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I’ve been making this chocolate cake recipe for over 10 years. It is honestly the BEST chocolate cake recipe ever! It’s always requested at every birthday party, holiday, and family get-together. Everyone always asks for the recipe! If you’re looking for the best cake recipes, put this at the top of your must-try list!!

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

This chocolate cake recipe is really the best, most decadent chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I know there are other cake recipes out there that claim to be the best. Folks, let me tell you, I’ve tried them. And I can still assure you that this one — no really — THIS one…. This chocolate cake recipe is the best.

Yes, it starts with a cake mix. Just try it. Just once. You’ll be convinced. Just like I was!

Ingredients for the BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Best Chocolate Cake Ingredients

Here are your ingredients for this chocolate cake recipe.

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

The best part about this chocolate cake recipe is that it’s SO easy! All you do is dump everything (except the chocolate chips) into a very large bowl, then mix well with a beater. The batter will be very thick!

Chocolate Chips for The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Then stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips into the batter — pictured here are regular sized chocolate chips. I prefer the mini ones for this chocolate cake, but Kevin prefers the regular size. Try it with both and see which ones you like!

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Next, spread the chocolate cake batter into your cake pan of choice.

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Chocolate Cake Baking Pans and Times

I like to bake my chocolate cake in two, 9-inch pie pans. But this batter is very versatile and you can definitely use it to make any kind of cake — sheet cake, cupcakes, bundt cake, etc. It tells you the cooking times for specific cakes on the back of the cake mix box. I use that as a guide.

I usually end up baking my two, 9-inch pie pans for 45 mins. You definitely don’t want to overbake or it won’t be moist. Do the toothpick check, but remember, you may get some of the chocolate from the melted chips on your toothpick so don’t let that fool you.

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Oh man… It’s so hard to not just rip into this chocolate cake right now while it’s warm and fresh out of the oven… But wait! Let it cool first and let’s put some frosting on this ridiculous chocolate cake.

The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for Chocolate Cake

While it’s cooling, we’ll make The Best Buttercream Frosting Ever.

Ingredients for the Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Here are the ingredients for the best buttercream frosting recipe for this chocolate cake.

The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe for The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and continue beating until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

After your chocolate cake has cooled completely it’s time to frost it!

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

Yes, I conveniently did not take a picture of the finished chocolate cake. But that is because I am terrible at icing cakes and really, no one would want to see that anyway. But I will leave you with this…

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever

This rather large piece of chocolate cake did not last very long. Hope you enjoy this best chocolate cake recipe ever!!!

Print
Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe EVER

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cake (16 slices) 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Cake

Description

The best, easiest chocolate cake recipe ever!

Scale

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • 1 box devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 small box Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups mini chocolate chips

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 25 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (as needed)

Instructions

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
  3. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch round pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the cake box as a guide. Then I do the toothpick check, and if it’s not done, I check on it every 5 mins after that. It usually takes around 45 mins for two, 9-inch round pans.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until just combined. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy. Add more whipping cream 1 tablespoon at a time for desired consistency.

 

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538 Responses
  1. Kayy

    WHEN I TELL YOU THIS CAKE WAS THE BEST CAKE I HAVE EVER MADE!! I WISH I COULD SHOW YOU ALL THE PICTURES. THIS CAKE WAS MOIST!!! I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE TASTED ANYTHING SO DELICIOUS. NOT EXAGGERATING!! JUST GIVE IT A SHOT.






  2. Tracy Scott

    This cake turned out delicious, and I even forgot to add the milk as I was in a hurry. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because there wasn’t enough frosting to finish icing the cake (it was an 8-inch two layer). I had to make another 1/2 batch of icing to finish it. Totally scrumptious, though!






  3. Vanessa Sierra

    I love this recipe and have been using it for years. Sometimes I make banana cake and use banana instead of the chocolate chips. Ive done it with strawberry and vanilla cake too. Ive even used vanilla cake with oreo pudding and oreo crumbs instead of chocolate chips. They all come out delicious. But banana is my husbands favorite ?.






  4. j. White

    I love this recipe. I make it as a bundt cake, I serve it warm and instead of the icing listed i squeeze chocolate ganache over it. It has been dubbed Better Than HOT sex cake in my friend circles. I asked my son what he wanted as a grooms cake and he requested this. So I am making mini Bunts for the dessert table at the wedding in leu of a grooms cake. I am making 18 each night and freezing them I will thaw them the day of the wedding and Adding warm Ganache before serving.






  5. MAH

    Hi,

    I noticed that the frosting recipe calls for butter, but in the photos of the frosting ingredients you have shortening, and the finished product frosting looks to be made with shortening (hence the pure white color).

    Is the amount of shortening and butter interchangeable if I prefer to use the shortening instead of butter?

    Thanks so much,
    MAH

    1. Amanda K Morgan

      Then go to Weight Watcher’s instead of whining here. It’s a cake, you need to relax

  6. Ayesha

    I made this once and it turned out good but it’s odd that you don’t put the measurements for the cake mix and jello pudding packet. They come in different sizes (even among the “small box” size) and I can’t remember which I used. Will you list the sizes in the ingredients please? Like how many ounces for each one?

  7. Sharon

    I love chocolates and chocolate cake too. You shared an amazing recipe. I tried this recipe on the occasion of the my friend’s birthday, it came out delicious. Thanks for making my occasion special.

  8. Stephanie Shipman

    I make this cake EVERY year for my husband’s birthday and have been for YEARS! (whenever the original post was posted!) Im so excited to see his birthday come along! LOL! I have made it for Christmas and it was a big hit! This is by far the very BEST chocolate cake ever! Hands down!

  9. Diksha

    WOW!! It looks so delicious. I’ll definitely try this cake on my mom’s birthday which is coming on next week. Thank you so much for sharing such a amazing recipe.

  10. aahna ahuja

    Thanks, Kevin & Amanda for sharing the chocolate cake recipe. I can bake a Cake for fathers day and your recipe will help me to bake the cake on fathers day. Once again thanks for sharing the recipe

  11. Jacob

    Deeeeeeelicious!!! Light, beautiful and flavorful.
    Yess…this one is the best chocolate cake recipe ever.
    Thank you for sharing with us.
    Waiting for the next post.

  12. Mary A Parrish

    I have Been using this as a go to recipe for many Years and tonight was my 1st mishap my Cakes flattened I don’t know why but this is an amazing recipe everybody loves it.

  13. Sandra

    I love this recipe but I use half butter half shortening in the icing, all butter was not so good but half Gabe it a bit more flavor.  

  14. Varuni

    Thank you so much for the recipe. I made this today and it’s the first chocolate cake I have made. Definitely will make it again as I got very good feedbacks.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Love..

  15. Missy

    I’ve made soooo many cakes! But I have to say this chocolate cake was the best! Only thing I didn’t do was add the chocolate chips.. Thanks for the recipe:)!

  16. simran

    Your way of explaining is just excellent and the cake is also look amazing. This cake is perfect for all type of occasions be it a birthday, anniversary or any other occasion. Cake is everyone’s favorite dessert to have at anytime. This cake is going to love by all.

  17. Pam Erskine

    I love this recipe. I have to use a gluten free cake mix. Pillsbury is a good one. I make cupcakes with a minature peanut butter cup in the middle to bake . Then frost with peanut butter icing. Grandson’s favorite. I also made it for my daughter’s wedding with white frosting. It was gone very quickly..

  18. Jennie

    This looks fantastic! If I wanted to make them as cupcakes how would you recommend I bake them? Temperature and length? Thank you!

  19. Lori

    Well let me tell you this was fabulous!!   Made for Christmas and no left overs. Sad for me.  Although I made a mistake making it so I really don’t know what it should taste like, I think I came up with a new version!!   It’s outstanding!!  Must try.   While I was making this I was drinking a glass of OJ.  Anyway I forgot to add the eggs. I guess beating  them separately  in a cup threw me off  cause after my cake was in oven cooking I almost drank the beaten eggs thinking it was my OJ!  Omg it was disgusting. Lol. That’s when I realized I forgot eggs.  Anyway use no eggs and bake in a sheet cake pan!!  Think like 25 mins I did. Also just used canned chocolate frosting.  Was too lazy lol. Must try.  I’m gonna make it now again.  Keep getting requests.   So no eggs at all and use sheet cake pan.  Icing you choose.  Thanks again!!  Delicious!!!

  20. Kelsey Beaty

    What size of chocolate pudding do I use? In ounces. The small box I bought looks pretty small. Please help me :) I need to make this in two days for Christmas Eve. Thank you!

  21. Mrs.Memon

    I came across this recipe and tried it for thanksgiving, it is AWESOME, thank you since this is the perfect concoction for a moist,rich, and decadent cake, it was a hit that guest requested it at our next potluck!

  22. Emily

    I really wanted to make this with a yellow cake mix. Should I pair vanilla pudding with it? I think the chocolate chips would still be good in it or do you feel like it would overpower the yellow cake?
    Thank you!

  23. Christie

    Do the chocolate chips melt or does it stay crunchy? I want to make for my daughter but she has a texture thing and won’t like the surprise crunch.
    Thx

  24. chrisd

    This is by far the best chocolate cake recipe and the best I’ve ever made. I have used a dark chocolate cake mix by Duncan Hines and FF Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. It came out great. 

    Thank you for posting this! When I make it, it is always a special event!

  25. Vanessa Ponce

    This is the best chocolate cake, ever.
    However, last week I was looking for a box of banana cake mix. I looked EVERYWHERE. Instead I
    Substituted the following:

    Devils cake for yellow cake
    Chocolate pudding for banana pudding
    Chocolate chips for 1 mashed banana
    Vegtable oil for cocunut oil.
    And i just used store bought cream cheese.

    It was soooo good!

  26. Markuss

    Amanda,
    Surely this recipe will still be amazing if the Jello mix is forgotten? I keep seeing this recipe and have liked it without it too. I REALLY wanna make this cake! But I think I might try and just add half the dry Jello mix, or just a few Tbsps. and see if it works out? What do you think? Anyway, either way it sounds like (and looks like) a winner. I actually like the stark contrast of colors! Ha! Like black and white cake.

  27. CINDY

    Try using 1 stick butter (1/2c)
    4 c confectioners sugar
    dash salt
    1 tsp vanilla
    and enough cream or 1/2 and 1/2 to make of spreading consistency – beat well
    spread on cooled cake
    The butter makes the frosting far and above a crisco decorators icing

  28. Trish Gunn

    Thank you for this recipe. It is great! Do you have a vanilla version of it? I had one from the cake doctor but when they decreased the ounces on the cake mix, the recipes no longer work. I am working on one but it still needs some perfection.

  29. Trish Gunn

    this is a great recipe. Do you have a vanilla version? I had an excellent one from the cake doctor but when they changed the ounces on it, it just doesn’t go well any more. THank you for this recipe by the way

  30. Brittany

    Hello!

    I don’t think I’ve commented before but I’ve been using this recipe for years! I make cakes and cupcakes from this and seriously no other recipe gets more praise. It’s so easy and not a bunch of crazy steps. Thank you so much!!!!

  31. Jenny

    I made this yesterday for hubby’s birthday, and dang! It was good. I wasn’t too fond of the frosting, but the cake itself is a keeper. I think I’ll stick with a non-cream-cheese frosting. I made two 6″ layers, 12 cupcakes, and a tiny loaf pan out of this recipe.

