Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (2024)

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Mostly sweet with just a hint of spice. That is what you get when you indulge in this spicy chocolate cake recipe.

Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (1)

I know what you are thinking… Spicy AND chocolate combined in one cake?

I promise it is sweeter than you think. This cake is a fun and refreshing way to serve your favorite chocolate dessert. The spice level is tolerable for even the youngest taste testers.

My six year old was hesitant when he heard the word “cayenne” but eventually caved after staring at these cute little cakes sitting in our cake display for a few hours. He had the entire thing gone in seconds and was picking up the crumbs!

Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (2)

I used a mini bundt pan to make these adorable tiny cakes but you could easily make these into cupcakes or a small 9 inch cake. If you are looking to create a layer cake I suggest doubling up on the batter. This recipe ends up with a flavorful and moist dessert that has a powerful flavor all on it’s own but a light dusting of powdered sugar or drizzle of chocolate ganache leaves you with a professional looking treat!

I whipped up a spicy chocolate ganache, recipe coming soon, over on Periscope the other day and loved the end result. The secret to a good ganache is to use a good quality chocolate. I love Ghirardelli 60% cacao but have also used semi sweet chips in a pinch. Either one is sure to produce a great end result. Make sure you drizzle it over the cake while it’s still fairly warm. If it starts to cool it will thicken up and won’t give you that nice pretty drip look. If that starts to happen just make sure you heat it up a little bit.

Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (3)

So what do you think? Will you top the cake with a ganache, leave it plain, or a dust of powdered sugar?

Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (4)

Spicy Chocolate Cake

Created by: Jesseca


Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

12 mini cakes

Mostly sweet with just a hint of spice. That is what you get when you indulge in this spicy chocolate cake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or Mexican chili powder 1/2 teaspoon for more kick
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup hot coffee or water

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease one 9 inch cake pan. Set aside.

  • Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together both sugars and the soft butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk, egg and vanilla.

  • Alternately add the dry ingredients with your hot coffee or water. Make sure you scrape the sides incorporating the ingredients well.

  • Fill your cupcake liners 3/4 full or pour batter in your prepared cake pan. Bake cupcakes 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake cake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  • Dust your finished cakes with powdered sugar or top with a chocolate ganache.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. CLAIRE says

    I am quite happy to find this recipe! I have made slice and bake cookies with this same flavor combination and have been thinking about spicing up my brownies. Now I can make this !
    By the way, those cookies are a hit every time I take them somewhere. Looking forward to baking this

    Reply

    • Jesseca says

      So glad you like this recipe as much as we do! Something about sweet and spicy combined is just hard to resist!

      Reply

  2. Sydney says

    Tried this for my boyfriends moms 60th birthday! She loves spicy food so did the bunt cakes with powdered sugar! I also candied spicy pecans
    They were a hit!! Thank you for making a dessert for my future mother in law(?!?!?!!)

    Reply

  3. Miss Angie says

    That looks absolutely delicious, and fantastic photos too!

    Reply

    • Jesseca says

      Thanks! They are so good!

      Reply

  4. Sydney @ Tastefully Frugal says

    I love the idea of mixing spices and chocolate. This is one cake my hubby is sure to love!

    Reply

Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Devil's food chocolate cake and chocolate cake? ›

The Difference Between Devil's Food Cake And Chocolate Cake

In general, devil's food cakes will have a deeper chocolate flavor because they're made with cocoa powder, and will be fluffier than other chocolate cakes, due to the higher amount of baking soda.

How to spice up cake mix? ›

Enhance With Extracts

Pure vanilla extract and pure almond extract are great options, but you could also try lemon extract or orange extract paired with fresh citrus zest. Although more expensive, vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans will provide even richer flavor to a boxed mix.

Can I use hot chocolate powder in a cake? ›

In short, you can use hot chocolate powder as a cocoa powder substitute in a pinch, but you may not experience the depth of flavour you want. Because most brands of hot chocolate powder include sugar or sweetener, you may wish to reduce the amount of sugar you add to your baking recipe.

