Ever! This is really the best, most moist, most rich, most chocolatiest cake I’ve ever made. I know there are other chocolate cakes 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 one’s the best. Just try it. Just once.
Are you ready? :D Let’s get started… Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Here’s your ingredients for the cake.
You know what the best part about this cake is? Okay, well, it’s the taste. But the second best part is that it’s so easy!
All you do is dump everything except the chocolate chips into a very large bowl– A 4 qt bowl or larger is perfect, but be warned, one of those 8 cup mixing bowls is too small. Then mix well with a beater. The batter will be thick.
Then stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips– pictured here are regular sized chocolate chips. I prefer the mini ones for this cake, but Kevin prefers the regular size. These were are all I had on hand today, so regular size it is!
Now, pour your batter into your cake pan of choice. Okay, it doesn’t really pour. It’s very thick. “Scoop” your batter into your cake pan of choice.
I like to bake my cakes 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. Usually I need to add about 10 mins to whatever they say. 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. :)
Oh man… It’s so hard to not just rip into right now while it’s warm and fresh out of the oven… But wait! Let’s let it cool… Let’s put some frosting on this baby.
While it’s cooling, we’ll make The Best Buttercream Frosting Ever.
Here are your ingredients for the frosting.
In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening until fluffy. Add the sugar slowly and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
After your cake has cooled completely it’s time to frost it! Don’t forget to put a nice helping of icing between the layers.
Yes, I conveniently did not take a picture of the finished iced 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…
This rather large piece of cake did not last very long. At all. And no… I did not share.
The Best Chocolate Cake Ever
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I normally use two 9-inch pie pans). For cooking time, I use the cooking times on the back of the devil’s food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 mins to whatever it says. 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 pie pans.
Buttercream Frosting
1 cup shortening (Crisco)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
Make for: Dessert
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474 Comments
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.
Add 1 tbls rum and 1 tbls instant coffee powder to the frosting. ummmm
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!!
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!!
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!
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.
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!
I love chocolates! this is great recipe, Definitely on my ‘must try’ list… thank you :-)
this is yummy Amanda & Kevin! great photos too, the cake looks mouth watering! thanks for sharing ;)
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!
This was one fabulous cake Amanda!! thanks so much for the great recipe.
Stuart
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?
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!!
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.
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
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
Can I use applesauce instead of oil for the cake????
I make this same recipe, but add a 1/4 cup of kahlua to it. awesome
Now that sure sounds delicious :) I just might have to try that…a friend is bringing me some homemade Kahlua!
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?
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!
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.
This blog was very informative and it was easy to follow. Also this cake looks delicious can’t wait to make it.:)
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!! =)
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!
Can the frosting be made by hand instead of a mixer? And it is shortening right not butter?
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
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….
Can I make this using just a regular chocolate cake mix rather than devils food?
This cake is WONDERFUL! I have made it twice…the PB version and plain chocolate version and both are delish. I used the recipe on my first 3D cake attempt and it ended up a huge hit at my nephew’s bday party (pics in the link below)! Thanks for the fab recipe!
http://loscaldwells.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html
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 :-)
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.
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!!
OH HOW DELICIOUS THE CAKES ARE: VERY MUCH MWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH>
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.
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!
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 :)
What is the list of ingrediants ? ( just so i don’t make a mistake)
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!
Heather, the list of ingredients is right under the last picture.
it looks yummy thankx :)
I made something similar, bur this particular one, Can’t wait to try it.
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
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?
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. :)
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.
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
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!
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!!!!
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!
Thank you, it does look really easy to make and your instructions are really straighforward, thanks for that, and for the great pictures!
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!
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?
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 :)
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!
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!!
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!
Made this cake today. Yummy!! Thanks for sharing.
do you really need to add the sour cream? or can you leave it out?
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. :)
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!
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!!
Any tips for making this as cupcakes @ high altitude????
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!
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.
yum :-)
This cake is AHHH-mazing!!!!! borderline magical!
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! :-)
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
Hi i live in México, they dont have the pudding here, what if i dont add the pudding to the mix??? 8( thank you
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?
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!
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!!
What size pudding mix did you use?
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?
Yummerz!!! Thanks for sharing.
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)
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.
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?
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!
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.
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!!!
So do u add the pudding mix dry or do you make the pudding and then add it?
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!
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!
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
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. :)
Just made this and it looks exactly like yours. Tastes amazing! Will be maling again and again.
Thanks!
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!
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???!!!
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!
Hi! This cake sounds fabulous but im lacking pudding mix! Will that seriously alter it?
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.
Do you think this would work as cupcakes?
I have made this as cupcakes several times, and it is FABulous! Happy baking. :)
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.
Made this last night to take to the office.
But, now can’t sleep b/c I want a slice!!
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!
Made this without the choc chips, jello, frosting.
Took it to the salon.
Last month.
The ladies are STILL talking about it!
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!
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.
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!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated once you ice it? I wasn’t sure since it had the whipping cream in it.
I am trying this today. Thank you for making your recipe printable. I’ve pinned it and noted the feature there. Thanks again!