  32. Sarah Lee

    I want to try this cake this weekend for my brothers birthday! it looks so good
    Just a question though…. how many boxes do i need to buy to fill the two 9 inch pans? (for the two layered cake) is that still one box??

    b/c usually one box only fills up one 9inch pan

    thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  33. laura

    This is a wonderful chocolate cake. It is definitely moist, and I think it would be great even without the chips. I halved the recipe and it came out perfectly.
    And the frosting! I used artificial clear vanilla, and wow!

  34. Regina

    I love this cake idea! I used this recipe for a birthday cake! I baked the cake in 3 layers instead of 2 and doubled the icing and added red food coloring to make it pink!

    Everyone loved it!

    Thanks

  35. Kate

    Hi, can this be baked in a 9×13? Also, can I use your chocolate frosting recipe you used on your brownie cupcake recipe? Will that be enough for the cake?

  36. Sharon

    I use this one for chocolate cupcakes! It’s my go-to (and I make a lot of chocolate cupcakes!) I have found that the oil tends to make the bottoms kind of greasy – so I have figured out if you decrease the oil to 3/4 cup, they are not oily on the bottom but are still amazingly moist and dense. :D Love this recipe! Thanks so much!

  37. Julie

    Hi! I have a question, can I leave OUT the chocolate chips? I know, its a crazy question, but I want to make sure it doesn’t effect the fluffiness of the cake.
    Thanks!
    Julie

  38. Tammy

    Just came across this recipe and can’t wait to make it this week. I plan on using chocolate milk to make it just a bit more chocolaty :)

  39. JenSam

    I’ve been making this cake for 20yrs. So good! I make it in a bundt pan and just dust with icing sugar before serving. I’ve recently started subbing Greek yogurt for the sour cream for an illusion of healthiness. ;-)

  40. Debra

    Had to try this! And yes it is GOOD. I used it for my Black Forest Cupcakes, hollowed them out, filled with cherry pie filing and put the plug back in then frosted with cream cheese frosting, chocolate shavings and a cherry on top.

    Oh My!

    Thanks for the recipe!

  41. Sue

    I also have been making this cake over 25 years. The one difference is in place of the milk, I use Kaluha. Always gets compliments and recipe requests!

  42. Susan

    This is what I’ve been searching the web for today – a perfect moist devils food cake! Sounds so delicious! Question: can you substitute yogurt for the sour cream? Just curious if it would have the same moisturizing effect. Thanks again!!

  43. Phallin @ CottageHomestead

    I specifically bought the ingredients to make this cake this weekend, roads are iced over here and everything is cancelled from church to school. Looking forward to making this for my family today. Only thing, I forgot to buy sour cream so going to see if I can sub in some cream cheese and more milk….we shall see. :)

  44. Kelsey

    I made this recipe Thursday and I had to report back. I did cupcakes but followed the recipe exactly. These were wonderful and very easy to make. The cake mix makes this recipe so quick and easy. The batter was very thick, which kept the chocolate chips from falling to the bottom of the cupcakes. I used regular sized chocolate chips and I loved them. I used a different frosting recipe, so I can’t comment on that. But I’m adding this chocolate cake recipe to my recipe book, it was wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing this.

  45. Talia

    I have never made this cake, but I am wondering if it is possible to substitute Kahlua for something? The 1/2 C of vegetable oil maybe?

    Thanks!

  46. julie

    I make a similar chocolate cake with a yellow cake mix, large chocolate pudding, 3/4 c. oil and 3/4 c. water. I just use store-bought chocolate frosting and pour it over while the cake is warm. I want to try your recipe with your frosting too!
    Have you tried the Cool Whip frozen frosting? (I think it’s a mixture of Cool Whip and Frosting, and sooo yummy.) I make a variation of this cake with yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, lining the bottom of the pan with pineapple rings and frosting with the Cool Whip frozen vanilla frosting. It’s really delicious!

  47. Victoria

    I was looking for a recipe for a more moist cake, found this one just a few short hours ago, and decided to try it with a yellow mix. Glad I didn’t wait for the occasion day to make it…..
    Everything seemed to mix up well- the batter tasted fantastic, rising to a very nice height, the smell while baking was perfection. THEN, it happened, while cooling, it fell- FLAT AS A PANCAKE!
    In 38 years of baking, I had never seen this happen. Right before my eyes, literally, the thing went from 1 and 1/2 inches high, to maybe a half inch. I sit here now, looking at this 13×9 crepe pondering splitting it in half and making it a skinny layer cake…..

    1. Tracey

      Barbara – I have made this for my kids birthdays for last 3 years – I always use the Ghiardelli semisweet chips. BEST. CAKE. EVER.

  48. ash_n_mike_pblovers

    I made this cake tonight for my boyfriends birthday! (peanut butter and chocolate lover extraordinaire) For such an extravagant looking cake it is SOOO simple to make! Thank you so much for sharing this!

  49. Sandy Shores

    This is the most AMAZING chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m not sure another one will stand up against this one. :)

  50. Ana

    I’ve been looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe for my son’s 3rd b-day…. this sounds and looks awesome! Can’t wait to see his eyes light up as he has his “chocie” cake :)

  51. Fran@fransfavs.com

    I have a very similar recipe which my family calls the “OMG Chocolate Cake” because it’s so good. I haven’t made it since Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Duncan Hines downsized the volume of their cake mixes by 3 oz. because I’ve been afraid it won’t come out as well. Have you made this cake since the cake manufacturers downsized their mixes? If so, have you noticed any differences due to the lesser volume of cake mix?

  52. Rachel

    Could you add grated zucchini to this recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake? I have made the original recipe many times and love it, am now overflowing with a freezer full of garden fresh zucchini and wanted to use some of it up. Thanks for the great recipe!

  53. Sonia

    I made it and it was PERFECT… This is the best, really the best cake in the world and so simple. You actually dump everything except coco and let it go. I doubled the receipe and made 4 layers. It was a hit… Thanks again

  54. kayann scott

    i love this cake it look wonderful…………………i hope it taste good as it look…….i wish i culd eat a pic of it nw

  55. Daniel Mar

    I am an avid baker and often scorn from “out of box” baking. This is the best! I have made it several times as well as the peanut butter cup version, and my guests cant get enough. High Calorie – but who cares…this recipe is worth sharing…worth every sinful bite. Highly recommended. Easy to make. Would not change a thing.

  56. Dee Rivera

    Amanda I LOVE this recipe and ever since I found I never stopped using it!! Love that you and Bakerella are friends!!!! <3

  57. sarah witmer

    This is my go to chocolate cake recipe!! I even made it in a vanilla version. Has anyone ever tried making a strawberry version? I’d love to try

  58. Nita

    I made this cake for our mothers day gathering this weekend.everyone said this was the best chocolate cake they had ever eaten I thought so to.

  59. Florida

    This Cake Recipe Is Great, And Easy. I Have made it Twice, But I Choose To Use Chocolate
    Frosting. First Time With Two Round Cake Pans. This Recent Time, I Prepared it With
    Two 9×13 Pans, Two Boxes Of Cake Mix ( I Used Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake 16.5 oz)Doubled Up The Recipe, And Prepared As Stated. It Was Alot Of Cake, And I Will Tell You That Not One Piece Of That Cake Was Left, I Tell You The Truth.I Use A Frosting Recipe From All Recipes Called
    Rich Chocolate Frosting, And It Makes A Lot, Plenty For Two 9×13 Pans With Extra Left Over. This Cake
    Was A Big Hit At My Job. I Suggest Using A Good Quality CoCo Baking Powder When Making
    Chocolate Frosting. The Cake Is So Easy, Moist, And Yum , Yum , Yum. I Also Used The
    3.4 Instant Jello Pudding . Better Chocolate, Better Quality Cake…….Referring To The Chocolate
    Chips And The Frosting. Dont Cut Back On The Quality Of Those Items For A Great Flavor
    Of Chocolate. Thank You From Florida…..Spectatculor!!!!!!

    1. Florida

      Forgot To Mention I Had Layered The Two 9x 13 Cakes, And Frosted
      In Between Up The Sides And The Top. If You Love Chocolate, You Will Love
      This Recipe. OMG!!

  60. Nadia

    I made this chocolate cake for my husbands birthday and it was a big hit! Thank you so much for this recipe! I didn’t care much for the frosting, but the cake was absolutely delicious!

  61. chrisd

    I am trying this today. Thank you for making your recipe printable. I’ve pinned it and noted the feature there. Thanks again!

  62. liz

    Hi! Will this still work if I don’t own a mixer? I want to make my boyfriend this cake for his birthday this week because it looks delicious. Thanks!

  63. Dana

    I just made this cake. The cake is very yummy. I was hesistant to make the frosting (Crisco in frosting…yuck!) The only reason I made it was because I didn’t have any butter in the house to make real Buttercream frosting. Frosting just wasn’t sweet enough for me.

  64. Taryn

    Okay….So I happened upon this site by way of Pinterest. I saw this cake and it looked so yummy. I LOVE food and trying new recipes, but most of the time they end in an epic fail. Still, I decided to take the risk and make this cake to celebrate my cousin getting accepted to the college of her choice. She instructed me to make a simple, error-proof box cake with no bells and whistles, but I couldn’t resist jazzing it up a bit. Your recipe provided the perfect balance of what she asked for, my inner chef’s need to make it my own, and a recipe so simple, it could be called “Chocolate Cake for Dummies” (me being the dummy in this case). Well, let me tell you…..IT WAS AMAZING! YUMMO! It was a huge hit, and no one thought it was a box cake! haha! I must now profess my undying love for you Amanda, as you have helped to elevate me to the level of baking goddess in my family’s eyes. I can’t wait to try more of your wonderful recipes. Thank you SO much!

  65. Colette

    Made this without the choc chips, jello, frosting.
    Took it to the salon.
    Last month.
    The ladies are STILL talking about it!

  66. Natasha

    I’ve made this cake at least a dozen times this year, and am making another for Christmas Eve. It has been a hit at several pot lucks, the fire station, my kids’ birthday parties, etc. It is amazing!

  67. Ashley Clifford

    I made this for my son’s 2nd birthday this week and it was absolutely fabulous! I was looking for a go-to birthday cake and I have found it! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it will bring many memories for years to come.

  68. Jeff Blackwell

    Do I add water to the cake mix like it says on the cake mix box? Or do I just add the mix? And do I spray the pans with butter or just pour the batter in the pans? And when I mix all the ingredients do I mix for 2 minutes like it says on the box? Thanks for your feedback.

  69. Sunny

    I just have to tell you this is my “go to” recipe for chocolate cake. I have also used this cake recipe for cupcakes and used 2 cups of chopped Oreos instead of the chocolate chips. I also add finely chopped Oreos to the icing. They are fantastic!! Thanks for sharing this cake recipe!

  70. Dominique

    THIS CAKE IS AMAZING I BAKED IT, IT WAS GONE WITHIN A HALF AN HOUR…CAN YOU APPLY THIS RECIPE TO ANY FLAVOR BOX CAKE???!!!

  71. Kim

    I just want to say that this truly is the BEST chocolate cake ever! I made it exactly as the recipe called, except I didn’t have all the ingredients for the icing so had to use a tub of icing instead. (Usually I find a recipe online & alter it to my liking). I made it for my husband’s b-day as he loves, loves chocolate. I overheard many people at the party say that it was the best chocolate cake they had ever had. It was such a hit, I’m making it again today (less than a wk from the original cake, as it didn’t last past the party) for a get together tonight! Thank you so much!

