Are you craving a delicious chocolate cake? This is the BEST rich and moist chocolate cake from a box mix that is unbelievably EASY to make!
This is a bakery-quality cake recipe that anyone can make at home with common ingredients!
Chocolate Box Cake Recipe
This chocolate cake is super moist because it is made with pudding and sour cream. A cup and a half (or a bag if you really like chocolate) of semi-sweet chocolate chips add the rich flavor. The combination of all of these ingredients is truly unforgettable and very popular on Pinterest.
A popular birthday cake, this is a secret recipe that was stolen from my mother-in-law’s kitchen. She was sworn never to give the recipe away. Being a woman of her word she didn’t.
I hope I never forget the day my husband was looking for something in the kitchen and he found this recipe. Joe took a picture with his phone and quickly texted, “Write this down. FAST!” And I’m thinking, “I know we shouldn’t cross our mamas, but can she really make the text on MY phone disappear?”
We couldn’t tell her for the longest time that we had the family favorite recipe. Then a few years passed and the small town restaurant that supposedly shared the recipe closed, so I think it’s safe to share with you.
This is my favorite kind of family drama, the only acceptable kind. Drama that isn’t really drama at all. It’s the stuff we can laugh about. Well we laugh about it, and my mother-in-law has a good sense of humor, so I hope she does too!
At a recent family get-together I was challenged to use this recipe as the base, but add hot fudge syrup and a chocolate mousse frosting. The result is our Easy Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake.
The Best Chocolate Birthday Cake
This cake is almost always requested at family birthday parties. And Joe comes from a big family so there’s a lot of birthday parties which means a lot of the best chocolate cake ever!
Faith, family, farming and food are big in my husband’s family. All the prerequisites for a great relationship! I’m so grateful for the values that Joe’s family has instilled in him. He has carried these values into our family and our marriage!
I consider it a privilege to be a guest at birthday parties where 21 members of the immediate family including spouses and kids gather to celebrate. My mother-in-law is the youngest of ten kids and they have lived respectable and frugal lives. Part of feeding a crowd on a budget has included learning how to make box cake better.
Simple family traditions are so valuable. My husband just said this week (in January) that he would like to get marinated pork chops from a local meat market for his birthday in April. Cheers to the time and effort to create traditions that are special.
Tips for Making Box Cake Better
- Mix ingredients very well before adding chocolate chips
- Be careful not to add liquids to pudding mix only as it can begin to set up like pudding
- The pudding makes this cake so moist, but it also means the cake takes longer than normal to bake
- Baking times vary, so I use a toothpick to test the cake a couple times to prevent burning
- After removing cake from the oven cover with a piece of foil to help hold in ALL of the moisture – this is key to keeping a super moist cake
- Cake can be made in two 9 inch pans or in a 9 x 13-inch pan
- I always use 1 1/2 to 2 cans of chocolate store bought icing to save time, but feel free to make homemade icing
- My husband loves this cake with a couple cans of cream cheese icing too
How to Make Moist Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan; 2 – 9 inch round pans also work well.
- Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips on medium speed for up to 2 minutes.
- Gently fold in chips and pour into greased pan.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
More of our Favorite Cake Recipes:
Here are a few other of our favorite cake recipes to make for birthdays, special occasions and everyday desserts. We hope you enjoy these cakes as much as we do!
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
- Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
- The Best Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Spice Cake
- Milky Way Cake
- 3 Musketeers Cake
- Heath Bar Cake
These Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes look like a recipe to try for a birthday sometime too!
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Printable Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
The Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Devil’s food cake mix
- 1 small package instant chocolate pudding
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips at medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Gently fold in chips.
- I always use a 9 x 13 pan, by 2 – 9 inch round pans can also be used. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Video
Notes
- Mix ingredients very well before adding chocolate chips
- Be careful not to add liquids to pudding mix only as it can begin to set up like pudding
- The pudding makes this cake so moist, but it also means the cake takes longer than normal to bake
- Baking times vary, so I use a toothpick to test the cake a couple times to prevent burning
- Cake can be made in two 9 inch pans or in a 9 x 13-inch pan
- I always use 1 1/2 to 2 cans of store bought icing to save time, but feel free to make homemade icing
Equipment
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Substitute coffee for water to have a 5 star cake
Thanks for the idea. We’re not coffee drinkers, but I bet a lot of people would love that!
