High-Altitude Devil's Food Cake
A rich chocolate layer cake with reduced sugar, extra flour, and increased liquid, adjustments standard among Colorado mountain-town bakers working above 7,000 feet.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 10
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 460 kcal
Equipment
- •Two 9-inch cake pans
- •Stand mixer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- fat
- 22
- carbs
- 62
- protein
- 6
- calories
- 460
Instructions
- 1
Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
- 2
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
- 3
Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
- 4
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then stir in the vanilla.
- 5
Take turns adding the dry mix and the buttermilk to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
- 6
Stir in the hot coffee last. The batter will be thin, which is normal for high altitude.
- 7
Pour the batter evenly into the pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- 8
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Chef's tips
Do not open the oven door during the first 20 minutes so the cake does not sink. Baking a bit longer at a lower heat sets the cake before it rises too fast.
Storage
Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate frosted cake up to 5 days.
Reheating
Best served at room temperature; no reheating needed.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using a standard sea-level recipe without adjustments, which makes the cake sink in the center.
- •Mixing the batter too much after adding the flour, making the cake tough.
Serving suggestions
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