  72. Bellaisa

    I love the pictures – makes my mouth water just looking at it. It looks like the best chocolate cake every, but I will have to taste it first before making my final decision. :)

  73. Danni

    Hey, this cake looks extremely yummy!!!!! I love chocolate cakes! :-) As I live in Switzerland I’m wondering what I could use for the devils food cake mix. We don’t have that here. Could I use just flower, baking powder and maybe melted chocolate or cocoa? What do you think? Do you think I could also use real butter instead of the shortening. We don’t have the Crisco shortening here…greetings from Switz, Danni

  74. Miley

    Does anyone know how long to cook if it it were in a long 9 x 13 pan???
    I want to make this for co-workers tomorrow!

  75. Kris

    I made this for my niece’s birthday…she asked for chocolate cake and that is sure what she got with this cake. Very chocolate-y and moist. I used 2 8″ round cake pans and it overflowed so will use a larger size next time. If you want chocolate, this is the cake to make!

  76. Mariel

    This is the ONLY chocolate cake I will ever make again! SO good! The frosting was great once I got the amount of sugar like I wanted it. The original recipe was too sweet so I only used 2 cups of sugar to start with and it ended up being perfect! Thank you for helping me make wonderful birthday cupcakes!!!

  77. Lauren

    I made this for my brothers law school graduation and everyone looooved it. My mom loved it so much she wanted it again on Mother’s Day. Great recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.

  78. TLouise

    I too, am late finding this post.
    While searching last weekend, for a recipe for my daughters’ birthday cake, I came upon this recipe. It is so easy to make, and definitely the best chocolate cake. We all loved it. And I am making it again , now, for another party tomorrow, as I type this post!

  79. Kimberly

    Obviously I’m very late on discovering this cake! Just bought all the ingredients for my son’s birthday party this weekend. One question: When you buy devil’s food cake mix, it now says on the box that it has “one cup of pudding” inside the cake mix. Do you still add the additional pudding packet?

  80. Ashley

    You are right. I am in freakin heaven eating these chocolate cupcakes I just made. They are almost too easy to make. It doesn’t get much better than that. You are amazing.

  81. debi

    This cake is absolutely the best!! I make it all the time… with one little change.. I never use milk or water in any cake. ALWAYS use soda (tonic – pop – whatever you call it). In a chocolate cake I use coke or pepsi. In my orange cake I use fresh squeezed orange juice. In a strawberry or lemon cake I use either 7 Up or Ginger ale -and have flavored ginger ales now too …… makes the cake soooo moist. And I always keep the cake in the refrigerator until it’s gone (which doesn’t take too long – hahahaa)

  82. Anonymous

    Hi I think I’m going to make this recipe tonight because of all of the great reviews! I just have one question, what size pudding mix do you use? The only two sizes I can find are 4oz and 6oz. The package in your picture looks like the 6oz, but your recipe says to use a “small package.” Also, if anyone else has ever made this recipe, what size did you use?

  83. elisabeth

    I just made this cake. OH MY GOSH is it good. It is the first time I have ever made frosting from scratch and I am so proud of myself. Also I have never made a layer cake and stacked it. I took pictures of the cake before I dug in. And I could really use some frosting tips, lol! Thanks for the recipe, will be making this again for sure!!

  84. caleria

    This cake is to die for! I couldnt get my head wrapped around the idea that I actually made it and it was this good. It’s soo moist, completely fool proof and worthy of your finest company. I made it for my family but if the queen or the president of the U.S.A just happens to stop by they are getting the best cake they ever ate!

  85. Young Baker

    I love the way it looks! I’m going to make this cake for my grandpa’s birthday this Saturday. Does the buttercream frosting taste just as good too?

  86. Norma Jean

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this chocolate cake! I prefer different icicing because the buttercream is crazy sweet, but i recommend trying it b’cuz u/your guests may love it =) I’ve made it twice now and I plan on keeping this recipe FOREVER! If i can make nothing else, i can do this! haha

  87. Tina @ MOMS CRAZY COOKING

    I’ve made your cake a couple of times, but this time I made your cake recipe with another bloggers cake design and it came out AMAZING! I recently posted it here for a recent Chocolate Cake Challenge

    http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2012/02/whopper-chocolate-cake-crazy-cooking.html

    And NOW I am happy to report… that the cake I made (your cake) was the WINNER of the Challenge! You can read about that here.

    http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/2012/02/ultimate-crazy-cooking-challenge-recipe.html

    Thanks so much for the awesome inspiration and the awesome cake you created and posted! :-)

  88. Nancy Kruep

    Just had to tell you that this cake is amazing! I’ve made it several times and everyone loves it. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.

  89. Dorothy

    Hi Amanda! I realize this is an older post, but I just wanted to let you know that I baked this cake last week and it was delicious! My cake sunk and fell a bit while cooling (my fault), but otherwise it was perfect as written. I am featuring your cake as part of this month’s Crazy Cooking Challenge!

  90. Andrea

    This recipe is amazing!!! I used pudding packs instead of dry mix and cream instead of milk because I had it for the icing. I can not tell u how many people were wowed by this recipe. I am looking forward to trying it with vanilla!!! Thank you for this incredible recipe!!

  91. Meredith

    I made this tonight using lemon cake mix & pudding. I frosted with a lemon cream cheese frosting and it is unbelievable!!! So moist! My husband is in heaven!!! Thank you!

  92. Taylor

    I wanted to try the icing on my own choc. cake recipe and I didn’t care for the shortening taste, and I also found it too salty. I think I am just used to butter. However, I do like the white icing paired with a choc. cake. Reminds me of an oreo. :)

  93. mandy

    really is the best cale ever! and most importantly [for me] super easy. just mix the ingredients bake and go. i used store bought frosting because i was limited on time. tasted great. looked everywhere online to mimic my favorite “ny deli” cake
    and this one was thick and moist, just like them. thanks for the reciepe!

  94. Meredith

    I have made this cake twice and both times people have asked me for the recipe! I don’t use the frosting in the recipe, instead I replace it with either a chocolate or vanilla buttercream. My husband’s birthday is this weekend and he is partial to lemon cake so I am going to try this with lemon cake mix and pudding….hope it is just as good!!

  95. Jennifer

    I made these in cupcakes the other day. They were spectacular and a huge hit. I called the cupownies because it reminds me of cake and brownies. It was delish and perfect! Thank you for sharing!

  96. Sia

    OMG! I am making the “best chocolate cakae ever” right now and so far, it looks just like yours. I trust that this cake will come out awesome and will make my uncle happy today for his bday (he loves chocolate so i decided to make him this) !! Im using a different buttercream frosting using milk,flour,butter and regular white sugar. It takes alotta work but its well worth it especially when you always have these items in the pantry ;)
    Thank You so much and keep us coming with your wonderful recipes :)

  97. Erica

    Has this recipe been adapted for cupcakes or would you do the same and then just follow cooking instructions on cake mix box for cupcake baking times?

  98. amanda

    I’m going to try making this with peanut butter chips this weekend, do you think it will taste as good? Have you tried this before? Do you have any recommendations on peanut butter frosting recipes?

    Thanks!

  99. Cheoy Lee

    Thank you, it does look really easy to make and your instructions are really straighforward, thanks for that, and for the great pictures!

  100. Kim

    I made this cake during the holidays and it was DELICIOUS. I used the mini chips and a chocolate frosting. I will be making this cake a lot since it was such a hit with my family. Thanks for the recipe!

  101. Amy

    I loved the cake, so I made the recipe with mini Choco chips, and added chopped pecans and mini marshmallows for cupcakes with a marshmallow fluff icing. A rocky road version. Very good!!!!

  102. amanda

    Hi! My cake mix says it has pudding in the recipe, would it be fine to leave out the box of pudding mix? I don’t have any and need cupcakes ASAP!

  103. Summer Jo Brooks

    I am going to do a special on my blog called “14 days of chocolate” in honor of Valentines day. I will be featuring different recipes from various bloggers. I would love to feature one of your chocolate recipes. Please send me an email if you are interested believingboldly@gmail.com. You can also check out my blog – believingboldly.com

  104. Christina

    This cake was AMAZING. I brought it to work for a christmas party and everyone LOVED it. The price on my managers face was priceless when he took his first bite.

  105. A Chocolate Lover

    Thanksgiving for my family means everything made from scratch, and when I was assigned chocolate cake, I panicked. I found this recipe, was shocked to see sour cream in it, but made it anyway.

    I made my own whipped chocolate frosting by using a container of whipped cream (cool whip), adding about a 1/4 cup of cake mix to it (which keeps it from melting), and various other chocolate and chocolate powders from the house (instant cocoa mix, melted chocolate chips etc)

    I went to Thanksgiving dinner super worried, but IT WAS A HIT. This cake is absolutely amazing, my family loved it, and loved me for making it. :)

  106. Esther

    I made a vanilla version of this cake for my sons birthday and it was big hit. I am making a cake for a Christmas party and I was wondering if I could double this recipe to make a (12×18)half sheet cake?

  107. Jillian

    Hi! I am looking through recipes on the internet for a good chocolate cake for my 2 year old son’s birthday party tomorrow! I found this one and am DEFINITELY gonna go with it BUT gonna try cupcakes! Sure it will be delicious! Thanks!
    – Jillian

  108. evlyn

    I just made this cake. The chocolate cake comes out fluffy, moist and wonderful. But I must say the frosting is waaaaaaaay to sweet. I wish I had try it with half the sugar, that is 2 cups and then add more if needed. My BF and I just couldn´t eat it, not even with the help of milk or coffee. Fortunately I always do a mini-cake first so I can taste it before decorating the big one. At this point, i´m not sure if I´m using a very thin layer of the frosting or doing something else that can balance the sweetness of the chocolate cake. EXTREMELY SWEET!

  109. Lakshmi

    Thank you so much for this recipe….I am a first time cake baker and I landed on this page searching for a good recipe for chocolate cake. I made it for my husband’s birthday and it was simply SUPERB!!

    I am gonna make this many many times more :)

  110. christy

    This cake is amazing. Baked it for Thanksgiving a few days ago and there was none left. I used a different buttercream recipe and used regular size chocolate chips. It was divine!

  111. Janetha

    Hello everyone, I just want to say that I was skeptical about the recipe and the taste. It was really nice. Everyone liked it and said it was like a store bought cake from pricesmart or a baker shop. Feel free to try this recipe if you are looking for a nice chocolate cake recipe and you won’t be disappointed.

  112. Deb

    I made this cake this weekend and have to say that everyone agrees this is the BEST chocolate cake EVER! I have already been asked to make it for the next family birthday. I made a peanut butter cream cheese frosting instead of the buttercream as the birthday girl is a peanut butter lover and it was fantastic!! =) Thanks so much for the great and EASY recipe!!

  113. Yash

    I wish you didn’t use the cake mix as it is not always available in my region of the world. Also, sour cream is pretty hard to find, any substitutes?

    Thanks for sharing.

  114. Michelle Oaks

    Oh GAWD! This is driving me nuts! It looks so good. I haven’t had a good homemade chocolate cake in like FOREVER! And chocolate chips in it? I’m with Kevin on using the regular sized chips.
    Thanks for a great recipe- will have to try it soon :-)

  115. Janet

    I just came across this website…..I just LOVE it! I haven’t seen a recipe yet that hasn’t made my mouth water and just want to make a dash for the grocery store to get everything I will need to make EVERYTHING!! I’m going to pass it on to everyone I know….

