Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
A light, yet fudgy chocolate poke cake is made richer by pouring a jar of hot fudge over top before adding a thick layer of chocolate mousse like frosting to make an amazingly easy Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
Start with a box mix of chocolate cake and add simple ingredients to make a super easy, yet super memorable chocolate fudge cake. The hot fudge adds even more moist, fudge flavor to every bite and an easy chocolate mousse like frosting is what keeps you coming back for more!
What I Love:
- We’ve enhanced a box mix dark chocolate fudge cake with sour cream and pudding to make the BEST triple chocolate cake we’ve eaten!
- Our family started with our super popular Doctored Chocolate Cake with Pudding and created a more fudgy version. We took the chocolate chips out of that cake and replaced them with a fudge sauce and mousse-like frosting, creating a lighter cake that’s just as rich and moist.
- The frosting only has 3 ingredients and is so memorable and easy!
For more recipe inspiration check out list of over 30 delicious Cakes From a Box Mix.
I think of our Box Mix Turtle Cake, Marble Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars, and Snickers Bar Cake and realize how much can be done to step up your game with a box mix and make an impressive cake!
Ingredients Needed:
- Box of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
- Eggs
- Sour Cream
- Warm Water
- Vegetable Oil
- Small Box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
- Jar of Fudge Sauce
- Whipped Topping
- Small Box of Chocolate Fudge Instant Pudding
- Milk
- Chocolate Sprinkles – optional
When we crave a really chocolatey cookie these Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies are the best!
Step By Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Use an electric mixer to combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream water and oil.
- Stir in small box of chocolate pudding and mix well.
- Pour into pan and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly clean.
- Allow cake to cool a bit and then poke 24 holes with a wooden spoon.
- Follow the instructions on the jar of fudge sauce to heat it enough to pour evenly over the cake.
- Allow cake to cool before spreading frosting on the cake because a warm cake will cause the whipped topping to melt.
How to Make The Chocolate Mousse Frosting
To make the chocolate mousse frosting mix 3/4 cup of milk with a small box of chocolate fudge pudding. Since this is significantly less milk than usually the consistency will be a bit more bumpy than smooth. As long as the ingredients are mixed together well that is okay.
Then fold in Cool Whip or whipped topping. This makes a lighter, creamier, mousse like consistency. The mixture will still not look very smooth, but it tastes so delicious!
Sample a spoon full and make your decision based on taste more than looks.
To make the icing look prettier sometimes we add chocolate sprinkles on top of the cake.
The simple, creamy frosting was inspired by our Pistachio Pudding Cake. It is so easy that my 11-year-old son made it.
Jennifer’s Recipe Tips
- Remove cake from oven and cover with foil to hold in moisture while cooling.
- Sour cream helps amplify the moist texture in every bite.
- Hot fudge sauce will likely have to be heated to pour over the poke cake – follow directions on the jar and watch closely during the heating process
- This cake takes longer to bake than a typical box mix cake because of the added ingredients, but keep a close eye on the cake and check every 5 minutes towards the end of the baking time to prevent burning.
- A purchased can of icing chocolate or fudge frosting tastes great and saves time.
- This recipe can be made into cupcake or a double layer cake by using two 9 inch cake pans.
Other Chocolate Dessert Recipes to Enjoy:
Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 ounce box Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3.4 ounce box instant chocolate pudding mix
- 12 ounce jar fudge sauce
Frosting
- 3.4 ounce box chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
- 8 ounces whipped topping defrosted
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
Cake
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix 15.25 ounce box Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, 4 large eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup warm water, and 1/2 cup vegetable oiltogether.
- Stir in small 3.4 ounce box instant chocolate pudding mix, pour into pan and bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Poke 24 holes with a wooden spoon.
- Follow the instructions on the 12 ounce jar fudge sauce to heat it enough to pour evenly over the cake.
- Cool before spreading frosting on the cake.
Frosting
- Mix 3.4 ounce box chocolate fudge instant pudding mix and 3/4 cup milk until thick – the mixture will be thick, stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Fold in 8 ounces whipped topping and spread on cake. Add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- Remove cake from oven and cover with foil to hold in moisture while cooling
- Hot fudge sauce will likely have to be heated to pour over the poke cake – follow directions on the jar and watch closely during the heating process
- This cake takes longer to bake than a typical box mix cake because of the added ingredients, but keep a close eye on the cake and check every 5 minutes towards the end of the baking time to prevent burning.
- Can save time and purchase a can of icing
- This recipe can be made into cupcakes or a double layer cake by using two 9 inch cake pans.
Did you make this recipe?
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Rate This Recipe Pin This RecipeRecipe originally shared on February 29, 2020 with updates made on June 8, 2026.
To celebrate pre-baptism, I made this for youth group and it was really good. When I went to the store to get the ingredients, I missed the requirement of 2 puddings, so I only bought one. I did not want to go back to the store so I just made the frosting with vanilla instant pudding instead. Turned out to be a mistake gone right. It doesn’t look as good as yours but its pretty darn good. thank you for sharing
Love this variation! Glad you all enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting us know!
Can I make the cake ahead of time freeze the cake and frost it the day of eating?
Hey there! I haven’t tested this, but I think if you got it fully defrosted that should work fine. Hope you love this recipe as much as we do 🙂
In this recipe it says pour pudding mix into cake but I was wondering do you need to make the pudding with the milk and then pour it into the cake?
Hey There! Great question! Just adding the pudding mix, no need to make pudding first. Thanks for asking and I hope you enjoy!
Hi there! I was wondering if the small package of chocolate pudding is supposed to be the snack pack 4pk packages for your recipe? Also for the frosting, is the choc. Instant pudding from the jello pkg? I’m confused. Ty
Hey there! Great questions, thanks for asking! Both are a 3.4 ounce of instant pudding mix. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!
Delicious!! A new household favorite!
2 questions though! Any replacement for sour cream or could you just skip that ingredient? Also, should this be stored in the refrigerator?
Hey There! Thanks for your kind review! I have not tested it, but I wonder if using Greek yogurt would work in place of sour cream? Yes, I would store this cake in the refrigerator to extend the life of the frosting. So glad you love the cake!
I have been really impressed withe the ease of this recipe until I got to mixing the pudding with the milk.
the pudding clumped up in my whisk and that is where I am right now. I have re-read the recipe hoping it is my mistake. I still read the pudding mix at 3.4oz to e
3/4 cup of milk. I will try to thin out the clumps with more milk. Any suggestions? Thanks for your input om this matter
Hi Gayle – We’re eating this for lunch 🙂 Just keep mixing until as smooth as possible and then fold in the Cool Whip. If you need to add a cup of milk or a little more that is fine too. It always turns out fine for us. Hope you enjoy! ~Jennifer