer it will come out with dry crumbs, not wet.

I have baked it with convection heat, but it will change the times depending on your oven. You will also want to reduce the heat by about 20 degrees.

Let me know if this makes sense to you.

Thanks! Zoë

Hi Zoe,

Love your site and recipes. Quick question. In lieu of rum or brandy, you noted to use equal parts of coffee (i.e., 1/4 cup rum or brandy— if you opt out of the booze then use equal parts coffee)
Questions: What type of coffee would this be? And would this be in addition to the 1 and 1/4 cup of hot coffee in your recipe? Thanks a lot.

Hi, loved, loved, loved. When you say flour, you mean all purpose right?

Zoe, I discovered your recipe on a random search. I’ve just made the first doze and they are fabulous (I’ve only got one dozen cupcake pan). Although they did overflow a lot when I filled 3/4 of the way so I’m trying half instead. But the mix is so light and fluffy and the coffee really boosts the chocolate flavour. Hopefully you won’t be offended but these are exactly like the betty crocker ones I’ve been making for years (which is always light, fluffy and very chocolately and my favourite since childhood) but I’ve wanted a home recipe to use instead of boxed also because I live in the UK now and it’s not always easy to get. Thank you so much for this great recipe it’s now a family classic.

As I’ve said before this is my favorite cupcake recipe. I just wanted to share that the last time I made them the only coffee I had in the house was Traverse City Cherry Coffee. Afterall, I am in Michigan.
It was wonderful. Just a hint of cherry flavor!

Zoe, a few more questions on the cake pan conversion. When you mentioned a sheet pan, I assumed you were talking about a half-sheet pan like when one orders a cake from a bakery. So how long to bake for a 13×9 cake pan? And do I want to butter/grease and flour the pan like in other cake recipes?

These look so great! Question- what is the real difference between baking with oil vs. butter?

Hi, Zoe,
I am just browsing your site and found this recipe.
I’m always looking for a great chocolate cake/cupcake recipe and this looks great, but I really dislike coffee- any recipe I have tried with coffee or espresso powder just tastes like coffee to me.
I know that it is just supposed to deepen the chocolate flovor, but I can almost always taste the coffee.
A friend told me that I was imagining it when I baked the items because I know that it’s in there, but I can almost always pick it out when I have a dessert at a restaurant or at a friends’s house or other places where desserts are served.
Should I just give up trying recipes that include coffee or espresso powder or is there another secret to enhancing the chocolate flavor?
Thank for any info you can give me!

Thanks, Zoe.
Maybe I’ll try this is as is to begin with and see if I can taste the coffe.My life with chocolate (cake) would be easier if my taste buds weren’t quite so sensitive to coffee!!
I think that your comment about chocolate cakes tasting a bit flat without a bit oif coffe is exactly the reason that I haven’t found a recipe that I LOVE yet~
Maybe I could try half of the amount of hot coffee and the rest of the liquid as hot water. that might give me a bit more flavor without a specific coffee flavor.
Hopefully I’ll have a chance totry it this weekend.
Thanks again for your advice~

What weight per cup do you use for the ap flour?
Thanks very much.

Hi Marry,

I’m so sorry I never got back to you about the weight of the flour. It is about 4 3/4 ounce per cup.

Thanks, Zoë

Zoë-

It was requested that I make the cake for my friends bridal shower, she’s a chocolate nut. So I was thinking about pairing this recipe with your Mocha Buttercream, and perhaps some fresh raspberries (any thoughts on that?). I was wondering, in terms of cake sizes, how much does this recipe make? Ideally I’d like to do a double tiered round cake. Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks so much in advance!

-Genevieve

Hi Zoe,

I am completely in love with these cupcakes! I am considering using them for my wedding cupcakes….I love their taste, but I am having some small problems….I’ve only tried to make them once,and about half the cakes spilled over the top of the papers and made an awful mess. Any thoughts as to why this happens? I’m using a gas oven (non-convection)…also my icing turned out really runny. I really want it to look like yours in the pictures!! Any advice??