Why add cayenne to chocolate? ›

It complements the sweetness and richness of the chocolate without overpowering it. Though you can certainly add more if you want to.

What's the difference between German chocolate cake and chocolate cake? ›

While the standard chocolate cake is chocolate through and through, with icing on top and sides, the German Chocolate Cake takes it up a notch with layers of caramel flavored icing with coconut and pecans between 3 layers of chocolate cake, making for fantastic moist cake.

Is Duncan Hines cake mix better than Betty Crocker? ›

The Duncan Hines cake was more rich and buttery. The others were slightly less flavorful, despite having great textures and baking evenly. Call me Goldilocks, but the Pillsbury cake verged on too sweet, and the Betty Crocker one wasn't quite sweet enough. Duncan Hines' cake was a perfect middle.

What does adding mayonnaise to cake mix do? ›

All this means that adding mayonnaise to the cake batter boosts the moisture of the final product—and leaves none of its characteristic taste. Testing showed that using oil or butter instead of mayo made for a drier cake, but keeping the eggs in addition to the mayonnaise improved richness and springiness.

What does sour cream replace in a boxed cake mix? ›

The best way to use sour cream with a boxed cake mix is to use it to replace the other liquids in the recipe, like milk or water. You can add up to a cup, or essentially the same amount of liquid you were originally meant to add, per the manufacturer's instructions.

What does adding pudding to cake mix do? ›

Put some pudding in the mix: Add a small box of pudding mix in with the cake mix. (Don't make the pudding.) The mix adds additional flavor, moistness, and a denser texture.

Can you use melted chocolate in a cake instead of cocoa powder? ›

Alternatively, you can use cooking chocolate instead of cocoa powder. Use 30 grams of cooking chocolate for every 24 grams (three tablespoons) of cocoa powder that's required, and 15 grams less butter or oil.

Can I use Nesquik instead of cocoa powder for cake? ›

Neskuik is mainly sugar with flavouring so you might as well substitute the Nesquik for sugar. If you were substituting Nesquik chocolate powder for Cocoa to make a chocolate cake you'd end up with a mildly chocolatey very sugary cake.

Which cocoa powder is best for chocolate cakes? ›

Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

It makes amazingly rich, dark, and tender cakes, fudgy, moist brownies and cookies, and incredibly luscious frosting.

What not to mix with cayenne pepper? ›

Possible interactions
  • ACE inhibitors: Using capsaicin cream may raise the risk of developing a cough, which is one of the side effects of ACE inhibitors. ...
  • Stomach acid reducers: Capsaicin can increase stomach acid, making these drugs less effective. ...
  • Aspirin: Capsaicin may make aspirin less effective as a pain reliever.

Why is Mexican chocolate spicy? ›

At its most basic, Mexican chocolate is made from coarsely ground cacao, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Chiles, nuts, and spices can also be worked into the mix, resulting in a complex, intense flavor.

Why is chocolate cake called Devil's food cake? ›

Devil's Food Cake

There are a few theories as to how it got its name. One, it's the decadent counterpart to angel food cake. Two, it's sinfully delicious. Finally, devil's food cake came about during a time when food that was spicy, rich, or dark was described as deviled, like deviled ham and deviled eggs.

Is devils food a chocolate cake? ›

Devil's food cake is a chocolate cake, but it's richer, darker, and fluffier than traditional chocolate cake.

Which chocolate cake is better? ›

Triple chocolate cake

Out of all decadent chocolate cakes available, triple chocolate cakes are the best to taste as well as look at. And that's because, like the name suggests, this cake contains all three types of chocolate – white, milk and dark.

Is devil's food cake the same as German chocolate cake? ›

As opposed to the very light chocolate taste of a classic German chocolate cake, devil's food cake is made with unsweetened chocolate and has a much stronger chocolate flavor due to its higher cacao content.

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