This is the most RIDICULOUS Chocolate Cake recipe I’ve ever made. It’s a seriously delicious cake, a super EASY cake, AND it’s topped with creamy chocolate frosting. Everyone goes crazy for this moist chocolate cake recipe!
The Easiest and BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe EVER!
You all know I am not opposed to using a cake mix from time to time. I, personally, look at cake mixes like any other ingredient. I don’t use them all the time, as I find making a cake from scratch is just as easy, but there are times when there is no substitute. Today is an example of that.
The base for this stupid-good cake is a chocolate cake mix. It’s not negotiable. There is a time and place for “from scratch” cakes, I totally agree, but not today. I mean, have you ever tried my Earthquake Cake?
Now that we are all on the same cake mix page, let’s talk a little more about this slice of perfection. The texture of this chocolate cake is so soft…I mean we add pudding mix, sour cream and a whole load of chocolate chips. You honestly could skip the frosting and dust it with a little powdered sugar if you feel so inclined, but since frosting-skipping is against my religion I won’t press the issue.
It’s the perfect little chocolate bundt cake to take to any party, or even whip up on a weeknight. And certainly you could make it in a sheet pan, or as a layer cake, just adjust your bake times accordingly.
Why is this the BEST chocolate cake?
The chocolate cake batter is really really easy. Please note, though, I add a box of chocolate pudding to the cake mix, so don’t buy the cake mix with pudding “in the mix”. I know this is confusing…like why couldn’t you omit the pudding and just buy the cake mix with it already added? Great question…
It’s not the same. I’ve tried it both ways and adding your own pudding mix is just BETTER. I don’t make the rules, folks.
Also add in 2 whole cups of chocolate chips to the cake. Seriously good.
Since the batter is fairly thick, the chocolate chips don’t sink at all!
The chocolate cake batter is so dreamy.
Just spread it into a heavily greased bundt pan…
And the cake is baked it will look like this…
Just invert the chocolate cake onto a cake pan and allow it to cool. OR if you aren’t frosting it (blasphemy) try it warm and die at how good it is.
But if you’re a rule follower, go ahead and make some super creamy chocolate frosting…
And spread it on top of your gorgeous chocolate cake.
AND if you’re feeling fancy add a few chocolate chips on top. I mean why not at this point!
And then EAT!
I can’t WAIT for you to try this Ridiculous Chocolate Cake recipe. It is the BEST chocolate cake and easiest chocolate cake recipe I have ever made!
PrintRidiculous Chocolate Cake
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 60 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
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Yield: serves 12 1x
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Category: Cake
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Method: Baking
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Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print Recipe
PinDescription:
Ridiculous Chocolate Cake is the easiest and best chocolate cake recipe ever!
Ingredients:
Cake
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box chocolate cake mix
- 1 (3.9 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding
- 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Liberally grease a 10- inch bundt pan with butter or shortening and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine all the cake ingredients. Mix on low for 30 seconds until combined and then on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the cake is set. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert the pan onto a cake plate. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed beat the butter, cocoa powder and powdered sugar until combined. Add in the vanilla and cream and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Frost the top of the cake and garnish with more chocolate chips if desired.
Keywords:: chocolate cake recipe, chocolate cake, cake mix, chocolate frosting
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Helpful tip… Out of sour cream?
and ps… if you’re wondering if you can make Ridiculous Chocolate Cake into a Ridiculous Vanilla Cake t, the answer is YES! I did it for you… CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE!
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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So when do you add the instant pudding?
I think you left that pat out.
Nope, it’s there.. in step two of the recipe it says to add ALL of the cake ingredients and the pudding is listed in the ingredients 🙂
Do you just add the powder or do you make the pudding first and then add?
Just the powder 🙂
Sounds so good. But what to do if you can’t buy a chocolate cake mix? We live in Taiwan and no store in the whole country sells chocolate cake mixes.
You can order cake mix through Amazon!
This cake is the best cake ever! It changed my life. 🙂
I’m going to try this devilish desert . But one thing I need to know. Is there a certain brand for the cake mi x and pudding? Sometimes it might make a difference. But this sounds so devilish. Thanks
Mary
I just made this cake for when friends came to stay at our house and it was a definite crowd pleaser! The cake comes out so moist and fudge, and the frosting is just right too! I can’t believe how easy it was to whip together for such a pretty and tasty product! 🙂
This is the same recipe I’ve been using for years from Kevin and Amanda’s website “Best Chocolate Cake.” She posted it in 2008. http://www.kevinandamanda.com/the-best-chocolate-cake/
Yes you can make cupcakes out of it – I did for the 4th of July. Also, be careful about checking when it’s done – the chocolate chips make it a little hard. It is the best damn cake around.
★★★★★
Love Amanda! I didn’t realize she had this recipe too! I got mine from all recipes…probably just one of those recipes that’s been around for years!
