Devil’s-Food Cake With Toasted-Marshmallow Frosting Recipe (2024)

I sure would love to try this. Sounds and looks lovely. But I don't have an extra blowtorch hanging around and don't intend to spend money on a new one. Any other suggestions?

Best directions I have ever read in a recipe: "set these aside for snacking."

Helpful hint to those without a blowtorch -- which as we know, is not standard equipment (btw: I am without both a microwave AND a food processor, and cook everything from scratch) -- you don't have to torch the icing. It's for cosmetic purposes only, and does nothing to "cook" or further enhance the taste of the frosting. It's the equivalent of a really good mascara on blonde eyelashes.

Is the coffee brewed or dry?

I have made this for years without torching...instead melt a square of dark unsweeted chocolate with a tbsp of shortening and drizzle around top edge ( so it runs down sides) ...awesome effect and delish...

Huh? This is not Marshmallow frosting. It's Swiss meringue. And the most likely reason that some attempts failed to attain stiff peaks is grease in the egg whites. I tell my students that even the slightest speck of egg yolk, butter, etc., will prevent meringue from whipping to stiff peak. Rubber or plastic utensils are notoriously difficult to rid of grease, so the suggestion of a spatula here is suspect. Only glass or metal should touch egg whites to be whipped. Use a clean wire whisk.

At that quantity, and considering the dearth of liquids in the recipe, it's very definitely brewed. Additionally, since the amount is giving in liquid volume (milliliters) as opposed to dry weight (milligrams) it confirms that it's brewed.

I love having a blowtorch in my kitchen. But don't waste your money on a "culinary" blowtorch ($20-35$) they are small, awkward to hold and don't put out a lot of heat. Get to a hardware store and spend about $15 on a full size one. You'll be torching away in no time.

This cake was a hit! The balance between the dark chocolate and coffee in the cake and marshmallow frosting was delicious. I didn't toast the frosting and liked its glossiness. There are a few things that I would note: This frosting CAN NOT be made ahead and MUST BE COOL. I served the cake at 2:30 and by 5:30 it started to disintegrate, and when we left it on the counter in a warm kitchen, the layers started sliding off.

You need to locate a craft store that carries Wilton brand pans.

Brewed. You would never use that much dry coffee in a standard size cake recipe. The results would be inedible.

Broiling would not be even enough heat - the top would get toasty, but the rest of the frosting would likely just melt. Kitchen/culinary torches are pretty affordable ($15-20) and fairly small, so it may be a worthy investment if you think you'll use it.

You might try using nine inch pans. The layers will be thinner. The cake will bake a bit faster and the finished product will have different proportions, but will still taste fantastic.

Hi! I have tried several recipes for frostings that incorporate both lemon juice and lemon zest without issue. Try three 8-oz packages of cream cheese, two sticks of butter, one tsp. grated lemon zest, 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Whip cream cheese and butter, mix in zest, juice, and vanilla. Sift the powdered sugar and pour slowly into frosting. Chill in fridge for 15 minutes if it's too soft to spread.

This was a lovely cake. It turned out perfect for my daughter’s birthday. I did have trouble with the marshmallow frosting in the second day. It lost its structural integrity and melted. The flavor was gorgeous and the overall effect great, but the leftovers were a failure...

This seemed like a lot of work to me (and a lot of eggs!) but I made it exactly as the recipe suggested and it was delicious!! FWIW, I stirred the marshmallow mixture in a double boiler with a whisk (instead of a spatula), and it only required about 4-5 minutes before reaching 175.

This cake is amazing. I followed the recipe, bought a blowtorch, and it was beautiful and delicious. Everyone was very impressed with the appearance and taste. The marshmallow frosting is also so delicious and beautiful.

Huh? This is not Marshmallow frosting. It's Swiss meringue. And the most likely reason that some attempts failed to attain stiff peaks is grease in the egg whites. I tell my students that even the slightest speck of egg yolk, butter, etc., will prevent meringue from whipping to stiff peak. Rubber or plastic utensils are notoriously difficult to rid of grease, so the suggestion of a spatula here is suspect. Only glass or metal should touch egg whites to be whipped. Use a clean wire whisk.

Does anyone know if the marshmallow can be made in advance and stored??

I’ve made this cake several times as a 3-layer 9” cake. It comes out beautifully tall. The layers are about 1-1/4” each and filled with a whipped ganache this is a rich dessert. I don’t use the frosting but substitute a vanilla buttercream flavored with almond extract. It’s such a big hit I just got a request for and made it gluten free version substituting King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. Made it Neapolitan with strawberry filling, whipped ganache and vanilla.

This was a lovely cake. It turned out perfect for my daughter’s birthday. I did have trouble with the marshmallow frosting in the second day. It lost its structural integrity and melted. The flavor was gorgeous and the overall effect great, but the leftovers were a failure...

I like the recipe, and it came out great- I cut it in half, and made a bunch of mini layer cakes for a party. Only complaint is that the flavor profile is a little simple. Next time I might try mixing in malted milk powder into the cake, or using a Baileys Irish Cream in the marshmallow..... But as far as a recipe goes, it's got a great crumb, great moisture, and the perfect amount of marshmallow.

Made this cake to rave reviews several times. Now have to make it for someone with a gluten allergy. I plan to try just switching out the flour for one of the gf flour mixes. Has anyone tried this substituting gluten free Measure for Measure flour?

This cake was a hit! The balance between the dark chocolate and coffee in the cake and marshmallow frosting was delicious. I didn't toast the frosting and liked its glossiness. There are a few things that I would note: This frosting CAN NOT be made ahead and MUST BE COOL. I served the cake at 2:30 and by 5:30 it started to disintegrate, and when we left it on the counter in a warm kitchen, the layers started sliding off.

I used the Marshmallow Frosting recipe as part of a S'mores cake. My husband said it tasted just like marshmallows! But it took way more than 10 minutes at our altitude to get even to 165, and it was very sticky and hard to work with, like Oobleck. I wound up using an offset spatula moistened with warm water to spread it, because after I had gotten it dispersed, when I went back to make the decorative curls, the frosting tore. I settled for a smooth surface. Any advice from editors or Rao?

I want to make this cake today and serve it tomorrow. does anyone know if the frosting will hold up either in the fridge or on the counter top?

I just made this cake and now I know why the frosting is called marshmellow. This cake was a hit! It wasn't too sweet and it was chocolately. The frosting was perfect. Will make again

I plan to make this, but would like to know why it's called marshmellow frosting when there are no marshmellows. This is a meringue frosting, is it not?

This cake is fun to make.The marshmallow frosting is a nice change from the heavier buttercream frostings. Just need some practice with the mini blow torch !

Question for the chemistry oriented. A friend has requested "chocolate cake with lemon frosting" (I will not comment on my opinion of that combination). To add some lemon flavor to the frosting, I assume I need to stick to lemon extract as lemon juice would prevent the frosting from setting up? Could I add some lemon zest, or would that cause problems as well? Under normal circ*mstances, I would experiment any resulting disaster (literally), but I don't want to ruin a birthday.