Hello bakers! Today I’m going to share two recipes. The first is from my favorite home baker … my Mom … and the second is from our favorite cookbook. Mom’s recipe for Devil’s Food Cake is divine. The chocolate is so rich and the cake is so moist. This is my sister’s favorite cake and Mom made it for her birthday every year.

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to one of my favorite peeps … Sylvia! The day of this bake was glorious, one of those perfect fall days. The weather forecast was for snow … ugh, too early … so my husband and I asked Sylvia and her hubby Dan to come over for a fire in our backyard firepit. It would be a beautiful night to sit out under the stars and visit by the fire. It quickly turned into a BBQ (very simple … hotdogs!). I laughed when I realized the menu … hotdogs, chips and chocolate cupcakes. Brought me back to all those birthday parties we hosted for our kids!

Okay, let’s get on to our bake … Mom’s go-to chocolate cake and a delicious buttercream.

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Devil’s Food Cake
½ cup shortening (I use butter)
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup cocoa
1 cup boiling water

1. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa and boiling water. Stir until smooth and set aside.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Slowly add to the creamed mixture until nice and smooth.

4. Slowly add the cocoa mixture.

5. Scoop 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake well. I always use @paperchef parchment papers and they peel off like a dream.

6. Bake at 350F for approximately 18 minutes – just check with a toothpick to be sure they’re done.

This batter is so smooth and dark. Mixing the cocoa with boiling water really brings out the chocolate flavor. I always use cold butter; any lumpy bits are melted in when the hot cocoa mixture hits the bowl. If you want to make a double-layer cake, 1 ½ times this recipe. I usually double the recipe so I can make a few cupcakes too.

Okay, onto the buttercream, compliments of Diana Wilson of Denver Colorado …

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
½ cup butter, softened
4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
5 to 6 tablespoons milk

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

This buttercream is just that … deliciously buttery and creamy. Unfortunately, Norma was globetrotting during this bake but my husband asked me to make more the next week and the cupcakes disappeared very quickly!!

What does Norma say about the Devil’s Food Cupcakes? I was somewhere over British Columbia—winging my way home when this delicious treat landed on the dessert plates, so there will absolutely be a birthday request for Devil’s Food Cupcakes showing up in the suggestion box!

TEMPTATION LEVEL out of 10: Forty years and three generations of “Tummy Tested thumbs ups” says it all—too good to resist: 10 out of 10!