Look No further- this cake is the best cake on the Internet. I did not add Choc. Chips since we all like a smooth cake. Everyone was ranting and raving over this cake . I love that it’s in a sheet cake. Easy to decorate for a kids party
I melt the dark chocolate chips and fold it into the mix slowly not to mix completely. Yummy with my chocolate cream cheese buttercream.
OH YES!! Thank u for that suggestion!
Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor so it’s bolder. I wish more people would try it even if they don’t like coffee lol
looks tasty – i love a good chocolate cake!
I have been making this kind of cake for about 5 years now. No recipe, it came from my head. Lol
Sorry to burst your bubble..
This must’ve been a popular recipe! Glad so many of us can enjoy a great chocolate cake!
well i’ll be waiting for you to mail it to me!
That was mean try harder to be nice
It was the best cake I’ve ever made – I made homemade buttercream frosting- which I highly suggest, huge difference in the texture instead of canned – did not add the Choc. chips BECUZ I like a smooth cake. Honestly everyone at the party had 2 huge pieces . I used parchment paper . The cake came right out . I love the back story on this cake. This is the ONLY Choc cake I will be making from now on. Highly highly recommend making this cake for any occasion – it was OUTSTANDING!!!!
Oh my gosh, I’m totally drooling over this cake! Our family will be devouring it shortly 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!!
Jennifer – this looks AMAZING. There’s no better dessert than a decadent chocolate cake, and this one fits the bill! Keep these chocolate recipe coming! Yum!
I apologize if this has been asked but can this be done in cupcakes??
Absolutely! They just take a bit longer to bake than typical box mix cupcakes because of the pudding. Use a cake tester to determine doneness and enjoy!
I’ve done the pudding in cake mix before but this time I do not have any but is it ok to still use sour cream
I’m not sure. I’ve never tested that version of the recipe, but please do let me know how it turns out!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It looks very delicious I can’t wait to try it & the recipe seems very easy to follow! ♥️
Planning on making this cake next week. Can I add warm milk instead of water?
Yes! I’ve heard people use milk or coffee, just know the cake is plenty rich with dairy because of the sour cream. Hope you enjoy!
Can this be done minus the pudding and chocolate chips
I think the chocolate chips could easily be left out, but in my opinion the pudding really makes this cake so moist and delicious!
In the tips you say don’t add the liquids to the pudding…so do we just put the pudding mix in with the rest of the ingredients (no liquid)?
Great question. Mix several of the dry ingredients and then add liquid ingredients. Once I added the water to the pudding and got sidetracked and it started to set-up. Does that make sense?
Yes thank you so much… have you made this with any other cake flavor?
So are you adding all ingredients together and then basically just adding the pudding as the very last item? I shouldn’t actually make the pudding and then add it right?
Correct!
Apologize if this has been asked, I browsed quite a few comments and didn’t see this question, but do you think it would hold up as two 8 inch rounds stacked? Is there enough structure to the crumb or is it so moist that you can’t recommend it? Thanks in advance for replies!
Hey There! Great question! My mother-in-law always makes two round cakes and stacks…I think she may use 9″ pans though. If you don’t want to get new pans you could always make a few cupcakes. Hope you enjoy 🙂
What about sour cream? Could you leave that out?
I have made several variations of this recipe and always used sour cream. Let me know if you try it without how it tastes. Thanks!
I have used vanilla flavored greek yogurt before and it has turned out great!
Sounds yummy I wouldn’t change a thing make it like the recipe says then change it if you want.
Thank you! We love this cake!
I wouldn’t change it either! Sounds delicious
I only find cake mixes that already have pudding in them. Do you use these and add the pudding also? Or are there cake mixes out there that you suggest using?
I typically use Duncan Hines devil’s food cake mix, but I think other common brands should work fine too.
Can you use melted butter instead of oil?
I have never tried using melted butter, but I think it would be interesting to experiment. Please let me know how it turns out! Hope you love this cake!