  116. Sandy

    Hey thank you so much for the recipe! I made them for my little cousin’s princess party and she LOVED THEM (although I wrote each letter of her name on a cupcake and one of her friends kept eating them . . .) They were so easy to make, and I usually suck at baking. THANK YOU

  117. Jenny E.

    I just made this over the weekend for my husband’s birthday, and it was honestly, for real, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I baked it in a bundt pan, and instead of the white icing, I made a homemade chocolate icing, and the combination was to die for. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! I will certainly be making it again and again and again!

  118. Lydia

    i skipped the choc chips. but i think next time i will add them.
    i will try to make mini cakes – or maybe cup cakes!

    i was kinda sad that my frosting didn’t stand up like how it looks in the pictures. it was really thin. but i think it was because my butter was a little to “melted” and not room temp enough.

    howeverrrr…. the end product was reaaaally good and everyone loved it!
    i will do this one again!! =)

  119. Summer

    I’m getting ready to use this same recipe using white cake mix and vanilla pudding. So far from what I’ve seen only one other person has attempted this with not so good results :( Has anyone else tried this with a good outcome? I made the chocolate version two weeks ago and it was AWESOME!

    1. Esther

      I made the vanilla version of the cake for my sons birthday party and it turned out extremely well. Everyone loved it. I used yellow cake mix instead of white.

  120. Ceci

    Just wondering if we can use any brand of cake mix? Does it have to be Duncan Hines? I bought a whole bunch of Betty Crocker Super Moist chocolate fudge boxes because they were on sale…can I use them for this recipe?

    1. Janet

      Now that sure sounds delicious :) I just might have to try that…a friend is bringing me some homemade Kahlua!

  121. Marion

    After reading the comments, well I am going to try this cake. It sounds delish! I’ll be making it for my 27 year old son on Sunday. He’s such a purist…I wonder if it would be “ok” to pulverize the chocolate chips. Just so he will not complain or hopefully notice, “you changed your recipe!” Your cake just sounds sooooooo much better than mine. Please let me know about the chips, cause I do not want to mess up what sounds like PERFECTION!

    Thanks so much. Marion

  122. Sachiko

    I’ve been looking for a very chocolaty ,moist and yummy cupcake for months and your recipe sure sounds delicious and different from the other!
    I’m making for comming baby shower from my friend and so excited to try!
    I got everything on the recipe ,but when I open the box of jello ,there is one big bag! If you could tell me the waight of the jello powder that I need it’ll be a huge help!
    My bag weight 3.9oz(110g) is this it?
    I appreciate your time!

    Thank you.
    Sachiko

  123. Allison

    was going to make this recipe this week & was re-reading over it. is that too much oil? if it’s not a misprint i will definitely make this…just wanted to make sure.

  124. Janeen

    I made this cake yesterday for my husband’s birthday… it is simply amazing!! I will never make any other cake again. The frosting is also to die for… I made one slight substitution instead of vanilla I did 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. Perfect!! Yumm!! Since its just the two of us we had some left today and I think it was even better today. Cant say enough about this recipe… thank you so much!!

  125. itsmedani

    The choc cake choc chip recipe….can I substitute part applesauce in place of oil? 1/2 C applesauce and 1/2 C oil instead? Just to cut down on the fat. Would that work?

  126. Sandy

    I just made them into cupcakes for my little cousin’s birthday. Haven’t seen her reaction yet but I just tried one and it was AMAZING. Thanks for the great recipe!

  127. Lori

    This cake looks so yummy, I had to make it for my husbands birthday tomorrow. I can’t wait to have a piece of it. I will let you know what he says. Thanks!

  128. Dee Dee

    First of all…Love your site!!! I stumbled upon it when I googled “the best chocolate cake recipie ever!!! And it was! I was looking to make a cake for my daughter’s graduation/going away party. I had already tried a red velvet cake recipie the was “ok”. When I saw the box cake I was hesitant at first. The test run was a huge succes to the family and most importantly, my daughter who doesn’t even really like cake. hmm). I just made it yesterday for her party and everyone LOVED it…raved about it…said they would pay money for it…etc. I kind of don’t believe it when people say it went fast, every last crumb. Well it really happened!! Your pictures were a big help in making the recipe and I love how you walk us through the recipe like a conversation with a good friend. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!! Thanks again.

  129. Melanie

    I made this cake for my brother’s birthday a couple of years ago and he’s asking that I make it again! It’s so good. I use the cake recipe but I make French Buttercream Icing. Yum!

  130. Sonya

    This cake sounds yummy. This will be my first cake baking experience. My eldest child turns eight on Monday and my mom suggested I make the cake myself. Wish me luck!!

  131. Vi

    I’m not a huge fan of cake but this chocolate cake recipe is amazing!!! I have to stop myself from eating all of the cupcakes before I frost them. Thank you for sharing!!

  132. Cake Lover

    Thanks for the recipe. It is very similar to the Cake Doctors “Damn good chocolate cake”, I think the only difference is this uses milk instead of water and has double the oil. I made it without the chocolate chips and I used a chocolate butter cream frosting instead. http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/04/chocolate-buttercream-frosting/ That’s the recipe I used, with heavy cream and halved the salt. Anyway, the cake turned out great. I was afraid it was over baked as the edges seemed burned. It rises out of the pan making the edges crisp a little and then shrinks back down. I fixed this by dragging a serrated knife along the edges when it was cool, scraping off the crusted part. It turned out fabulous, I had everyone tricked into thinking it was completely home made.

  133. ariel

    OH MY GOODNESS…i make this whenever i need a great chocolate cake. This recipe lives up to its name for sure! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

  134. MariaLoon

    Hi Amanda I absolutely loved reading this recipe! I also prefer to bake from scratch, but I will use box mixes on occasion. I was just wondering; since I do not currently have sour cream in stock, can I omit it altogether, or substitute whole milk for it? I plan on baking this today if at all possible! ;)

  135. hothotpot

    I made these into cupcakes yesterday, with the buttercream frosting and everything (although I did use actual butter and not shortening). They were SO DELICIOUS, definitely one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever had. I am already regretting the decision to pack up the remainder of the cupcakes and send them off to work with my husband, though I doubt my waistline is!

  136. Cheryl

    This is the best recipe for chocolate cake. I make mine a little differently. I got the recipe from epicurious.com some years ago and have been making it ever since. I use a large box of pudding rather than a small. I also make it with sugar free pudding and fat free sour cream and applesauce instead of the oil. I use a fudge cake mix instead of devils food, too. I have also used peanut butter chips, and other flavored ones as well as m&ms and heath bar bits or peppermint pieces. I have made it with a yellow cake mix as well and used white chocolate chips. It always turns out great. Congratulations on passing it along. Everyone should try this terrific cake.

  137. Jill

    Hello! You don’t mention how much to use of each ingredient. Could you let me know? I’d love to make this cake!!!

  138. Brittany

    Just made these for my boyfriend and they are his absolute favorite! Both recipes are absolutely amazing and were easy for me (not a baker by nature).

    Thank you so much!

  139. Karina

    OMG!!! I have never attempted to make a chocolate cake before cause I was afraid it was not going to be as good as my favorite cake from a bakery but after reading all the reviews I said I was going to give it a try! so I did!! and it turned out the best chocolate cake ever!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! the frosting goes perfectly with the cake as well!! Gracias!!!

  140. Staci

    I just want you to know this is THE BEST CAKE i have ever had. i love it so much…i will def be baking it again. i did the peanut butter version but i cant wait to just use the chocolate cake..thank you so much

  141. Sarah E.

    This was the best cake I’ve ever eaten!
    I made it for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and not a piece when uneaten :)

    Thank you for sharing!

  142. J

    I have made this cake multiple times, but I have put a twist on it. Many of my friends have food allergies, specifically GLUTEN, SOY, and DAIRY. This cake comes out just as amazing if you substitute a gluten free devils food mix, vegan sour cream, and rice milk. The jello brand pudding is already gluten free, so this is an easy recipe to convert! It doesn’t come out dry like most gluten-free baked goods, it retains its moisture really well!

  143. Erica

    Hi! Is there any way to make the “devil’s cake mix” from scratch instead of using the mix? Pls let me know thank you so much!

  144. Eileen

    Do you think this would work with a french vanilla cake mix and a vanilla pudding in place of the chocolate cake mix and pudding? Thanks!

  145. Megan

    I’m actually making this cake for my grandfather’s birthday but I’m adding a layer of chocolate chip cheesecake in between the cake layers

  146. Kiki

    I am truly a cake lover! I have been known to completely skip dinner for dessert. When i am going to a wedding, I dream of the cake the night before. I have been let down many times…cakes that look good are mostly horrible. So, I bake many kinds myself. I have had a few goodies, family faves….but, I stumbled across this recipe looking for a new choc. cake to try for my daughter’s 15th bday! WOAH! It is AMAZING!!! I kept it cold under a glass cake server in the fridge all day til we sang later that night. I did press extra mini chips all along the side of the cake and sprinkled just a little hot pink sugar on top! Seriously, it is to die for. Was not sure about the icing with the crisco, and on this cake cold it is phenomenal. YUMMMM

  147. joanne nardelli

    Just wondering if the frosting for this is really sweet. Sometimes frosting are too sweet and everyone scraps it of. Or does anyone have ideas for a light frosting like whipped.

  148. jordan

    is the choclate cake good because im am a choclate cake guy and this cake dosent sound nasty it sounds wonderfuly yummy i love the way you put the pudding in it i think it makes the cake taste so much better

  149. shannon

    So I have made this recipe several times now, both in cake and cupcake form. I take the cupcakes to work and everybody raves and raves about how phenomenal they are (little do they know how easy they are to make he, he!) But since they are so easy I’ve started getting a little creative. The last time I made them I baked the cupcakes like normal, and once they cooled cut a window out of the middle and placed cherry pie filling. replaced the window and used the buttercream frosting, with a cherry on top…..now that is something to write home about for sure!! Thank you so much for such a great site and a wonderful recipe!

  150. Marla

    YUMMY!!! Best chocolate cake ever. I made a chocolate frosting to go on it as well so it was triple chocolate all the way. People were flipping out saying it was the best they ever ate. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe:)

  151. Amber

    I am going to try this recipe tonight for my
    Mom, but am considering replacing the crisco with cream cheese. I will get back you on the results. Looks fabulous!!

  152. Vanessa

    I am a believer!! This is indeed the best chocolate cake I have ever had! I was worried about using the box cake but the cake turned out amazing. Made it last night for company and everyone requested recipe and take home piece. Thanks for sharing this recipe :) It is a gem!
    LOVE your site!

  153. Amarilis

    Definitely!! The best chocolate cake ever!!! I put chocolate mousse and strawberries between layers, DELICIOUS!!
    Thanks for sharing this recipe

  154. beth

    Can this icing be used as a decorator icing as if you had butter in the mix? I need to add some decoration around the edges using decorator tips… for a shower cake.

  155. Julia slike

    I made this last year for my daughters bday. I added a twist… MINT choc chips in cake and cream de minth in the icing. It was heavenly, every guest raved about the cake. She is 5 this week and asked for the “mint cake” so I will use your recipe again…. Best cake ever!!!!!!!

  156. Elaycie

    I hate-love you for this recipe. I’m making it for my roommate’s birthday tonight…and will probably eat it myself on accident.

    Sigh.

