One-bowl devil's food layer cake with milk chocolate frosting from BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts (page 124) by Stella Parks

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Accompaniments: Homemade Oreo cookie crumbs

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • rionafaith on June 28, 2025

    Made the cupcake version for my birthday party, halving the recipe which yielded 22 (though I probably could have filled a couple a bit more and ended up with an even 20). I did use 2 full egg yolks rather than trying to divide one in half and it was fine. I used Kalustyan's "Black Onyx" extra-dark Dutched cocoa and a Lindt 70% bar for the batter, and Tony's Chocoloney milk chocolate for the frosting. Spent quite a bit on the chocolate -- I'm sure it would have been cheaper if I got larger bars from a specialty store but I didn't want to make the trip. Baked exactly 15 mins. I mixed the ganache the day before (then chilled overnight since recipe advises to chill at least 6 hours, so plan ahead!), and then whipped it up the day of the party. I did make a full recipe of the frosting so that I would have plenty to do a nice swirl on top figuring I could freeze and save any leftovers. Cupcakes had a really nice texture and flavor -- great basic chocolate cake.

  • ebalk02 on March 21, 2024

    Cake comes together easily and the ganache whips up like a dream. The cake recipe converted well as-is to a 9x13 cake pan, and I made about a 3/4 recipe for the frosting and still had some leftover. Cake was well received! Just make sure to make the ganache well ahead to allow for cooling time.

  • NJChicaa on May 22, 2023

    I've made this cake and ganache frosting many times and it is always a hit. It is easy enough but be sure to do the frosting the day before you actually want to use/serve it. It requires a long chill time.

  • MarciK on March 26, 2023

    I made this with the chocolate fudge frosting. The recipe was tasty and flawless, except either the baking spray or my pan caused an unpleasant flavor around the edges. Next time I’ll grease the pan with butter. I cut the recipe by 3 to make one 8 inch cake. The cake didn’t rise enough to be worth buying a separate 3” cake pan.

  • rhb on November 18, 2022

    We've made this several times and love it. Swiss Meringue Buttercream (p. 157 and p. 114) with 1/2 c creamy peanut butter was amazing as a layer cake. For a 9 x 13" pan (one layer), I've made 2/3 recipe and baked for less time. Coffee substitute = 8 oz (1 cup) water + almost 1 T espresso powder

  • martinhenry on December 19, 2018

    I use a different frosting than what she recommends (I am not a frosting/buttercream lover), but this cake is epic. The flavor and richness are so intense. Even though this is a dark, rich cake. I kept wanting to eat it (like, for breakfast). Using good cocoa (Cocoa Barry Extra Brut) and high-quality chocolate is paramount since it plays such a starring role. As with any butter cake, don't eat this cake too cold.

  • ebs on October 28, 2018

    I thought the cake had great flavor and it was simple to make. However I did not like the consistency of the frosting. I assembled the frosting the day before and whipped it the day of, so it worked, but it was just too thick and not creamy enough for me. I guess I really wanted a buttercream.

  • SugarTreeBaking on October 10, 2018

    Seriously delicious and comes together easily. Important note: the frosting recipe states a 90 minute refrigeration, then the instructions require a cool down period of six hours or more. Make the frosting the night before to save the delay. I made this cake for a coworkers birthday and received rave reviews.

  • inflytur on September 26, 2018

    This makes a massive amount of batter. I baked two dozen cupcakes and two thick six-inch layers. Based on an earlier note I used a scant tablespoon of baking soda and was happy with the results.

  • roxlet on June 27, 2018

    I made this for a birthday party and everyone loved this cake, as I did. I made the milk chocolate whipped ganache frosting but used purchased oreos for the crumbs and decorations. Both the cake and the frosting were super fast and easy to make. I recommend this recipe highly.

  • coryelizabeth on November 24, 2017

    I wouldn't recommend this recipe, sadly. It mixes up fairly easily, but the amount of rising agent (1 TB of baking soda) felt excessive when I was preparing it, and I could definitely taste it in the final product. The chocolate flavor is rich and nice, but sadly, the baking soda dominated.

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