This is the most ridiculous chocolate pudding cake ever, baked in a bundt pan and topped with creamy chocolate frosting. It’s seriously delicious and so easy to make by doctoring up a chocolate cake mix. Everyone goes crazy for this ultra-moist chocolate cake recipe!
If you love this easy chocolate cake, try my ridiculous vanilla cake, too!
I’m never opposed to using a good old-fashioned boxed cake mix from time to time. I treat it just like any other ingredient, and sometimes there really is no substitute. Take my earthquake cake or fudgy cake mix brownies, for example. Or, there’s this outrageously moist, positively irresistible, completely ridiculous chocolate pudding cake!
The texture of this chocolate cake is so soft and decadent, made with a cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, and lots of chocolate chips. This is the perfect chocolate bundt cake to take to any party, or even whip up on a weeknight because it’s that easy.
Some would say this is too much chocolate cake. And to them, I say, that’s the point! It wouldn’t be ridiculous if this cake weren’t completely over the top in all the best ways possible.
What Makes This Chocolate Pudding Cake So Ridiculously Good
Just look at that insanely moist crumb! It is hands down one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever made. And in case the photos aren’t enough to convince you, here’s why:
- Out-of-this-world chocolatey. I don’t think any chocolate cake rivals the level of rich, fudgy chocolate flavor and soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of this cake.
- So easy to make. Dare I say, ridiculously easy. There is a time and place for “from scratch” cakes, but not today. This recipe uses store-bought chocolate cake mix and a handful of other ingredients that you dump and mix.
- One bowl. The chocolate cake batter comes together in a single bowl for easy clean-up.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The name of the game here is moisture. All the ingredients layered together make the most absolutely moist and decadent chocolate cake, smothered with chocolate frosting. Below you’ll find a quick overview, with the full ingredient amounts available in the recipe card.
For the Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cake Mix – You can use your favorite box of chocolate cake mix, whether it’s regular Duncan Hines chocolate cake, devil’s food, triple chocolate, German chocolate cake, or another kind.
- Chocolate Pudding – Instant chocolate pudding mix adds even more flavor to the cake while keeping the texture super soft. Some cake mixes have pudding already “in the mix.” It might be tempting to omit the pudding and use a cake mix with it already added, but adding your own pudding mix separately is just better. Trust me.
- Sour Cream – Another secret to the best moist chocolate cake is sour cream. I go all out and chuck in the whole container. Ridiculous? Exactly. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use equal parts plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Eggs – For richness and structure.
- Oil – This cake replaces butter with vegetable oil for added moisture that doesn’t weigh down the crumb.
- Chocolate Chips – I up the chocolate factor in this cake recipe with semi-sweet chocolate chips.
For the Frosting
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter, brought to room temperature so that it’s easier to combine.
- Cocoa Powder – Use high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa powder will yield a darker color and fudgier flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar, to sweeten the frosting without making it grainy.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract is best to enhance the flavor.
- Heavy Cream – Full-fat heavy whipping cream will make the creamiest frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Pudding Bundt Cake
Who’s ready to have their mind and taste buds blown by a homemade chocolate cake? Cake recipes really don’t get any easier than this:
- Combine the ingredients. Add all the cake ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth. Next, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Bake the cake. Pour the cake batter into a well-greased bundt pan, then bake at 350ºF for about an hour, until set. Let the cake cool in the pan for a bit before inverting it onto a plate to cool completely before you frost it. If you aren’t frosting the cake (borderline blasphemy, but I’ll let it slide), try it warm and die at how good it is.
- Make the frosting. When the cake is cool, whip up a quick batch of chocolate frosting. Begin by creaming together butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar, then add the vanilla and cream. Continue to beat until the frosting is thick and creamy.
- Frost the cake. Spread the frosting in a generous layer all over the cake. I like to sprinkle a few spare chocolate chips on top at this point, because why not?
Watch This Chocolate Pudding Cake Come Together
This pudding cake is made in just a few quick steps. Watch everything come together below:
Can I Make This Cake in Another Pan?
Absolutely. You can make this chocolate cake recipe in a sheet pan or as a layer cake. Just adjust your bake times accordingly. Here are some quick guidelines:
- For the layer cake. Divide the batter between 2 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350ºF for 25-35 minutes, until set. You will also need to scale up the frosting recipe to fill the layers.
- For the sheet cake. Add the batter to a 9×13-inch baking pan and bake at 350ºF for about 35-40 minutes.
Tips for the Best Pudding Cake
Cake mix recipes are basically foolproof, so I know yours will turn out great. Here are some additional hot tips to ensure your chocolate pudding bundt cake is a slice of perfection:
- Don’t over-mix the cake batter. Even cake mix cakes can be over-mixed to the point where they turn out dense and tough. Make sure to only mix until the ingredients are just combined, to keep the batter light and airy.
- Don’t over-bake the cake. To avoid ending up with a dry chocolate cake, pull it out once the top is set and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Keep the chocolate chips from sinking. The cake batter for this recipe is so thick that the chips hardly sink at all. If you’re concerned about it, however, you can toss your chips in the dry cake mix at the start of the recipe to help keep them dispersed.
Decorating Ideas and Recipe Variations
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.
- Frosting: Change up the frosting and try mint chocolate chip frosting, fluffy marshmallow frosting, or chocolate cream cheese frosting.
- Fruit: Top this cake with fresh, tart strawberries or raspberries, candied lemon, or orange slices.
- Chocolate: Garnish with chopped dark chocolate or chocolate shavings.
- Birthday Cake: Making this recipe for a birthday? Try frosting it with perfect party frosting and decorating it with rainbow sprinkles.
How to Store Homemade Chocolate Cake
Store your ridiculous chocolate cake in an airtight container or cake saver on the counter for up to 3 days, or for up to 1 week in the fridge. If you do keep it refrigerated, make sure it’s tightly covered and let it come to room temperature again before serving.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Pudding Cake?
Yes, but I recommend freezing the bundt cake before it’s frosted. Once the cake is cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap plus a layer of foil, and store it frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost your chocolate bundt cake in the fridge, then frost it as usual.
More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes
Ridiculous Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This has to be the most ridiculous chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Made from chocolate cake mix, pudding mix, and sour cream, it’s the ultimate moist chocolate cake recipe topped with fudgy homemade frosting.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate 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
For the Chocolate 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
Make the 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.
Make the 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.
Notes
- To store. Store your ridiculous chocolate cake in an airtight container or cake saver on the counter for up to 3 days, or for up to 1 week in the fridge. If you do keep it refrigerated, make sure it’s tightly covered and let it come to room temperature again before serving.
- To freeze. I recommend freezing the bundt cake before it’s frosted. Once the cake is cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap plus a layer of foil, and store it frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost your chocolate bundt cake in the fridge, then frost it as usual.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 545
- Sugar: 51.9 g
- Sodium: 363.3 mg
- Fat: 27.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.1 g
- Protein: 7.2 g
- Cholesterol: 65.3 mg
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!