  157. Rebecca

    I make this cake ALL THE TIME! I love it. I make a quick and easy peanut butter frosting for it that is to die for. You just melt 1 bag of peanut butter chips with 1 cup heavy whipping cream in a sauce pan. Once its cooled put it on the mixer and whip the heck out of it. Delish!

  158. Julie From Inmates

    Was looking on-line for an easy to bake cake and happened onto your blog. Thought I’d say hello! The cake looks yummy!

  159. christine

    Hi I have a question! I am making this tonight for my mothers birthday tomorrow and was hoping to make a raspberry buttercream frosting. What do you suggest? Adding the raspberry jam in with the butter? or make the buttercream and fold in the jam?? Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated. Thank you!

  160. Bethany

    This IS absolutely THE best chocolate cake recipe ever. I made it twice in January, and have had so many requests since, it’s getting a little ridiculous, but I’m down for it :) Thanks for sharing!!

  161. Allyson

    Awesome recipe; we made cupcakes and they only had to cook 3 minutes longer than the Pillsbury box recommended. Thank you for sharing!

  162. Kc

    Googled for “the best”… Found this, baked it, and it’s TRUE! Best ever! For real! Even came out of a shaped pan perfectly. Not a crumb left, and lots of recipe requests! YUM!!!

  163. Bonnie Bellairs

    I Love this recipe! I make it as cupcakes and so far I have made it for my employees several times and for my moms 70th b-day party and it gets GREAT reviews!!!!

    I will continue to make this many more times!!!!!Thanks for the great recipe.

  164. Maria Wilson

    Wow….it is the “BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER”! My mom loves chocolate cake for her birthday and all she wanted was for me to buy one. No way, I found this recipe and I had to make it! Will be the only chocolate cake I ever make again.

  165. Anna Lollar

    Seriously, this recipe is Ridiculously Delicious. I tested it out one day and it was a Mega Hit with the family. It is now the most requested cake for all occasions from everyone I know. Now let’s get an equally delicious moist yellow cake recipe!!!

  166. Hannah

    Just wanted to say how much I love this chocolate cake recipe. It really is THE BEST! It is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It’s so easy and so good! Thanks for posting.

  167. Sue

    I made this cake as a trial run for my sons birthday cake … it was amazing, quite probably the best chocolate cake I have ever had. My family gave it a huge thumbs up and I will now be making it again in 2 weeks time for his birthday.

  168. Evelyn

    I just made this cake today….and it is DELICIOUS!!! I will definetly be making this again and again. Thank You for sharing this recipe!! :)

  169. Amanda

    Love, love, LOVE this cake recipe! I’ve made this about 1/2 dozen times and can’t get enough of it! I’m always looking for new recipes to try but when it comes time to make a cake for an event, it’s always this one. I haven’t tried the Buttercream Frosting but that’s my plan next weekend for my son’s 2nd b-day party. I’m going to make 2 batches, one in a sheet cake, and one in a 9″ plus remaining in cupcake tins. My plan is to build a Dump truck cake…hopefully it works! Thanks again!

  170. Karen

    I come from a family of 13 including myself & my parents, so you can imagine we have alot of birthdays; & chocolate is our favorite type of candy, cake, cookies, you name it. I’ve tried numerous chocolate cake recipes, & this one…well, it takes the cake! :D I like to substitute the cup of oil with applesauce, & OOHHH MUUU GOSSSHH It is epic! I’ve tried it with the oil, & with the applesauce…its better when I use applesauce give it a whirl! Its less calories but still delicious!

  171. Toni Thomas

    Made this cake last night for our new years eve dinner. I messed up on the icing BAD! But after we chizzled through the 25 pounds of butter cream hell there was a wonderful moist most delicious chocolate cake EVER! Thank you :)

  172. Babette

    Hi Amanda,
    I did a search for the best chocolate cake…stumbled on your site and recipe. I loved the photo so i decided to give it try…I LOVE IT…the BEST i agree….and I know my chocolate cake!!!
    I made it for Thanksgiving and if it was not for being in the sharing spirit we would have fought for the last pieces of it!!! I don’t usually care for the buttercream frosting but i have to say that the mix of it with the chocolate inside made both awesome!!!!
    I am about to make it tomorrow for Christmas (was requested!!!!!) :)
    Girl I owe you…I will email you my favorite recipe of chocolate mint cookies to share with the world!!!! Happy Holiday season to you guys!

  173. Rebecca

    I have been making this cake for years and LOVE it. I am always asked to bring it whenever we go to a dinner party. I have always sifted powder sugar on top (using a bundt pan) but I am going to try the frosting this weekend. Also, you can use a yellow cake mix instead of devils food and it is delicious as well!!!

  174. monica

    hey!! i live in mexico so ir’s really hard to find the ingredients, i was only able to find the sugar fat free chocolate pudding, what could go wrong if i used that one? hope you can help since i want to do this for my dad’s bday next sunday! xox

  175. Allen Reichtman

    My neighbor made this cake and I have to say that it was delicious! I am a health nut and I do not participate in teh sweets too much. I am not a chef, or baker or anything close, but I have a question… Why use the ready cake mix? I thought the idea behind something like this was to make it from scratch. Not knocking it… It was great, but just curious. Thanks.

    -AR

  176. Barb

    I have made this at least 10 times since I found the recipe over the summer!! It is so special that it has been requested TIME AFTER TIME!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!

  177. jane icecream

    the photos are great!! I hope my cake will be the same, it happens that even if you do everything as written it comes somehow different. I will make it tonight for my friends… thanks for recipe!

  178. shannon

    I have been baking for a few years now , I have eaten a lot of cake, I mean a lot and this is the BEST cake I have had!! I love your site, its people like you who make cooking what it should be, fun and family oriented again. THANK YOU!

  179. Julie

    I didn’t see a reply for the comment about why someone’s cake fell? Followed directions (which were simple btw) exactly with one small exception that I used light (not fat-free) sour cream and skim milk…mine fell in the center, also?! Anyone know what would make this happen or happen to anyone elses? Just made it for my hubby to bring to work for Halloween tomorrow so maybe will mask with frosting and cut into pieces to disguise…hope it’s still yummy!

  180. Rachel

    This is the best cake EVER. Nothing can compare to how sweet and moist this cake was. I plan to make it again in a week for my mum’s birthday.

  181. Marina

    OMG! Thanks to share this recipe! I inmediatly ran to the supermarket and buy all the ingredients and cooked it!
    It’s wonderful, SO CHOCOLATE! It’s very sweet. I made cupcakes and a little cake.
    I’m from Chile, so I had to replace some ingredients but it’s almost the same.

    YUMMY-YUMMY!!!!!!! (L)

  182. DeDe

    FANTASTIC! I serendipitously found your website while searching for a recipe for pulled pork… (Oh, boy did I hit the jackpot on that one.) Back to the cake – it is fabulous! I have made it three times already and it seems to come out better and better every time. I think I prefer it as a single layer in a 9×13 pan. I chopped up some strawberries and topped the icing with them last time; very visually pleasing. This is a great recipe, thank you for sharing.

  183. ana

    Hello!! I’m glad I found your recipe, it looks delicious! I want to make it for my boyfriends bday. Problem is, I live in Mexico and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find the Jell-o mix. We have all kinds of Jell-o or Danone products here, but I’m not sure if that one exactly. What is is like? Can I substitute it some way?

  184. Catie

    I made this cake for my mom’s 50th birthday party last year. There were so many rave reviews! My mom asked me to make it again for her birthday this year, which is tomorrow. The whole family loves it! Even my husband, and he hates sweets!

  185. Jennifer @ Passion-for-Parties.com

    My name is Jen and I am a chocoholic. :)
    After seeing the photo and reading the comments I knew that I just HAD to give this cake a try.
    Oh my goodness, were you right! This cake is DIVINE!!!
    It was a tremendous hit at our party and is still being talked about!
    I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve shared the recipe on my website (http://www.Passion-for-Parties.com) and wrote a little blurp about it in my blog (http://blog.passion-for-parties.com/2010/08/pink-and-orange-summer-party-part-one.html).
    Thanks so much for sharing! <3

  186. Mayra

    I have been wanting to make this cake for the longest time and never had time. I can’t believe I waited so long :) This is by far the BEST CAKE I have ever had in my life. Frosting was a little too sweet but the cake was PERFECT!!!!! Thank you for the recipe.

  187. Nikki

    I cannot wait to make this cake it sounds fabulous! Thank you and I am also going to try your enchilada recipe! Whoo-hoo!! :)

  188. Lissa

    Loved it! Just a warning though. Don’t use chocolate chunks. It’s crazy rich and I am a choco-a-holic. I would almost even say use mini chocolate chips. (1 cup)

    Thanks for sharing.

  189. Toni

    HI, My daughter made this cake for Father’s Day and it was fantastic!! It really was the moistest cake we have ever eaten or made! The only thing we didn’t like was the frosting, next time we will use butter for the butter cream frosting. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
    Tonight, I decided to try this cake with a yellow cake mix, coconut cream pudding and white chocolate chips. When the cake came out of the oven, it fell in the pans so much so that I would not be able to “hide” it, so my family is eating it with no frosting! LOL
    Any idea why it fell? I just looked at the box mix again and it is a butter recipe golden cake mix… but I have no idea!! :) It is still a great recipe! Thanks! Toni

  190. Sonu

    AWESOME!!!!!! I have been looking out for a yummy cake recipe for a while and I finally FOUND IT!!!! Thank you!!!

    I guess this cake would be little light for a fondant cake, do you have any cake recipe for a fondant cake? Any suggestions?

  191. Stacey

    I made this cake for Father’s Day and it was INCREDIBLE!!! It was the moistest cake I have ever eaten! The only thing I didn’t really care for was the frosting~next time I make the cake I’m going to skip the frosting and use a chocolate glaze instead. Thanks so much for this recipe!!

  192. M.A.D.

    I’ll have to give this recipe a try. It sounds like a winner. I like the idea someone mentioned about covering with ganache…. yum!

  193. Tirah

    I saw all of the positive comments on the website about this cake and they have convinced me to try out this cake for my 14th birthday. Hope it’s Good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  194. Linda

    This is absolutely hands down the best cake! I don’t even like chocolate but thought this was moist and it was a hit at the graduation parties it was made for! Thank you for this!!!!

  195. Tommy

    Tried this recipe today, and it is absolutely the most moist chocolate cake I have ever tasted in my life! It was made for a birthday cake and it was a HUGE success and made so many tummies smile today ! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! It will definately be used again probably again this week!! :)

  196. Shannon

    Have made this cake twice now for family birthdays… both times everyone at the parties told me that it was the best, most moist chocolate cake they have ever tasted. Thank you so much for sharing! You have made me look like an expert baker to my family. :o)

  197. Gail

    This is definitely a great Chocolate Cake recipe! Make sure you don’t eat it all, though. It is even better the next day from the fridge! The mini chips make it a little crunchy and the chocolate tastes a little richer! Addicting. Thank you for sharing.

  198. Daniel N.

    I have been looking at a lot of different Chocolate Cake recipes and stumbled across this one. I need to make my niece a cake for her birthday this coming Sunday. So, this will be it. Will let you all know if this is, indeed the best chocolate cake ever, ever, ever. Hahahah! I was going to make her the Cheesecake Factory Cheese cake/Carrot cake. But heck, this one looks simple and delicious enough. Thank you Amanda for the recipe.

