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This Simple Chocolate Cake from a box mix is the secret to the most moist chocolate cake at home! Made with simple ingredients like, sour cream, extra eggs and instant pudding it absolutely will become the best chocolate cake from a box you’ve ever had… possibly the best cake you’ve ever had!
Learn how to doctor up a chocolate cake mix by reading further! I’ll show you all of the tips and step-by-step photos to teach you how to bake this doctored chocolate cake mix recipe!
Easy Chocolate Box Cake Recipe
This easy chocolate cake is made for anyone from a beginning baker up to an absolute expert! Which is why it has become so popular on Pinterest and Instagram, just like our Peanut Butter Monster Cookies.
Why We Love This Recipe!
I love that this moist chocolate cake recipe starts off with a Devil Food’s or Fudge cake mix! When life is busy and you want a special dessert but aren’t a cake baker, this recipe is for you! We love that it’s doctored up with some chocolate pudding and sour cream to give it an amazing texture and taste.
Cake mixes already include the flour, some sugar, salt and leavening agents like baking soda and/or baking powder. By using a cake mix for your dry ingredients, just eliminate the steps of measuring out all those ingredients. Total time saver!
ESSENTIAL Tip for Using Cake Mix From a Box
Years ago cake mixes filled a 9×13″ pan, but they no longer do that because they’ve lowered the ounces of the mix (and increased the price logically🤑). To remedy the situation, I now own this smaller, 7×11″ pan and I use it ALL THE TIME!
Like in my caramel brownies (our family’s #1 dessert!)
Ingredients For a Doctored Cake Mix
For the Cake
- Cake Mix: A 15.25 oz. Duncan Hines devil’s food cake mix seems to work best. You can use any mix you’d like though. The base that provides flour, sugar, cocoa powder, leavening, and stabilizers. It gives structure and the initial chocolate flavor.
- Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding: Use the 3.4 ounce size. Adds extra cocoa flavor, enhances moisture, and makes the cake crumb softer and richer. The starches in pudding also help hold in moisture, keeping the cake fresh longer.
- Sour Cream: Adds fat for richness, moisture for tenderness, and a slight tang that balances all the sweetness. It also makes the crumb denser in a “bakery-style” way.
- Canola Oil: As much as people claim butter in cake on the internet, it’s actually oil that produces better moisture as there isn’t water evaporating out.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add both structure and richness. The proteins in eggs help the cake rise while the yolks contribute fat for tenderness.
- Milk: Replaces some lost liquid since the pudding mix adds dry ingredients. The proteins and natural sugars in milk also enhance browning and flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out and deepens the chocolate flavor, giving the cake a more “from scratch” taste instead of boxy.
- Chocolate Chips: Add bursts of gooey chocolate throughout the cake and extra richness. They also slightly melt into the crumb, making it even fudgier.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Butter: The base of the frosting. It gives richness, creaminess, and stability. Whipping it also incorporates air, making the frosting light and fluffy.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting and provides structure and thickness (thanks to the cornstarch in powdered sugar). It helps the buttercream hold its shape for spreading.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor, keeping the frosting from tasting overly sugary.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Loosens the frosting to the right consistency for spreading, while also making it extra smooth and creamy.
How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake From a Box
For the Cake
- Mix: Mix together all the ingredients being careful not to over mix.
- 2 Prepared Pans: We like to bake in two buttered and floured 9 inch round cake pans, but you could make 3 smaller cakes as well.
- Bake with EXTRA time: Bake the cake according to the back of the box, but add 10 extra minutes. Check using a toothpick inserted into the center to see if it comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pans carefully and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Frosting
- Cream: Add the butter to a stand mixer and cream until light and fluffy.
- Blend: Add the powdered sugar, cream until well combined and then add the remaining ingredients.
- Get Fluffy: Blend on low speed until moistened and then beat at high speed until fluffy.
Assemble the Cake
- Level: Level the cake with a serrated knife if needed.
- 1st Layer: Place one of the cakes on a cake plate. Top with 1/2 cup of the frosting and spread around evenly.
- 2nd Layer: Place the second layer upside down so the flat bottom is facing up. Spread 1/2 cup of frosting and spread over the top evenly. Push excess frosting out to the edges.
- Crumb Coat: Add a thin layer of frosting all around the sides of the cake. Chill the cake for 30 minutes.
- Finish the Cake: Spread another layer of frosting all over the chilled cake and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips if desired.
Tips for Cake
Ok, sometimes our readers write in with questions that totally deserve to be answered.
What Mistake Not to Make with Cakes: Don’t slam the pan! That tip is for brownies. Instead, be gentle!
Activate the leavening: Allow the batter to sit in the pans for a few minutes to activate leavening then gently slide into the oven.
How to Know When a Cake is Done: Insert a toothpick into the very center and if it comes out clean it’s done!
FAQs
Absolutely! Our kids love doing that! Simply follow the cook time for cupcakes on the back of the cake mix box and check with a toothpick to be certain they are done.
Yes, and in fact, I do that more and more lately. Just follow the cook time on the back and check with a toothpick, adding 10-15 minutes as needed.
Yes!! Cake freezes really well. I like to wrap the layers tightly in plastic wrap a few times and then slide it into a freezer bag or cut into slices and freeze.
Yes! You can make the cake and wrap in plastic wrap in the fridge or you can freeze it that way as well. Just defrost in the fridge before frosting. (Actually it’s easier to frost like this!)
You can also make and frost the cake and store on a cake plate up to a day in advance, even better in the fridge!
This simple chocolate cake from a box mix is great for birthdays, holidays, or when you need a quick and easy dessert for a get together. It is a frequent dessert in our house!
More Easy Cake Recipes to Try:
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips.
1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix, 1 Box Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix, 1 Cup Sour Cream, 1 Cup Canola Oil, 4 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Milk, 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla, 2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate Chips
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Pour batter into a buttered and floured cake pans- two 9-inch cake pans.
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For cooking time, use the cooking times on the back of the cake box as a guide and add about 10 minutes to that. Use a toothpick in the middle to check for no gooey centers.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
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In a mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy.
1 Cup Butter
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Add powdered sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
4 Cups Powdered Sugar
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Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream.
1/4 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
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Blend on low speed until moistened and then beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.
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If needed, level the cakes using a serrated knife. Place one cake layer on the cake plate.
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Top with about 1/2 cup of frosting. Spread evenly using an angled spatula.Place the second layer upside down on the frosting so that the flat bottom is facing up.
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Add another 1/2 cup of frosting, smoothing the frosting out and pushing excess frosting to the edges.
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Using an angled spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting all around the edges. Chill the cake for 30 minutes then spread another layer of frosting over the chilled cake
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A smooth finish or swirls using a spoon work great, my preferred is a spoon and then chocolate sprinkles or mini chocolate chips for decor.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 539kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 370mg, Potassium: 227mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 42g, Vitamin A: 466IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.