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!!
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!
Best Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Here are your ingredients for this chocolate cake recipe.
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!
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!
Next, spread the chocolate cake batter into your cake pan of choice.
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.
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.
Here are the ingredients for the best buttercream frosting recipe for this chocolate cake.
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!
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…
This rather large piece of chocolate cake did not last very long. Hope you enjoy this best chocolate cake recipe ever!!!
Print
The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe EVER
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Prep Time: 10 -
Cook Time: 45
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Total Time: 55 minutes
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Yield: 1 cake (16 slices) 1x
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Category: Dessert
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Method: Bake
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Cuisine: Cake
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Description
The best, easiest chocolate cake recipe ever!
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
- 2–5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (as needed)
Instructions
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
- 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
- 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.
Keywords: cake recipes, chocolate cake recipe, easy cake recipes, best chocolate cake recipe, moist chocolate cake recipe
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.
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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!
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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 ?.
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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.
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I’ve made this a lot and highly recommend
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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
More than a normal person’s total daily calorie needs in one serving?!!
It may taste great, but that is crazy!
Then go to Weight Watcher’s instead of whining here. It’s a cake, you need to relax
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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?
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Look no further! I have made many chocolate cakes from scratch in my lifetime. But, this one is the best damn chocolate cake ever! Thank you so much for the recipe!
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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.
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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!
That is awesome Stephanie!! So glad you enjoy!!
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My husband requests this chocolate cake every year for his birthday. It’s his favorite ever!
I love this recipe!!!
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.
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful cake
Amazing chocolate cake and so simple to make. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Extremely Amazing work!!
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
I absolutely admire your expert method. Awesome recipe. I’m so happy I found your blog.
Hey Amanda, really nice blog and thank you for sharing such a simple cake recipe with us.
Keep Sharing!!
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.
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.
Did you change the frosting recipe? I thought you used Crisco?
I was wondering the same thing. The photo shows shortening.
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.
Lovely. I really liked it. I will prepare! Thank you!!!
I’ve been making this cake since 2009. It’s my go to chocolate cake! My son requests it for his birthday every year.
So glad!! We love it too!!
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..
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:)!
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.
How many ounces is the cake mix?
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..
Hi, Can this cake be baked in one pan or does it need to be divided in 2.
Thank you x
Can be done in 1pan. For me it’s easy
I make it as a Bundt cake
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This looks fantastic! If I wanted to make them as cupcakes how would you recommend I bake them? Temperature and length? Thank you!
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!!!
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!
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!
My batter was very liquidy as I add only 1/4cup milk and used yougart in the substitution of sour cream ….
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!
I’ve made this cake many times. Always a hit!!! Recently, I used the cake mix and made Oreo cupcakes. Total hit!!! Thanks Amanda!
THE. BEST. CHOCOLATE. CAKE. EVER.
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
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!
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!
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.
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
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.
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
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!!!!
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.
hi!
I just want to know if you add the four little cups of pudding or only one.
simple n lovelyyyy cakeeeeeee
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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!
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
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?
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!
this cake is absolutely fantastic! Words cannot express how awesome this cake tastes!
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
Yes, you can! Enjoy! :)
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 :)
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. ;-)
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!
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!
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!!
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. :)
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.
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!
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!
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…..
Question: Is it best to use semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips?
Barbara – I have made this for my kids birthdays for last 3 years – I always use the Ghiardelli semisweet chips. BEST. CAKE. EVER.
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!
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. :)
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 :)
If you check out the recipe on the Chocolate Cake it does say 1 (3.9oz) box of Instant Chocolate Pudding…
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?
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!
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
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
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.
Amanda I LOVE this recipe and ever since I found I never stopped using it!! Love that you and Bakerella are friends!!!! <3
Delicious cake! The buttercream frosting was amazing.
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
I used the frosting on the back of the Hershey’s cocoa can.wonderful!!!
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.
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!!!!!!
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!!
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!
I am trying this today. Thank you for making your recipe printable. I’ve pinned it and noted the feature there. Thanks again!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated once you ice it? I wasn’t sure since it had the whipping cream in it.
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!
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.
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!
Made this without the choc chips, jello, frosting.
Took it to the salon.
Last month.
The ladies are STILL talking about it!
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 last night to take to the office.
But, now can’t sleep b/c I want a slice!!
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.
Do you think this would work as cupcakes?
I have made this as cupcakes several times, and it is FABulous! Happy baking. :)
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.
Hi! This cake sounds fabulous but im lacking pudding mix! Will that seriously alter it?
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!
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 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!
Just made this and it looks exactly like yours. Tastes amazing! Will be maling again and again.
Thanks!
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. :)
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
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!
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!
So do u add the pudding mix dry or do you make the pudding and then add it?
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!!!
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.
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!
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?
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.
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)
Yummerz!!! Thanks for sharing.
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?
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?
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 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?
Hi i live in México, they dont have the pudding here, what if i dont add the pudding to the mix??? 8( thank you
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
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! :-)
This cake is AHHH-mazing!!!!! borderline magical!
yum :-)
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.
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!
Any tips for making this as cupcakes @ high altitude????
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!!
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!
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. :)
do you really need to add the sour cream? or can you leave it out?
Made this cake today. Yummy!! Thanks for sharing.
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!
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!!
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!
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 :)
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?
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!
Thank you, it does look really easy to make and your instructions are really straighforward, thanks for that, and for the great pictures!
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!
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!!!!
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 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
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.
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. :)
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?
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 something similar, bur this particular one, Can’t wait to try it.
it looks yummy thankx :)
Heather, the list of ingredients is right under the last picture.
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!
What is the list of ingrediants ? ( just so i don’t make a mistake)
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 :)
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!