  199. Lynn

    Amanda…I have to say with hand on my heart, I have never had SOO much enjoyment on a web page! You my dear are BRILLIANT, talented, and creative to the point of giddyness…..I am going to make this cake this weekend, (humm may have to bake them as cupcakes because I dont think ill be able to stand waiting for a slice.) Thank you soo much for making my life brighter with your talents……

  200. Kristi

    This really is the best Chocolate Cake Ever, so thanks for the recipe! I however drizzle a really yummy Chocolate gnosh over the top instead of icing and it’s heavenly!

  201. Molly

    Hey Amanda! I have my own little baking business, and now I just added another recipe to my collection! Just one question, what size is the box of pudding? Thank you SO much for sharing! Please reply, thanks! ~Molly

  202. Shorty

    Wow!! I’m impressed by how easy this looks….I only have one problem…I live in Europe and I don’t believe they sell Jell-o istant pudding mix. We do have instant pudding mixes, where you add milk and let it cool, or where you have to add warm milk and stir and heat it.. so please help me…I really want to make this cake :-P

  203. Maya

    Amanda – You made three hungry people VERY satisfied. Thank you so much for your Creamy Chicken Enchilada recipe and your Chocolate Cake… It most definitely is THE best chocolate cake. Thank you for sharing and i look forward to cooking many more of your wonderful recipes.

    Love & Recipes!
    Maya

  204. Christina

    I bake a cake very similar to this “Best Chocolate Cake” recipe, and when I go overboard on the amount of chocolate chips, I’ve noticed the following– the chips that sink to the bottom of the cake end up with white dots and the dots are noticeable when the cake has fully cooled. Is this fat that has separated from the chips?

  205. Kimberly

    I made this cake for the second time with a seven-minute/marshmallow frosting – TO.DIE.FOR! Can’t even begin to say how moist the cake is. Would love to see a version using ingredients other than a box tho.

  206. Jessica

    I will try this cake recipe it sounds awesome but I think I will use Red Velvet Icing, which is a boiled icing. I like that icing better than buttercream because it isn’t so sweet like buttercream frosting.

  207. chandani

    Baked the cake. So simple and the taste was out of world. Took leftover to work just to save me for eating it all and the plate was clean in mins.

  208. Sarah

    Hi, my name is Sarah and I’m a chocolate addict. I’ve spent the last year of my life trying and tasting every chocolate cake I could possibly make and then today I found ‘The One’. Thank you so much Amanda!

  209. Beatrice

    Really very pleased with this cake. I made it for Valentine’s Day and decorated it with red sugar. My family enjoyed it! Thanks.

  210. Amanda Mendenhall

    This is SOOOO YuMmY!!! I love the cake and the frosting!!! I have been searching for a really good buttercream frosting for my little girls 1 year old birthday cake, and I found both a good cake and awesome frosting!! Thanks so much for posting this!!! I ? this cake & frosting!!

  211. jilllian

    I make ALOT of cakes because i have a huge family and one day i found this recipe and everyone loved it! Now everyone wants me to make this cake for their birthday! Thank you so much its the best chocolate cake i ever ate! and its sooo easy to make!

  212. anonymous

    my birthday is coming up and i just couldnt get the ingredients for my faverot cake but this one looks just as good and i am looking forward to making (and eating with school mates) this cake!!!!!!!!!!!

  213. Geneviieve

    I love everything on this page. The deco is gorgeous. the cake looks so fine. I’m doing it tomorrow!! I love everything!! the polka dot background is AWESOME!!!!

  214. Edna

    I just came across this blog in looking for a moist choclate cake recipe, I did a trial cake and WOW! I am not a lover of choclate cake, but I just feel in love. I did an oreo choclate mousse for the filling instead and everyone loved it. I will be repeating this cake for a birthday cake this weekend. Thanks a bunch.

  215. Amanda

    This chocolate was soooo yummy!! I’ve been searching for a delicious cake to make for my son’s 1st birthday and this is it! I made it as a test run and everyone was begging for more, so delicious!! Great job! I showed my husband your website and he thinks I should be more like you: cook, blog, scrapbook, photograph..hmmm :)

  216. courtney bowlden

    my sister would make this for me when i was pregnant with my first kid. we called it better than sex cake. it truly is amazing!

  217. Janell

    i loved this recipe i made it for my sons first birthday last week and it was such a hit!…the chocolate cake was so moist and rich! thank you so much! i love all your recipes.

  218. Sybil

    This IS the BEST chocolate cake EVER and it is SO easy to make. I lost the recipe I used for years and found yours while searching for something just as good. WELL, yours is BETTER! I made it with chocolate icing and it was AWESOME for my son’s birthday!

  219. Cynthia

    Let me just start off by saying that I was looking into making this amazing cake for my boyfriend but only problem was that I had no idea how to come up with one. I decided to google “the best chocolate cake recipe” and guess what popped up? this website. So as I am looking through your recipe I notice you provided step by step directions with the corresponding picture! Need i say “AMAZING”. See I love to cook, only problem is that a lot of times when following directions on a recipe I feel like it doesn’t look right” lol. But Yes I look forward to making many of the recipes that you provide” and I will start off by making the best chocolate cake EVER. :)

  220. Teresa

    Okay, even like another recipe for this cake in vanilla flavor,
    mini vanilla chips, vanilla cake mix,
    vanilla pudding mix & real vanilla bean buttercream icing with strawberries or blueberries on top.. yummy!!!

  221. Teresa

    i would like to spin, a “grown-up” party flavor to
    this by adding maybe Godiva chocolate liquor to the cake mix? i haven’t tried it yet, but I am
    thinking this may put a cool spin on this recipe for a gal’s night out or birthday party for grown ups??

  222. Esther Vinson

    Thanks Kevin and Amanda for sharing. I just made this for our 2009 Christmas get together and it was a big hit. I have been ask to make another one for my sister-in-law’s 83rd birthday on January 18, 2010. My husband has been telling everyone they will have to taste it that it’s the BEST chocolate cake he has ever tasted.

  223. Rachel @ Future Pastor's Wife

    Amanda, I made this cake this weekend for our church Christmas party and it literally is THE BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had! My mom is a chocolate fiend so I am making one to surprise her for Christmas. Thanks for posting the recipe!!

  224. Macy

    I’ve been *REALLY* wanting to try this cake for a while now, (about a year!) and I think (hopefully?) I’ll find the time to make it for my birthday in January. :) I’m really looking forward to trying this delicious cake! it looks SOOO good!

  225. Melissa

    Thank you for this recipe. I have made it 3 times already. My husband loves it. I found that when I added 2 tablespoons water to the Crisco (similar to the directions from Crisco when substituting for butter) the frosting turns out a little more creamier.

    I am throwing away all my other chocolate cake recipes!!

  226. Liz

    Wow! This cake turned out beautifully and was a huge hit for my husband’s office birthday party a few months ago. They all loved it so much that they asked me to bake another one for the Christmas Party this week – can’t wait to eat this yummy cake again. Thanks for the recipe!

  227. Anne Schentrup

    I made this recipe for my son’s 5th birthday, I’ve made many cakes from scratch before but this year since his birthday is so close to Christmas and I have a 4 month old now too, I decided to ease my burden a bit and use a “doctored box recipe,” as I call it. This was honestly the BEST chocolate cake I’ve made and a week later I’m still snacking on it since it’s STILL SO MOIST! I had numerous comments at the party and am eagerly sharing your site. Thank you!!!

  228. Tabby

    Okay Mrs. Amanda I am going to try this recipe out today! Wish me luck. My son’s third birthday is tomorrow and he wants me to make him a spider cake!!! I think I will tint the frosting black or purple or something. Will let you know how it turns out!

  229. Isabel

    Thanks! Gotta try this for Christmas for my 6 nieces. They luuurvve chocolate. Have you tried using Crisco instead of that 1cup of veg oil for the cake?
    If you did, how did it turn out and how much of Crisco?

    Thanks again

  230. Shawn Smith

    This recipe was a hit this Thanskgiving. It was easy and your step by step instructions really made it easy to prepare. Thank you Thank you. The cake was moist and chocolatey which is always a great hit. I can’t wait to try the other recipes.

  231. Lynn

    I finally got to try this yummy cake on Halloween. We had 48 party guests….loads of food and goodies, but this was a hit of young & old! It will definitely be a keeper! I am already thinking about making it again for the Thanksgiving crowd!! Amanda….get out of that new car and give me some more new recipes!!

  232. adria saucedo

    Hola Amanda,
    I have been searching for a great choco cake recipe, so far no luck with the one’s I have tried, but this one looks mighty tasty, I am going to try it out for turkey day along with a maple pecan cake, i am sure they will be a hit! Thanks for the amazing recipe!!

  233. Nancy

    Hey Amanda, I live in Australia, and we don’t have crisco here, and it is really hard to find any vegetable shortening anywhere. Is it possible to use butter as a substitute? What can you suggest?

    Cheers Nancy

  234. trisha

    I made this cake for my birthday too, except I switched out the vanilla for mint extract and made a mint buttercream frosting. It was AWESOME. Mint-chocolate is my fave, and no one else in my house really loves it. I ate the whole cake myself, and I’m not even sorry! :)

  235. Ariel

    I made this cake for a friend’s birthday a few months ago and it was very well received! Am making it again, will try adding mini-marshmallows in with the chocolate chips to give it a little twist! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!

  236. Meredith

    Sweet chocolate goddess of love…. that was effing incredible cake. As the reigning cake queen in my circle, I was tapped for cake for a trivia night. Thought I’d give this recipe a try. Baked in a bundt pan. Used a splash of rum instead of vanilla and 1 pkg 60% cacao chips. Used 2 Tbsp rum in a chocolate ganache glaze (2 Tbsp butter, 1 pkg 60% cacao chips, and 8 oz whipping cream with a splash of rum). Will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from here on out. Quite close to orgasmic cake.

  237. Heather Coughlin

    Great cake – thank you. To make a “barely chocolate cake” take this recipe and substitute yellow box cake and put some cocoa in the icing. I really enjoy this website – way to go!

    War Eagle – Heather Coughlin

  238. deb

    Am making this cake for a co-worker’s birthday (tomorrow) and for my husband’s birthday next week. Last time I made this cake I used two 9 in. pans and put a layer of raspberry preserves and cheesecake in between the two layers then put on chocolate frosting and sprinkled fresh rasperries over the top, it was TO DIE FOR!! Thank you so much for this recipe! : ) You have obviously made a lot of happy people because of it.

  239. Lisa

    Amanda- Made your best ever chocolate cake (into cupcakes) today during the football game. YUM! it is sooo good, although I did make the frosting, it is so good and rich even without it.
    Thanks for sharing the goodness!

  240. Christina Turner

    Evil Evil Woman lol. So I had this plan that while my husband was deployed I was going to lose some weight. Well my birthday is coming up and I’m throwing a party. I saw your recipe and decided to try it……Thanks for making such a yummy cake recipe lol!!!! So I’ll start my diet a little later!!! Thanks again the cake is sooooooo YUMMY!!!!

  241. Katy

    I made this cake for my Mom’s Birthday a few weeks ago. It was rich and yummy. I used store bought chocolate buttercream icing but I defintiely want to try your frosting recipe next time. Thanks for the great recipe.

  242. Jaime

    I honestly have no idea how I found your website, but I love it! We actually have the same cake recipe! My bro-in-law got it from his Gma. It’s the best!! We usually make a yellow cake with vanilla pudding with homemade chocolate frosting. The reason…well first because it’s heavenly, but second because I have never found a really really good home made white frosting!! I can’t wait to try your frosting recipe with this cake!!! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes with the world!