Does the pan need to be greased before baking.
Yes! I always grease the pan. One time my son forgot and there was a layer of cake on the bottom and sides 🙂
No mention of greasing or flouring pan
Thanks for the note. I added grease the pan to the instruction list 🙂
I’ve always used pudding in my chocolate chip cookies, but I’ve got this cooling on the stove now. Hopefully it is just as good in the cake as in the cookies.
I hope so too! Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
Made these for a bridal shower and they were great! The tops turned out “crackled” and I did not ice them, I “shook” powdered sugar over them and they looked and tasted really good. Of course, had to have vanilla and chocolate ones as well. Thx for sharing the recipe!
So glad to hear your guests enjoyed them! Thanks for the kind note!
do I mix the pudding with the rest of the cake mix including the water and do I add the oil as well or is that for just greasing
Good question! You’ll want to mix the cake mix, instant pudding, eggs, water, oil and sour cream together. You will also want to grease your pan with a non-stick spray or flour your pan. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
What is a small box of instant pudding? Whole Foods has one that is 3.9 oz. Is this too much?
I typically use a 3.4 ounce, but I think 3.9 ounces should be just fine. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
This cake is amazing! We paired it with a homemade sour cream icing for my Dad’s birthday! Thank you so much!
So glad to hear that you loved it! Happy belated birthday to your dad!
Best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe. So moist, tastes delicious
I really want to try this recipe tonight but all I have is cook and serve pudding. Will that work? What do you think will happen if it was used?
I think it will be important to wait and try it with instant chocolate pudding. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed with cook and serve, but I’ve never tried. So if you do please let me know!
ids My name is Jennifer and i have question about your directions for the chocolate cake mix
You say be careful not to add liquids to the pudding mix??? Why are saying. Not to add the liquids to the pudding mix ????????
Correct, don’t make the pudding first and then mix it in. Mix things together before letting the pudding set up. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jennifer! I’d like to make this tomorrow for my husband’s Birthday! I have 2 questions: What would I add for high altitude (we live in Colorado) and does it have to be devil’s food cake? Would it be okay if it was regular chocolate cake? Thanks so much for your time!
Hi! So excited to hear you plan to make this for a birthday cake! I think the chocolate cake mix would work fine. I haven’t baked in high altitude, but I typically check for doneness with a toothpick sooner than the recipe calls for the cake to be done just to be sure it doesn’t burn. Let me know what adjustments you end up making. Hope you enjoy!
Would this work for a German Chocolate cake as well? What pudding mix would you suggest?
We’ve just been testing variation of this cake over the weekend! Haven’t tried German Chocolate yet, but I bet it would be good. I would try regular chocolate pudding. Could use a coconut pecan icing for a great flavor. Please let me know if you give this a try how it works out!
Here is another flavor combination that we LOVE https://plowingthroughlife.com/chocolate-covered-strawberry-cake/
Can you taste the sour cream? Seeing that in the recipe makes me nervous!! What kind of flavor does it give the cake?
Great question! We do not taste the sour cream at all. I think it has more to do with the texture and keeping it super moist than flavor. I hope the cake turns out great for you!
I was looking at your instructions and I have a question do you follow the instructions that you have or do you follow the instructions on the back of the chocolate cake mix and then follow your instructions
Great question! I just follow the instructions listed here on the website. Hope the recipe turns out well for you!
Question you add the ingredients to make the box cake. But do you also add the ingredients from the pudding mix box as well or just the pudding mix only
Great question! Ignore the back of the box and follow the recipe and instructions listed on the recipe card towards the bottom of the page. Hope the recipe turns out well for you!
Best boxed cake I have ever made
Made this for my husband’s birthday today. Turned out great and super moist. Thanks for the recipe. Directions were easy and simple to follow.
Thanks so much for sharing your success! So glad the recipe worked out great for you!
Super delicious & chocolaty rich, but mine came out a tad too moist – will definitely try again!
I just made it! Thank you for sharing!!! 🙂
Thanks so much for letting me know! Hope you love it!
do you add the chocolate pudding to the other ingredients as a DRY mix?