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.
OH HOW DELICIOUS THE CAKES ARE: VERY MUCH MWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH>
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!!
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.
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 :-)
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
Can I make this using just a regular chocolate cake mix rather than devils food?
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….
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
Can the frosting be made by hand instead of a mixer? And it is shortening right not butter?
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!
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!! =)
This blog was very informative and it was easy to follow. Also this cake looks delicious can’t wait to make it.:)
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.
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 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!
Can I use applesauce instead of oil for the cake????
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
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
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 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!!
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?
This was one fabulous cake Amanda!! thanks so much for the great recipe.
Stuart
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 is yummy Amanda & Kevin! great photos too, the cake looks mouth watering! thanks for sharing ;)
I love chocolates! this is great recipe, Definitely on my ‘must try’ list… thank you :-)
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!
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.
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!
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’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!!
Add 1 tbls rum and 1 tbls instant coffee powder to the frosting. ummmm
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.
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!
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! ;)
making it for my dads bday
it better be as awesome as it sounds! will comment after making the cake =)
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!
I also use the whole bag of chips and a half cup of hot taqp water.
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.
Hello! You don’t mention how much to use of each ingredient. Could you let me know? I’d love to make this cake!!!
He loved the recipe and how it can be done easily. All that chocolate makes my mouth water just looking at it.
BEST CAKE EVER made different recipe for buttercream- not a crisco fan?
Goodness that looks so yummy! I’m going to have to give it a go. So happy I found your site. Can’t wait to check out all the other recipes! :)
http://www.mysweetnovember.com
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!
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!!!
instead of jello can i use jelly we dont have in in aus ps nice recipe
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
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!
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!
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!
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!
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
Hi! I would love for you to join my linky party. It’s called a Themed Baker’s Sunday where this week’s theme is cakes! But you only have until tomorrow night to enter in! Then next week’s theme is cupcakes!
Hope to see you there!
http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/05/themed-bakers-sunday-6.html
Cupcake Apothecary
Truly one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever tried. Thanks for sharing!!!
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
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.
also can you make this in a regular square cake pan 9×13?
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
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!
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:)
I made this last week. It is scrumptious! I will be making this again for sure :) Thanks for sharing your recipes!!
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!!
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!
Definitely!! The best chocolate cake ever!!! I put chocolate mousse and strawberries between layers, DELICIOUS!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe
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.
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!!!!!!!
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.
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!
Was looking on-line for an easy to bake cake and happened onto your blog. Thought I’d say hello! The cake looks yummy!
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!
What size Jello do you use?
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!!
Do you have to refrigerate the cake after it is frosted since it has cream in it?
I love, love, love this recipe! Have had it several times and is my favorite cake.
Awesome recipe; we made cupcakes and they only had to cook 3 minutes longer than the Pillsbury box recommended. Thank you for sharing!
fab. Thank you so much for sharing… it was wonderful with countless adaptations… I think I have a new staple.
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!!!
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
Can this be used for cupcakes I have the task of baking for a baby shower but they would rather cupcakes.
i found this website on google made the Chocolate Cake and love!!! it. Thank you for sharing
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.
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!! :)
We have the same dishes! The Cloverhill pattern. We must be soulmates. I can’t wait to try this cake!!!
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!
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!
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 :)
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!
This is by far the best Chocolate Cake Ive ever had.
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!!!
Oh yay! I finally found a chocolate cake recipe. I’m going to bake this for my Mum! :D
one more question, what’s that think shortening crisco, we dont have that here i have no idea
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
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
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!!!
Just made this frosting for my daughter’s Strawberry Cupcakes to celebrate her 10th birthday and it was great. Thanks for posting:)
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!
this looks amazing but i only have cook and serve pudding would that work to?
Awesome chocolate cake! Totally fun website too. I love that you did this!
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!
DELICIOUS!!!!!! I made this for my family and it was all gone within a day.Very easy also. I will make this again. Great site.
I made this recipe into cupcakes and just did a blog entry on it! I linked back to your blog! Love it!
I made this cake today and it’s almost gone. It’s easy to make and delicious.My family loved it!!
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!
I hope you can salvage it, Julie! I’ve never had an issue with this cake falling, but I did a quick google search and found this site to be quite informative!
What Causes Cakes to Fall?
You can always turn it into this Ultimate Chocolate Trifle… Seriously incredible!!! :)
Ultimate Chocolate Trifle
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.
I am totally excited to try this cake!!! I bookmarked the page for use very soon :-)
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)
I made this into cupcakes and made my own cake mix with 1/2 the oil and they turned put amazing
Bake 350 for 22 min
Hello Janet, would you mind sharing your from scratch cake mix recpe with me? Thank you.
426may@gmail.com
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.
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?
REALLY the BEST chocolate cake EVER!! Everyone raves about it!
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!
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
Made this one in the form of cupcakes and everyone gobbled them up! Yummy!!! Thanks so much!!!
I HAVE MADE THIS CAKE THREE TIMES NOW
AND EVERY TIME I AM A HERO!! EVERYONE
TRULY ENJOYS IT, THANKS!
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.
I cannot wait to make this cake it sounds fabulous! Thank you and I am also going to try your enchilada recipe! Whoo-hoo!! :)
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.
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
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?
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!!
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!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Auntie’s boys love it and request it all the time! We are having it tonight with ice cream. Thanks!
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!!!!
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!! :)
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)
wow. that looks so delicious
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.
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.
P.S. Did you grease and flour the pan prior to adding the batter????
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……
i try it yesterday…hmmm i love it! love it love it….
but i using ganache to cover the cake. :D
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!
Tested your recipe out..and..JUMMMMYYY great recipe, many thanks!
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