It’s in the Cake-Mix Doctor cookbook as well….
The one on Kevinandamanda is slightly different – uses 1 c. sour cream, 4 eggs, and more oil.
I have made this and could not tell when done even though I used a tooth pick it wasn’t done, second time too done.
Yummm! Super moist chocolate cake. Followed recipe exactly, except I made 24 cupcakes. Only took about 15 minutes to bake. I made a white buttercream frosting.
How many cupcakes does it make?
I just made this with vanilla cake mix/pudding (omit chocolate chips) in two 8″ cake pans. vanilla cream frosting and a layer of fresh raspberries in the middle and on top and my husband says it is the best cake he’s ever had! Extra moist on day two with berries that it turned into more of a pudding cake and still ridiculously good!!
I’ve made the doctored chocolate cake mix recipe with one cup sour cream and more oil before and it was really good, but this was even better!
Thanks!
I am totally trying a vanilla version!
Can you use a 9×13 pan for this recipe? Thanks!
I’ve never tried it in a 9×13, but I am sure it would work, you would just need to adjust your bake time down!
I liberally greased and floured the bundt pan but half the cake stayed in the pan. Any idea what to do differently?
This seems to be the same cake my Mom used to make back in the seventies, but she used mini chip. Skipped the frosting, and severed warm with whipped cream. I don’t care for chocolate, but I could eat a small piece of her cake.
Would this cake be “stable” enough to use as stacked birthday cake with fondant over it?
Yes, I believe so.
I made this cake tonight and it was easy and very moist. I did substitute the coffee for the water. Wouldn’t know it was in the cake. Just brings out the chocolate flavor. Turned out great. Loved it!
Can I use a different cake pan?
Excellent question. Following this thread. Also, any tips to get my cakes to NOT stick in a bundt. I have awful luck.
Do you have to use sour cream?
You can use Greek Yogurt 🙂
I have been making a version of this cake for years and it’s always a hit. I use DH moist supreme Devils food which does have pudding in the mix and I add an extra egg. I never frost, just add preferred powdered sugar. This is the only cake I make that I can keep in my cake carrier sealed, which is the trick to keeping it moist.
Can I use betty crockers cake mix box i.e chocolate fudge cake? any pudding mix can work right or there needs to be a specific flavor of it? TIA!
I used Duncan Hines, but Betty Crocker would be fine as long as it doesn’t already have pudding in the mix 🙂 Also chocolate pudding is what’s required as listed in the recipe 🙂
I have been making this cake for several years now. It’s on All Recipes under Extreme chocolate cake. It is wonderful and the one my family wants for all their get togethers. I frost with a smooth chocolate glaze from the same site. However, I have also made the recipe using a yellow cake mix, butterscotch pudding abd butterscotch chips. That was also pretty great. Some day I want to try it with peanut butter chips.
★★★★★
Mmm, butterscotch! Peanut butter!!! If you like pistachio or strawberry, you could try that! Pistachio with dark choc chipd. Or, maybe, strawberry with chocolate chips inside and a chocolate glaze 🙂 Lemon. I’m gonna stop here ??
I made the chocolate and can I say it was awesome. I want to make butterscotch for my dad. What icing did you use for butterscotch? Thanks!
★★★★★
2 questions!
First one how do you store this? In the fridge? On the counter?
Second do i have to use the paddle attachment when making the frosting or can i use the whisk attachment?
I use the paddle, but you can use the whisk as well.
Also, I store this airtight at room temperature!
Hi! Do I need to put flour on the chocolate chips before I add them to the batter so they don’t fall to the bottom of the cake? Thanks!
Nope 🙂 The batter is very thick!
This looks amazing! But I’m in the UK what could I use as ‘pudding’ as we don’t have that here? Or if we do its not called that lol
Puddings in the US are just cornstarch (corn flour in the UK), sugar, milk, plus any flavoring you want to add (cocoa powder for chocolate, mashed bananas for banana pudding, etc.). The French call our style of pudding “creme dessert”, so perhaps you’re familiar with that term in the UK?
May we see your recipe for that delicious looking icing as well please?
The frosting recipe is listed with the cake recipe 🙂
Lord, have mercy. That looks fantastic. And full of calories *crying*
Leah // http://www.sunmoonwars.com
Question: is it possible to make this into cupcakes? If so, how?
By the way – just ordered your book here in Canada, so very excited!!
Thank you!! And you know I have never made this as cupcakes…I am sure it would work, though!
I have this recipe but I add Kahlua to it with all ingredients being the same!
?? Sounds delish!! How much kahlua? And are the measurements of the other ingredients the same? Would love to try it!!!
Kahlua cake- same process but these ingredients;
I choc fudge cake mix, 16 oz sour cream, 2 eggs, vanilla pudding, 1/2 c Kahlua, 1/4 c oil , 12 oz choc chips
Best when ingredients are room temp first. Sprinkle w/sifted powder sugar rather than frosting!
