The Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake
This Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe from a box mix is professional bakery-quality, but anyone can make it at home with simple ingredients.
Our family recipe adds sour cream, instant pudding, extra eggs and chocolate chips to make a box of cake mix so much more moist and delicious!
Easy Chocolate Box Cake Recipe
This is a bakery-quality cake recipe that anyone can make at home with common ingredients!
This chocolate cake is super moist because it is made with pudding and sour cream. A cup and a half (or the whole bag) of semi-sweet chocolate chips add to the rich flavor. The combination of all of these ingredients is truly unforgettable and very popular on Pinterest and TikTok, just like our Easy Chicken Cobbler.
When I’m craving a delicious dessert this is our go to for a super easy chocolate box cake recipe. Not knowing what to name it we say it’s the BEST rich and moist chocolate cake from a box mix, and love sharing that is unbelievably EASY to make!
We typically use this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, but check out the Chocolate Cool Whip Frosting on our Chocolate Poke Cake to put a spin on this recipe.
A Moist Cake With Pudding Mix Added
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, to never let people know about the instant pudding and sour cream that are added in. 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.
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.
Adding instant pudding creates a wonderful dessert with very little effort.
Our Easy Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake, White Chocolate Cupcakes, and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake were all inspired from this method and recipe.
Ingredients Needed:
A few simple ingredients elevates a box mix of cake to taste homemade in about 15 minutes!
- Box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix – or another type of chocolate cake mix will work fine too
- Instant Chocolate Pudding – only instant pudding will do, make sure not to buy the cook and serve type
- Eggs – adding more eggs than a typical box mix calls for helps tenderize every morsel of cake
- Sour Cream – makes the cake have a deeper flavor and adds so much moisture
- Warm Water – helps activate the pudding and allows all of the ingredients to mix together
- Vegetable Oil – adds fat and moisture for tender crumbs
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – more chocolate flavor makes the cake even better
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!
Simple family traditions and big parties are so valuable. Part of feeding a crowd on a budget has included learning how to make box cake better.
My husband just said this week (in January) that he would like to get marinated pork chops or ham loaf from a local 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 – bake for about 30 minutes
- 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
Easy Add Ins To Make A Box Cake Better
- Eggs – makes the cake richer
- Pudding Mix – adds sweetness and improves the texture to be softer and more enjoyable
- Sour Cream – adds so much richness and helps make the cake super moist
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips – more chocolate makes it sweeter, more chocolatier and even more like a professional cake
- Coffee – substitute coffee in place of the warm water as it amplifies the chocolate flavor
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 1 minute.
- Gently fold in chips and pour into greased pan.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF and coat a 9 x 13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large electric mixing bowl pour in box of cake mix.
Break eggs and add to bowl. Add sour cream, vegetable oil and warm water.
Then add the instant chocolate pudding mix and be ready to mix fairly quickly.
You don’t have to race, but you don’t want to wait and let the pudding set up.
Begin mixing.
Then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Mix for about a minute, but be careful not to over mix.
Then lift the beater and clean it off with the spatula.
Remove the bowl from the base and add chocolate chips.
Use spatula and fold in by hand.
Pour cake batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes in a 9 x 13″ pan OR for about 30 minutes in two round cake pans until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cook and then cover with icing. We typically use one to one and a half cans of chocolate or cream cheese frosting.
Storage Instructions
Store covered in a container with a lid or covered tightly with foil to keep moist. Keep on the counter for 3 – 4 days.
Storing in the refrigerator helps extend the life of the cake up to a week.
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!
- Oreo Dirt Cake
- Cream Puff Cake
- Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
- Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake
- Heath Bar Cake
- Punch Bowl Cake recipe
The Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Devil’s food cake mix
- 3.4 ounce 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.1 box Devil’s food cake mix, 3.4 ounce package instant chocolate pudding, 4 large eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Gently fold in chips.1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate 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
- 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 – bake for about 30 minutes
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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?
I was out of sour cream so l used vanilla yogurt and it was delicious!
I’ve been making this since 1972 using a bundt pan or a sheet cake pan. It’s still my favorite chocolate cake!
Hi! How long do you bake in a bundt pan? Thanks!!
I made this for a potluck and it was a huge hit.
Very moist and delicious!
This is my go to chocolate cake recipe now! Absolutely wonderful!
I have a question. If you do not have chocolate pudding mix, can you use vanilla…or I even have oreo. ♀️. Has anyone made with different pudding with the chocolate cake?
Hello, I just made this cake to be eaten tomorrow. Do you keep them room temperature or out them in the fridge?
Hey There! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I think either way will work just fine. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Hi there! This cake looks so yummy. I’ve seen a lot of doctored up boxed chocolate cake add a teaspoon to tablespoon of vanilla. Have you tried this? Every recipe I found called for vanilla. Just curious. Thanks!
Hello. Thanks for the recipe! I just put it in the oven. Just wondering if you could swirl some marshmallow crème before cooking or do you think it will burn?
There was some discussion about high altitude earlier. I also live at a high altitude. I added 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour to the mix and increased the warm liquid to 2/3 cup. It turned out perfect. We are also not coffee drinkers but I wanted the richer taste so I used Pero as a substitute and it worked well.
Best chocolate cake recipe ever. I did substitute coffee for the water and it is excellent, a richer taste. I also substituted coconut milk for the water, coconut cream pudding for the chocolate pudding and adding 3/4 cup coconut. That makes a really good coconut mounds cake or cupcakes. Also make homemade coconut icing.
Thanks for your recipe! Love it.
I can only find the devil’s food cake mix with pudding in it. Do I still add the box of pudding to this as well?
Good question! Yes, add the additional pudding. Hope you enjoy 🙂
How long do you cover the cake? Is the foil put on tight or loose? Will the condensation drip on the cake when removing? Thank you
Hey There! I bake it uncovered, but store covered in a lid, foil or plastic wrap after it cools. Hope you enjoy!
I’m excited to try this but wanted to ask if my better was supposed to be thicker than normal?
Hi There! Yes – this batter is thicker because of all of the extras you add in. Makes the cake taste so much better. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Overall I think the cake tasted good. I followed the recipe but I accidentally underbaked it. It’s important to test the cake with a toothpick because the cake can look like it’s done but then fall. I thought that the cake was delicious but it needed to be baked an extra 10 minutes. Two people loved it and two others thought that it was too rich. I think next time I’ll put a cup of chocolate chips in instead of a cup and a half and then bake it more. If I did that it would of been perfect. Still, I enjoyed the cake. I made a 9 inch layer cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. The cake needs a lot of frosting so it may be important to double some recipes. Pairs well with ice cream.
This is a great cake, if you want a smooth cake, i don’t like chips in my cake use mini chocolate chips and they will melt and make you cake even more moist. works as a bundt cake too 😉
What is the ratio of sour cream to this chocolate cake and one package of instant pudding and the extra egg?
Hey There! Thanks for checking out our website. If you scroll down to the bottom of the article there is a recipe card with full measurements and instructions. I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do!
Do you add the Chocolate Pudding dry mix packet to the ingredients or do you make the pudding mix and then add it to cake ingredients?
Hey There! Good question – add the pudding to the mixing bowl with the cake mix, oil, eggs, etc…everything but the chocolate chips. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!