Great question! Yes!
We are home during the Covid-19 stay at home orders. So it was a great time to do a little baking. I tried this recipe minus the instant chocolate pudding and I just replaced the water with coffee. It came out great. I do want to try with the pudding I just didn’t have on hand. We are using a grocery shopping service so I don’t always get everything I want from the grocery store. So we make due. Sour cream does at first seem odd to use but, I also used it to a cornbread recipe and it too was outstanding. Thanks for the recipe it’s worth making and probably just that much better with pudding. I can’t wait to try it!
Hey there! We’ve been doing the same thing trying to make recipes but struggling to get all of the groceries when ordering. I’m so glad you tried the cake and love it. It’s truly one of our favorites! Hope you’re able to stay safe and healthy!
Just made this for my son’s birthday and it was delicious! I accidentally grabbed the olive oil instead of vegetable oil and was worried it would affect the taste. It was still so chocolatey and moist. I followed the directions exactly and love the chocolate chips as they give a bite of texture. I doctored up the store bought chocolate fudge frosting with vanilla, tad bit of heavy cream and dollop of sour cream and whipped it up. This will be my go to recipe for chocolate cake!
So glad to hear the recipe worked well for you and your family! Thanks for sharing the substitutions you made. Hope your son has a great birthday!
Love this recipe
So glad to hear this! It’s one of our favorites too!
I am going to try this but I have a question about covering the cake. Do you keep the foil on until the cake completely cools or for a set amount of time? Do you do this for all of your cakes?
Great question! As the cake cools the foil helps catch the condensation which helps keep the cake more moist. The recipe is very moist without this step, but yes this is something I try to do with all cakes…when I have time and remember :). Hope you love the recipe!
Just to make it clear for me. The cake mix you used does NOT have the pudding in it???? I have found that the Dollar Tree is the only place I can find no pudding in the mix. Only $1. Some stores have both chocolate and White cake mixes. I beleive the brand name is Pillsbury. (Not 100% sure… Maybe Betty Crocker)
Great question! I usually use Duncan Hines, but any brand will work. It’s okay to have the pudding in the cake mix, you’ll still add a box of pudding which helps make it so moist!
For any cake mix, I always substitute milk for the water, and butter for the oil, in addition to a box of instant pudding in the same flavor of the cake. Always use 4 eggs, and all ingredients should be at room temperature – I let mine sit out for about 45 minutes. Your cake will be very, very moist and rich! Also, you can heat your tub of icing in the microwave for about 15 seconds — makes it so much easier to spread.
Thanks!
Gini
Hello,
As week speak my cake is in the oven! I added espresso for the water and will be frosted with Peanut butter frosting! Reminds me of what my Mom use to make meI’ll let you know how it turns out!
Shellie
Will this recipe work with a bundt pan?
That’s a great question! I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan but if you do please let me know how it turns out!
I’m not a big baker but our family loves a chocolate cake. We always make a cake for Christmas for Jesus’s birthday. This year we tried this one. I was a bit worried when I saw sour cream in the recipe. I almost left that out but I’m SOOOO glad I didn’t. This cake was super moist and will be gone in NO TIME! It was sooooo good!
Do you know how long it should bake in a bundt pan?
Hello! I haven’t tested using a bundt pan, but I do know that the extra sour cream, pudding and eggs does increase the baking time quite a bit over a typical box mix of cake. I hope it works well for you!
This cake is outstanding. I am not a chocolate cake fan but I made it for my adult daughter who loves all things chocolate. It makes a delicious cake that has the texture of a homemade cake yet is a pretty easy recipe,
This cake works in a well greased bundt pan. I like to sprinkle with powdered sugar, it’s very rich and doesn’t need frosting. I’ve also made this with vanilla cake mix.
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing!
Highly Highly recommend you make this Choc. Cake. I can honestly say it’s the best cake I’ve ever tasted in my life. I frosted it with Homemade buttercream frosting and it was like the most expensive delicious wedding cake ever. I left out the Choc chips since we all like a smooth cake. Only cake I make now. Everyone had second helpings – I threw every Choc. Cake recipe away in my cookbook binder. This cake will make you the Star of any party TRUST ME!!!