This is ridiculous!! There is a place for cake mixes in my book 🙂
Can I sub buttermilk for the water? What about butter for the oil?
You could probably sub buttermilk for the water with no issue. If you sub butter for the oil the consistency of the cake will become a bit more dense, but it should work.
Always, both!
Love this cake! I am making it for my son’s birthday. Can’t wait to eat it, does it have to be refrigerated?
Nope! It will be great stored airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days!
This looks absolutely delicious! A question. Anytime I have used heavy whipping cream for frostings, mine always turn more liquidy then what they should be. The last I tried was a raspberry whipped cream, and well it was a disaster. Any suggestion to what I am doing wrong? I would love to make the frosting for this cake. Thank you!
That’s so funny… whenever I use heavy whipping cream in frostings I find they come out thicker!! So strange! What I would recommend if you have issues is start with just 1 tablespoon at a time. You don’t have to add the amount of liquid a recipe for frosting calls for, necessarily. Just one tablespoon at a time until the consistency that you desire is reached!
add powder sugar little by little then beat in the mixer it will become creamy stiff
A suggestion with the raspberry or any other fruit whipped cream from scratch that calls for heavy cream, try to adjust your recipe so you balance a mix of raspberry extract and fruit. The fruit is so juicy that it’s most likely watering down the frosting and compromising the stability of your whipped topping structure. I’ve noticed when I do this with whipped toppings I’m less likely to get frustrated, because you’re absolutely right, it’s much thinner and just isn’t what’s expected, ya know. Also, I’ve been meaning to do research on it, butt maybe there’s some kind of “sciency” explanation with maybe the acid or sugar level of the fruit breaking down the dairy. Or maybe the sugar from everything else breaking down the fruit too much.
Using a boxed cake mix as a base is totally acceptable, IMO. 🙂 With the sour cream and pudding add-ins, this cake has to be as amazingly moist as it looks! SO easy, too! Great for when you need quick prep for a summer get-together!
I’ve made this cake before, but it had a different icing. The one I made had a frosting that tasted just like slightly hardened fudge. This is a really good cake & easy to make.
Can you share the frosting recipe you have?
The frosting recipe is in the recipe card!
Life saver! My son wants chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday today. Perfect timing. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Could you please give me the brand or brands of cake mix that DONT have pudding in the mix?? Impossible for me to locate! Thank you so much!
I used Duncan Hines. There were a lot with the pudding in the mix, but there are a few without 🙂 So sorry you’re having trouble!
What is your favorite chocolate box cake mix?
I used Duncan Hines in this one 🙂
This looks so yummy. Here in the UK I can’t find pudding mix, we only have the cake mix,we sell things like Betty Crocker mix, or chocolate fudge cake mix, so should I use two packs of that with the other ingredients, would that still work do you think. Would love to try this for my daughters birthday cake as it would be a super easy one to make. X
I would just omit the pudding altogether. If your cake mixes already have “pudding in the mix” as many of them do (it will be specified on the front of the box) just use that! There isn’t a real substitute for instant pudding mix.
do you have chocolate Angel Delight? thats pretty much pudding mix…..
Kate, Pudding seems to be a weird American thing. I find it occasionally at the supermarket in Australia. It’s usually near the jelly, and things like DIY mousse. Have a look there just in case. It’s not actually cake like Christmas pudding is. It’s more like thick chocolate custard. So adding a different box mix wont make any difference. And I dont know about there, but none of our cake mixes here come with “added pudding”. So if you’re up for some experimenting check out the jelly (jell-o) section, or the yoghurt section??
GO to Amazon…they have everything! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jell-O-Instant-Chocolate-Pudding-96g/dp/B003X22RIA/ref=sr_1_8_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1471610485&sr=8-8&keywords=pudding+mix
Can you make mini cupcakes with this recipe?
You can make cupcakes out of any cake recipe or mix! 😉
I LOVE this chocolate cake cake!!! It is my favorite non-scratch chocolate cake!! My family loves this cake! My church family loves this cake! My husband’s work family loves this cake! I get asked for it & the recipe all the time. I’ve been giving the recipe & a bundt pan as a shower gift since it is so easy & so good!
I think those of you saying it has no flavor need to use a better quality cake.mix & pudding. Your cake will only be as good as your ingredients!
I would highly recommend this cake to anyone!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the comment! This is really one of our favorite chocolate cakes ever!
My daughter’s birthday is this week and she asked for an ice cream cake, which I have never made, but am about to attempt. :). Do you think this batter would work well?
I think if you were to freeze this cake it would be pretty dense and firm.
I made this cake and it was very moist but the cake had no flavor. It was kind of bland. My husband and daughter loved the frosting but we did not like the cake at all. Sorry.
Uhh.. it has cake mix, pudding, and choc chips……? ……. you should probably check your expiration dates!