I’m not sure who first came up with the concept of a “Snack Cake”, but whoever it was was brilliant. It’s cake, but it’s just a “snack”. No big deal. It doesn’t have to be a special event like someone’s birthday or anything – it could just be a random Tuesday and you think, “gee, I’d like some cake”, so you make one. If you like the idea of having cake for no other reason than that you want cake, this Devil’s Food Snack Cake is for you.
Now, you could definitely use this cake for a special occasion if you want. It’s rich, chocolatey and delicious, with a fluffy meringue frosting that melts in your mouth. And topped with a sprinkle of coconut, it’s absolute heaven.
Recipes from my Grandma are the best recipes.
Both the cake and frosting recipes come from my Grandma. I’m lucky enough to have one of her recipe boxes (a whole one filled with recipes for cakes, cookies, bars, and frostings – a woman after my own heart!). So, when I was in the mood for Devil’s Food Cake I knew just where to find the best recipe. I adapted it a bit – replaced a cocoa powder/water combo with melted chocolate and part of the milk with coffee, and baked it in a quarter sheet pan – but it’s essentially the same cake my Grandma would make.
The frosting is a type I’ve never seen before. It’s like a cooked meringue frosting, but instead of cooking it, you just add boiling water directly to the egg white-sugar mixture and beat it until you have stiff peaks. It seems like a crazy thing to do, adding boiling water to egg whites, but by golly, it works like magic. It comes out the fluffiest, airiest frosting you’ve ever seen. And with no butter or other fat in it, it doesn’t add heaviness to a cake like buttercream can. It’s truly miraculous frosting – you NEED to try this. (Note: if you’re not a meringue fan, try this mascarpone frosting but replace the lemon juice with milk and 1 tsp of vanilla, and leave out the lemon zest – mascarpone would taste DIVINE on this cake!)
The Pan
One quick note on the pan I used. I have this quarter sheet pan from Nordicware, and it’s the BEST. (Side note and fun fact: Nordicware is the inventor of the Bundt pan, and they manufacture right here in Minnesota!) Anyway, this quarter sheet pan is great for so many things – baking a few cookies, reheating leftover pizza, and of course baking a small sheet cake in, in this case. I love it and can’t recommend it highly enough. However, if you don’t have a quarter sheet pan and don’t want to go out and buy one, this recipe will also work great in a 9×13 cake pan. I just like the shallow sides of the sheet pan – it makes getting the cake out of the pan easier.
Ok, I’m done selling you on the quarter sheet pan now – let’s get down to baking some Devil’s Food Snack Cake! Try it out and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Happy Baking!
Devil’s Food Snack Cake
Equipment
- 1/4 Sheet Pan or 9×13 cake pan
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/3 c butter softened
- 1 c sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c cold coffee
- 1/2 c milk
- 2/3 c bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Quick Meringue Frosting
- 1 egg white, unbeaten
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 c boiling water
- 1 c coconut flakes for topping, optional
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 1/4 sheet pan with parchment paper, making sure there is a bit of overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment with a little cooking spray or butter. Alternatively, skip the parchment and just grease your pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- In a glass measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the cold coffee and milk. Set aside.
- Put the chopped chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl and heat until just melted, stirring every 20 seconds or so. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Then add 1/2 of the coffee/milk mixture and mix until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the rest of the coffee/milk mixture. Scrape bowl.
- Add the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the melted chocolate. Mix until fully combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.
- Spread batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to spread it evenly and into all 4 corners.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Move to a wire rack to cool completely (at least 2 hours) before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add boiling water. Start beating on low speed, slowly increasing to medium-high speed(this helps keep the boiling water from splashing out of the bowl). Beat at medium-high speed until you have stiff peaks (about 7-9 minutes)
- Spread evenly onto the cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut, if desired.
- Note: this makes a lot of frosting. If you don't want to use all of it on your cake, set some aside in the freezer for future frosting needs. It freezes beautifully.
- Stored in the refrigerator, the cake will keep for up to a week. For best texture, allow to come to room temperature before serving.