  243. ashley c

    omg, peanut butter and chocolate, I’m totally doing this for my bday, I love baking so it’s fun for me to make my own cake! I think I’m gonna subsitute the chocolate chips with reses peanut butter chips, alot easier then open all those little wrappers. Do you know if it would be okay to freeze this cake? I dont want my dad sitting down stairs binging on it all night and I must resist the urge to hole up in my room and finish the whole cake in one sitting, so I was thinking of freezing whatever we dont eat and thawing peices as i need them, I know it sounds crazy! but Its the only way I can make sure that this cake doesnt come with a big serving of guilt along with it

  244. Rayen

    Hi I’m Rayen from Singapore… I really like your website… The recipe looks so tempting and the cake in the picture looks soooooo deliciousssss… Will try them today…

  245. Sarah

    This sounds absolutely delicious! I stumbled across your site and love it. The pictures are great. I really can’t wait to make some cake!!

  246. Alyssa

    Am new to your website- I’m trying this recipe to make tomorrow for a dinner party my family is going to (I’m 13)..I was browsing the internet for a fabulous recipe and hit upon this beauty.
    Thanks for the great post! I am looking forward to continuing to read your blog.
    Love, Alyssa

  247. Seema

    Thank you so much for an easy way to make such a delicious chocolate cake. I made this into an island cake for a LOST theme baby shower–complete with ocean, beach, palm trees and a crashed plane. Everyone loved the cake!

  248. -M-

    I made cupcakes using this recipe last night and they came out great. I couldn’t find chocolate pudding mix but i found a recipe to make it from scratch

    90g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
    60g cornflour
    180g icing sugar
    45g instant non-fat powdered milk
    1 tsp salt

    This will make more than you need (which is about 0.8 Cups or 4oz) but you can store the rest in the freezer for the next time and trust me there will be a next time ;) Hope this helps those who couldn’t find the pudding mix either.

  249. La

    I tend to bake quite a few cakes, but this was BY FAR the best chocolate cake I’ve tasted/made. I got so many compliments about how good it was, I didn’t want to say how easy it was to make! Thank you very much, it was delicious!

  250. Autumn

    i was just looking for the perfect chocolate cake to make for the person i love. this is the very first one i came across and im glad i looked no further! i dont even need to wait to find out if it is the best, its kinda obvious it must be! THANK YOU!!

  251. Dakota Williams

    hehe im the computer kid at school and i set some of these pics as the desktop XD everyone was starving by the end of class this looks so delicious

  252. Denise

    Amanda,
    This truly is the best Chocolate Cake Recipe I’ve ever made and eaten. I like it even better than the Miracle Whip Chocolate Cake recipe I’ve used for years.
    Thanks for sharing! I love your website
    Denise

  253. Leilani

    tried this recipe for a bday party this weekend and it was such a huge hit. everyone was singing high praises over it. i also used swiss meringue buttercream frosting which was melt in your mouth good! thank you for sharing. this is the best chocolate cake recipe ever!

  254. mysterie91

    I tried this over the weekend and loved the cake but too would prefer a recipe for devils food over using the boxed. Anyone have any ideas how to modify into a 100% homemade recipe?

  255. Sere

    Hi! this cake looks so delicious! wanna try it!
    there’s just one small problem, and that is, where I live (in Italy) I obviously do not manage to find any devil’s food cake mix… I wanted to ask if you could suggest some REALLY GOOD and TESTED recipe I could use to replace the “missing” devil’s food cake mix… just for the dry ingredients, I suppose, because then I’ll have to add the ingredients your amazing recipe calls for… thanks :)

  256. Cheryl Vermillion

    Amanda,
    I have been a fan of yours since I saw your postings on Woofboard. The beautiful pics you take of the dogs are what caught my attention. I have two Boston’s myself, and have always been so envious of your work! Anyway, I saw this recipe a few days ago and can’t stop thinking about it. I plan to make it to share with my family on 4th of July. It looks mighty YUMMY!

  257. Christa

    Made this cake for my neice’s birthday, it was AWESOME. I was showered with compliments all night long! Can’t wait to make it again and to try some of the other recipes on your site. THANK YOU!

  258. Traelee

    I wanna use a devils food cake recipe instead of a box mix, is that possible and do you have a basis for the recipie, or would you say stick to the box mix?

  259. Jen

    I’ve been making this cake for about 6 years now and it’s my family’s favorite of course! I use *MINT* chocolate chips in my cake… ooooh its so yummy! We just finished one today in fact!

  260. JuLie

    I made this for Mother’s Day and have since heard several times that we need to make this cake again very soon! Everyone raved about the cake and it didn’t last long! THANK YOU for the great recipe and the awesome website!

  261. Amanda

    Hey Chessie, you can replace the Crisco for the same amount of butter. I just prefer the taste of the icing using Crisco. I’ve tried it with butter, half butter / half Crisco, and with butter flavored crisco, and just the plain ole’ regular Crisco makes it taste the best to me. But feel free to experiment and come back and post your results! :)

  262. Chessie

    This cake sounds great. But I don’t understand the frosting – how can you have buttercream frosting, with no butter? I’ve never heard making it with crisco. That can’t be right.

  263. Marian

    A big hunk of chocolate & icing goodness… there goes my clean eating for today… it’s futile! :-) I’m off to make chocolate cake! (Thanks for the amazing looking recipe!)

  264. Chef Tom

    All of these recipes look amazing! I’m going to try out this cake recipe first for my mom…she is a real chocolate lover!

  265. Sabrina

    I too use a recipe almost exactly like yours, but I sub melted butter for the oil (mine calls for less butter, but is still delish-going to try the whole cup of it now!!) and also sub Ultimate Whole-Fat Chocolate milk for the regular milk….mmmmm! Thanks for this great site!!!

  266. Jan @ Pantry Connection

    Yum – this sounds (and the pics look) delicious! And, I love the style of your site – creative, simple and eye pleasing. Great job!

    Jan ~ Founder, PantryConnection.com

  267. Lori

    Oh my gosh this was so good! I have never made my own frosting before, and it was easy! I did half as the recipe called for and added 1/4 cup peanut butter to the other half and frosted each side different. Both sides were amazing. Thanks to whoever suggested peanut butter!

  268. Jocelyne;;

    I LOVE YOUR SiTE! its so cool,the letters,the recipes,so cool!! wishes 4 you two amanda
    and kevin,!!! :D and i love chocolate :P yumm

    have a nice day,
    Jocy,

  269. Judy

    Wondering if you can help…my mom used to make a chocolate cake that used 1/2 of the chocolate icing in the cake batter. Have you any idea of where I might find it? Thank you.

    Love your web site!

  270. Courtney

    Made these again for Easter, using Bakerella’s cupcake decorations. AMAZING. And, I had some extra batter, so I made a square cake and frosted it with, once again, confectioner’s sugar frosting. OMG. This will forever be my favorite cake. My husband had a piece last night and agreed that this is his favorite cake in the world. THANK YOU!

  271. Jennifer

    I made this when my cousin and his family came for a visit and they absolutely loved it! It was soooo good! THANKS! :)

  272. Caroline

    I have always made this in a bundt cake with no frosting, just powdered sugar. Love the ease of starting with a box when time is tight….

  273. silvy96

    Hi ! I’m italian and … I don’t know English lenguage ^^” XDXD but this recipe is great !!!
    thanks for your recipes, they are fantastic : )
    kiss by Silvana96 : D

  274. pearl

    omg i’m eating the cake now and its soooooo good :) i love it and so does everyone else does too keep up the great work gtg pearl

  275. pearl

    hi its me pearl the cake is a hit its in the oven . but !!!!!!!!! we can’t make icing :( and guess what the cake is for 25 people i hope its really good gtg pearl

  276. Jessica Proulx

    WOW! This cake was incredible. I made it for my boyfriend’s birthday, and I had so many compliments. Although, I used coarse kosher salt, and my icing was too salty- I don’t know what that was all about ! But I just remade it with normal salt and it worked great! Thank you for all the amazing recipes!!!

  277. Aden_yemen

    From the city of Aden on the other side of the world…..i made this cake tonight….. I inhaled this cake tonight….. goodbye diet …. i’ll make it again tomorrow… thier should be a warrning

  278. Emily

    Love this recipe Amanda, I keep coming back!! This time I used a white cake and I am making a strawberry topped buttercream frosting~Oh My yum!!

  279. Carrie

    This was cake was rich but yummy! It was so quick and easy. The frosting was pretty easy to make too. You do have to beat the frosting for a little while for the sugar to mix in. Everyone really liked it.

  280. Letty

    Loved the recipe and how it’s easily made. All that chocolate is making my mouth water just looking at it. This has been a very nice stumble. Gonna try this out soon!

  281. jon

    thank you…so much….i made this cake today and wont be surprised if its gone by the time i wake up. absolutly delish’

  282. romina evans

    this is the best cake!!! and the funnest cake to make your right this is the best cake ever..thank you so much. now i dont have to buy a cake because i can make one . thank you soooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!

  283. Ashley Dantic

    Oh my my, Girlfriend! You have the most awesome websight!! I love drooling over your scraproom…and the chocolate cake is truly the BEST! My 18 year old ate half of the cake in one day!! TURKEY!! I was so mad…the rest of us wanted more. Keep up the good work on this awesome websight. Happy scrappin’…Ashley

  284. cakefreak

    omg! my mouth waters! can you send this cake to me … im in India lol … ill pay for the postage and handling charges! haha
    loved the recipe! thanks!

  285. Brandi C.

    I made this for my son’s 16th birthday and he LOVED it! It went so fast!! The only thing I did different was I used half Crisco and half Butter instead of all Crisco for that “buttery” buttercream taste….and YUM-O!!!

  286. noodles

    My friend and I made this cake the other day and it was absolutely delicious! I made it again for my family and they absolutely adore it. I come from Britain though, and since over here we don’t have any Jello or Crisco products, we had to substitute them for Angel Delight and Margerine, and it still came out tasting wonderful! Here are the English conversions if any Brits want to make this cake:

    Cake:

    1 box devil’s food cake mix
    1 package chocolate flavour angel delight
    8.5 fl oz sour cream
    7.5 fl oz vegetable oil
    4 eggs, beaten
    4 fl oz milk
    2 tsp vanilla
    250g mini semisweet chocolate chips

    Buttercream Frosting:

    125g margerine
    515g icing sugar
    1/4 tsp salt
    2 tsp vanilla extract
    2.8 fl oz whipping cream

    thanks for this wonderful recipe!

  287. Adriana

    OH-MY-GOD! This is literally the best cake in the world! I don’t even LIKE chocolate cake, but I had a random chocolate cake craving today, and i remember having stumbled upon this a few months ago and figured WHY NOT! I just finished icing it (used regular icing because it was about to spoil but ill use your recipe next time i swear! lol) and WOW it’s like an orgasm per bite hahaha. thanks for this amazing recipe im gonna show it to everyone i know!

  288. Crafty Niche

    I made this cake last month and it was mouth watering delicious! I bought the butter flavored Crisco and the frosting was so yummy. I can’t wait to make this again!

  289. Courtney

    I made this recipe, but cupcakes, with the regular homemade powdered sugar frosting, and it’s amazing. I always try recipes that claim to be the “best,” but this one truly is. I brought them into work for Valentine’s day and so many people told me that they were the best cupcakes they had ever had. So, thanks for the AMAZING recipe. This is one that I will make again and again because it is so good. Not to mention how heavenly they are when the cake is warm and chocolate chips and still melty. YUM!