Many thanks,
Sarah

Hi Zoe…

I only have small oven that only enough to bake 12 cup. Is it ok if i made this receipt with three shift bake ?

Zoe, I made these on my quest to find the perfect chocolate cupcake for my daughter’s upcoming wedding. They oozed all over the place, and my first thought was, “OOPS, I used butter instead of oil” (I’d already room-temp’d the butter), and then I reminded myself, “No, you simply over-filled the cup.” Either way, this recipe was going into FILE #13.
When I’d finally finished up the baking (I had to do two separate bakes because of oven size)I left the kitchen a bit defeated knowing that I was still not satisfied with yet another cupcake trial.
I returned an hour later to whip up a frosting (I altered yours a bit by adding 3/4 c. cocoa, 2 T. milk and 1 tsp. orange oil, and omitted the syrup). I piped the cupcakes and placed them in the fridge.
At dinner I offered them along with an apology for a saggy and less than attractive mess of a wrapper, along with the explanation, “I have no idea what these will taste like.”…………..

OMG! I had no idea anything could taste so divine, be so moist, and overcome such odds.

I don’t think they oozed because of the butter, they did so because of the amt. I placed in each well. I’m testing these again in a week or so, but I’ll probably stay with my use of butter, it’s difficult for me to be converted, , but I will fill the baking cup 1/2 to 2/3’s of the way. I need to get the amt. figured out for sure because this is the very cake that I will bake for my future son-in-law. They are so moist, chocolaty and definitely, gourmet. AND I so agree…use good chocolate. If they ooze, do as I did, peel and roll the excess into small golf-ball sized treats and plop them atop a frosted cupcake. I sprinkled a little tiny bit of confectioners sugar on them and the whole effect was suuprising.
“Hey, if I can fool my MIL, I can fool anyone!”
Seriously, this recipe is a winner; just be advised that filling 3/4 of the way is NOT the way to go.

Hi Margie,

Just out of curiosity did you use milk or buttermilk?

Thanks, Zoë

Zoe,

I used half buttermilk, half 2%, and at room temp.
Oh, if you’re interested, I’m still searching for the perfect white cake for my daughter. lol. Seriously, I need something as decadent as this beautiful item. Please feel free to post one. She wanted a red-velvet, but I have too many children that will be in attendance, and I don’t want to worry with allergies or reactions to the red food dye.

Thank you!!!

Margie

[...] Thanks to Zoe (and Carole Bloom), I made an amazing mocha frosting.  I used it to frost Zoe’s Devil’s Food Cake. [...]

Hi, Zoe,

This is a terrific recipe!I’ve made these cupcakes for work and my colleagues just wolfed them down. Now they’re asking when I’m going to bake them again!
Loved it!

Hi Eve,

An inexpensive oven thermometer will be a big help if you suspect your oven is acting a bit wonky. If you know it is off, you can always adjust the temp.

To make buttermilk in the future add a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to the cup of milk.

Your explosions in the oven may have been due to the cream of tartar reacting with the recipe. That is a substantial amount of acid.

Thanks and enjoy the cupcakes! Zoë

Hi Zoe. I made this buttercream a while back and it is absolutely amazing! I’m getting ready to make it again and want to put it on your devil’s food cake. Do you have baking instructions for that recipe somewhere on your site? (I mean for cake layers, rather than cupcakes.) I’m assuming 2 nine-inch pans at 350 degrees, but it would be great to know how long you bake them, although of course I can guess and then watch them closely. Thanks for all the inspiration in your wonderful posts!
Emilie

Hi Zoe, I have been grazing your site for the past hr and when I came to this post I just had to tell you that I am in love. Not only does everything you make look absolutely sinful but I have one of the biggest sweet tooth, so this is perfect. There’s something about chocolate and cream cheese frosting that just makes me swoon.

Soooooooo Yummy!

Thanks for sharing!

-Natasha

Hi there,

Recipe sounds great would like to make it as a cake in bundt pan 9 inches and use a chocolate ganache.

Thanks,