Do you think this recipe would work as a layer cake?
Hey There! My mother-in-law always makes this as a layer cake in 2 – 9 inch pans and it works great. You may want to use a little more than one can of icing, but that’s just personal prefernce. We hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do!
I love this cake recipe, it’s my favorite chocolate cake. It’s great without frosting. Also great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I made this chocolate cake and WOW!!! My family and I love It! Super moist and rich! The only thing I changed was using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Definitely going to be making this cake over and over! Love it!
Could you sub out the water for whole milk?
Hey There! I haven’t tried whole milk, but some people have used coffee. It’s already pretty rich, so not sure if the milk would be needed. Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try. Thanks!
I thought I’d done something wrong because the consistency of the batter was closer to brownies. Trust the process! It came out perfect and was a hit! We used chocolate premade icing and it was super yummy!
Its in the oven as I write…smelling yummy! We are all here on vacation in Florida and this cake with ice cream is our dessert.
Definitely use strong coffee instead of the water. I tried this with Pillsbury Dark Chocolate Cake and it was fantastic. Next time, I use Betty Crocker Devils Food and it flopped. The mix just wouldn’t get thick and it didn’t raise. I’ll stick to Pillsbury. Now I’ll see if I start getting spam after posting my email address.
Oh this cake is so yummy and so so moist..I didn’t have any cocoa for the frosting so I used a chocolate pudding powdered sugar vanilla and cream cheese..Wow, my husband loved.
I love to bake and am always mashing recipes together to find that perfect combo… this one does it all alone! I’m about to make two more for a couple birthday’s and I can’t wait for them to try their cake!! I paired it with an Ermine frosting and it’s literally the best thing EVER! Thank you Jennifer!
This is wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
Do you use an electric mixer like it calls for on the back of the cake mix or just mix by hand?
Great question! I use an electric mixer! Hope you enjoy the cake as much as we do 🙂
I made this cake twice. It is wonderful! But the second time I made it, it fell a little more and wasn’t that high in my 9×13 pan. What did I do wrong?
Hey There! Great question – I did adjust the recipe to read mix at medium speed for 2 minutes, because over mixing can cause a cake to go flat among many other things. Letting heat out of the oven too early in the baking process or leaving out an ingredient are other options. I’m glad you know how great the recipe can taste and I hope you’ll try it again! Thanks for checking out our recipes 🙂
Delicious.,
Just name it tonjght…Thanks fot the recipe,
This is wonderful! My go to recipe now for chocolate cake!
My family is not big on chocolate. Do you have a similar recipe for white or yellow cake mixes?
Hey There! Great question and yes, we do! This recipe works well as cupcakes or as a cake and we love it too! https://plowingthroughlife.com/ultimate-white-chocolate-frozen-cupcakes/
Hello – your cake looks so delicious. I can’t wait to make it. Wondering if you or any commenters could recommend a favorite home-made chocolate frosting? I usually make a ganache for my cakes and I’m not sure if that would be the best for this cake.
Thank you for any advice.
We love a good chocolate buttercream (https://cookingwithcarlee.com/chocolate-buttercream/) but I think shiny fudge frosting (https://cookingwithcarlee.com/shiny-fudge-frosting/) would be perfect on this cake!
Thank you, Carlee – I appreciate your suggestions for frostings. I think I will try your “shiny fudge frosting” (love that it’s all done without beaters). And for the cake – am looking forward to making the delicious cake from this site, The Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake. Should be a winning combination. Thanks again!
Excellent cake, pared it with a thick coconut/pecan frosting, think I will try a vanilla one next time. Or maybe a spice mix with strawberry/rhubarb filling swirled in.
I loved this cake, absolutely amazing. The second time I thought, “Let’s do white”. So ……..white cake mix, instead of chocolate. Swapped white chocolate instant pudding for chocolate, and white chocolate chips. Perfection!
Delicious cake! I used a whipped ganache frosting and it was amazing!! When checking the cake with a toothpick to see if it’s done, I’m not really sure if it’s cake batter or a melted chocolate chip on the toothpick. Any suggestions on this?