  290. Jennifer

    This looks so delicious!! I will have to try it soon! My hubby’s birthday is coming up after his military physical fitness test so as long as he passes we get chocolate cake! lol Thank you! I love your page its so fun and amazing!

  291. Margaret

    I made the cake today for my daughter’s birthday with the 4 oz. box of pudding (this is the smaller box). It turned out delicious. I had regular size chocolate chips on hand, so I chopped them a bit in my food processor. I also used a half cup of oil and an extra half cup of milk (to replace the oil) and the results are a rich, moist cake. I will be making this again. Thank you.

  292. Amanda

    Margarget

    Hrm… That’s a good question… They come in 1 oz and 3 oz sizes right? I’m pretty sure it’s the bigger, 3 oz box. :)

  293. Margaret

    I have a question: which size pudding box do you use? I’m going to make this delicious sounding cake today for my daugher’s birthday.I am having fun looking at your website — great job!

  294. Audrey

    I was going to argue that my chocolate cake was the best ever and then I realized that it is the same recipe you posted here:) I did change it a bit and use 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup milk though to cut down on fat and it’s just as good. I do have to say though that the buttercream frosting is better if you add some butter flavor when you use shortening instead of real butter.

  295. Carm

    I made this cake for my family and they loved it! It was delish. I am making it again today for my mom’s birthday. Thanks for the recipe. :)

  296. Tabitha Lore

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I am sooo happy with the results! It was not only beautiful but it was the best and moist cake I’ve ever had. I had to share a piece with all of my friends and they even agreed. Wonderful!

  297. Julia

    I made this cake for my boyfriend for his birthday & it was so yummy! Thank you for posting! It was easy to make & great to eat! We have a couple slices left that I am sure will be gone in no time!!! Thanks again!!!

  298. Kristie

    I made this cake for my friend’s birthday : ) I messed up on the frosting so just used store bought whipped cream instead, everyone loved it : ) I thought it just tasted like regular chocolate cake that could be brought, but all my friends really really really liked it. Thanks for the recipe!

  299. Carrie

    As my mom said last night after eating my version of this cake (made even chocolatier with a dark chocolate frosting), “No other chocolate cake will ever do again.” Thanks for this awesome recipe that will now be one of our birthday staples!

  300. Refrigerator

    This is the easiest, most comprehensive recipe step-by-step post I have ever seen. I’m an amateur in the kitchen, and I’m going to attempt to make this tonight. Thanks!

  301. Erica

    Finally made this cake, the cake is REALLY good… but the frosting, maybe too sweet for me. Worth making at least once, my waistline would appreciate it if I refrained from making it again however.

  302. Joanne

    wow. that cake looks amazing, unfortunately i live in england and i can’t get most of the ingredients over here….very dissappointed. but it really does look amazing!

  303. Missy

    This really is the best cake I have ever tasted in my life. It was very dense and so nummy. I used a tall bunt pan, and I accidentally flipped it out to soon, so there was some left over at the top of the pan. My fiance, one of my friends and I were sitting there eating the rest of the cake out of the pan. The first bite was almost orgasmic. Oh God it was wonderful. I will defiantly keep this recipe in my book for the future. And it actually only cost me about $12 bucks to make. You cant get better than that with whipped frosting cakes in a bakery.

  304. Leah

    This cake is very good… personally I could have done without the chocolate chips but everyone else loved it… I will make this recipe again.. thank you Kevin and Amanda

  305. RiseyP

    I just made this cake for a friend’s birthday today and everyone loved it. I put pink rose petals along the edge of the plate and sprinkled the tiny chocolate chips on top.

  306. Joseph

    Salutations!

    I stumbled by today, I like the look of your website, it has a certain charm to it. I’m going to give this recipe a try, my girlfriend really likes chocolate. I’ll try and remember to leave a comment on how it goes.

  307. Coronae

    It’s a quarter after 4am…I just Stumbled Upon this recipe…I wish there were a 24hr store in the vicinity…I am actually drooling…must be PMS…

  308. Crystal

    I made this for my dad’s birthday and he loves chocolate cake…he said it was the best chocolate cake he’s ever had. Everyone loved it! Thanks so much!!

  309. Gene

    This is great, can I subscribe ? I don’t see a way :(
    Crapp…I’ll just have to bookmark you and comeback. The cake looks amazing. So long waistline.:()

  310. Marie {Make and Takes}

    What are you doing to me? I don’t know I’m going to only have one serving of this, while staying on my diet! YUM

  311. Telecommuting Journal

    I have a really similar recipe and the frosting would go great with this cake recipe. It’s super-simple to make (I’m not a fan of cooking).

    Try this for a really yummy, really simple frosting:

    8 oz cream cheese
    1 cup sugar
    1 cup powdered sugar
    12 oz cool whip
    1 cup pecans (chopped)
    1 large Hershey bar (chopped)

    Cream together cream cheese and sugars. Fold in cool whip. Add the chopped nuts and Hershey bar. Be sure the cake layers are completely cooled before frosting your cake.

  312. Kim, Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet

    I love anything chocolate and chocolate cake is the best! Now I want a piece of yours to get me through the next couple of hours! BTW, I love your website. It is just darling!!!!! A+++

  313. Lesli

    OMG!!! I got a new cake plate for Christmas so this was the perfect reason to try this cake out. It is so fabulous. I used the mini chips and your frosting, too. Thanks a bunch. This is a keeper.

  314. nizz

    hahahaha…. i stumbled on this site, but i already use this EXACT recipe!
    i do, however, make the cake in a bundt pan, and drizzle melted chocolate chips on top because i really don’t like frosting

  315. Jaime

    This cake is the *best* cake I have ever made. I made it once for our Christmas party and there wasn’t any left. So I made it again last week and ate almost the whole cake myself! Delicious.

  316. Pastor Juan

    I made this cake tonight after stumbling upon your website. I want to tell you that our whole family LOVED it! Will be making another to take to church tomorrow! BTW – I sliced up a bunch of strawberries and placed them in between the layers…WOW! Thank you!

  317. becky

    OK, so since I ‘StumbledUpon’ your blog, I have been eyeballing this cake. Yesterday I finally made it & OMG you are right! This IS the best chocolate cake EVER!!! I have told so many people about your blog b/c of it. ?Wow? I’m in love…

  318. Janie

    I made this cake for my sister’s best friend’s birthday. To die for – it was called “Better than Sex Cake” -No fail recipe!
    Definitely a winner!

  319. shevaun

    Hello, I stumbled onto your site and I really enjoy cooking. I think that it s great what your doing and I think its one of the top food sites I have seen so far. I cant wait to try out the chocolate cake…:)

  320. Erin

    This is the recipe my Mom uses for special bundt cakes. Essentially you can swap out the cake box flavors and the pudding flavors to come up with different flavors. A lemon box with a lemon pudding will make a fabulous cake (leave out the chocolate chips, of course). Another combination, which sounds weird but tastes WONDERFUL is a white or yellow box of cake mix with a box of pistacchio pudding. :D Delicious!

  321. Jenny

    I’ve been making this EXACT same cake for a while (love it) except I substitute real butter for the vegetable oil and for some reason (probably mental) it tastes even better!! It’s food for thought :)

  322. Emily Thompson

    Peanut Butter—-Yes I just added Chunky Peanut butter to your Frosting recipe about 1/2 cup and then after frosting the cake I sprinkled semi-sweet chocolate chips on the top. Amanda, it was gone immediately sniff sniff I only got one piece but I will definately make it again.

    I am making the mac-n-cheese for lunch today!

    Thanks Again,

    Emily

  323. Dogmom

    Yummmmmmmy but I like the Butter request. I much like Paula Dean think Butter is a major food group. Love this cake, so moist and I use the large box of pudding Leah.

  324. Brock

    Nice website! I’ll have to show my girlfriend this recipe, or I could just make it for her and surprise her… But then she may not believe me and think that I got another woman involved.. O.o Thanks for the peanut butter tip also Emily! This is a fat free recipe, right? :D

  325. Margaret

    I make a cake similar to this at work. I add cinnamon and ancho chili powder. I make it in a bundt pan and serve it with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and dolche de leche . So moist and rich.

    1. Amanda

      what do you call that cake?
      what are the portions of each?
      sounds interesting and worth trying:)

  326. moi

    i highly doubt that the batter is going to make it into the cake pans…..or that the frosting will even make it onto the cake…if i make it that far…looks so good

  327. Emily Thompson

    Hi Amanda,

    I made this cake tonight, but with a little twist.
    I made peanut butter buttercream frosting! Don’t even want to think about how many calories this cake or the frosting has! My husband and I have 8 kiddos and tonight is our Family night—we are having a backwards dinner—Dessert first then the soup I made~ Thanks for sharing! Emily

    1. Amanda

      OMGoodness that sounds sooo good!! Did you just add some peanut butter to the recipe I posted, or did you use your own recipe! Kevin would DIE if I made this for him! He lives for PB and chocolate!! :D

  328. Jane

    I just love the fact that you show a photo of the ingredients! I’m in the UK, and this gives me such an insight, and the opportunity to work out alternatives, because I can actually see what you’re talking about! Thank you so much – oh, and we can’t wait to try the cake out!

  329. Bridgett

    I make this cake often but I make it in a bundt pan. Whenever I take it out I always get a request for the recipe. It is truly THE best chocolate cake. And it’s easy. Nothing better!

  330. Diane

    Oh yes! One of my favourite foods. Chocolate should be a whole foodgroup all on it’s own! I adore chocolate cake and this one looks pretty delicious.

  331. corrygayle

    I wish there was a way to make it without the cake mix, as I am 69 years old and have never made a box cake, but maybe this one isn’t dry, that is why I would never make them.
    Making from scratch is so easy for me.

    1. Anne

      Box mixes are just the dry ingredients mixed together for your convenience. If you read the ingredients list on the side of the box you should be able to mimic the box mix fairly well. I always find homemade to be much nicer than boxes mixes myself as well.

  332. Sahily

    OMG!!! Is it ever, I made my own B-day cake, only because I was dying to make this one. Absolutely devine! Thanks Amanda!!! Oh BTW I also made the Garlic Chicken Farfalle…what a hit! Thanks again girly!

    Sahily

  333. jenn

    OHh my cousin makes this exact cake, the first time I ever tried it was two years ago at thanksgiving, OMG its da bomb! And now every get together we have, we make her bring this cake LOLOL

  334. sohobutterfly

    Making this cake this weekend for my Dad’s b-day, Mandy!! Thanks for the recipe, it looks decadent AND easy…. MmmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

    1. pietro

      i made a ‘blond’ version, using vanilla cake and pudding and butterscotch chips.
      It tasted kinda artificial and all the chips formed a crust along the bottom of the cake.
      Batter was thin and it was a bit of a disaster compared to the FLAWLESS chocolate version.

  335. Laura

    My mom makes some really good similar frosting which is pretty similar to your buttercream frosting. The only difference is she uses cocoa powder and coffee in hers! Thought I would pass this along in case you wanted to try this frosting on your chocolate cake!

  336. Rachele Funk

    I also LOVE, LOVE this recipe. . . You should check out my BEST EVER chocolate frosting recipe to go with this cake on my blog!

    I also love all your blog backgrounds and that you change them. Wish I could find the time to figure out how to do mine! :)

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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