This best chocolate cake mix dessert won me 1st prize at the county fair. It is very chocolaty. If desired, dust cake with powdered sugar before serving.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

(18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix

chocolate pudding mix

sour cream

vegetable oil

water

eggs

chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.


Mix together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, and eggs in a large bowl until well-blended. Stir in chocolate chips; pour batter into the prepared Bundt pan.


Bake in the preheated oven until top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.


Cool cake thoroughly in the pan for at least 1 1/2 hours before inverting it onto a plate.


Delicious! I made this for my mom's birthday and it was a big hit! Slight changes: I used a dark chocolate fudge cake mix, with 1/2 cup veg. oil and 1/3 cup milk (to help with the batter consistency), and 1 cup of chocolate chips. I baked it in a bundt cake pan at 335 degrees for 55-60 min. It turned out perfectly! Very rich and moist, but not at all wet or 'crispy' on the outside edges. Let it cool for an hour in the pan, then removed and drizzled the Satiny Chocolate Glaze from this site over it, garnished with strawberries and powdered sugar. Great presentation and great rich, chocolate taste. I would bake this again! I'll have a picture up soon.
Update (10/24): Was wondering if anyone had used this recipe for cupcakes? Wasn't sure how the recipe would hold up when baked in a smaller size. Thanks!

I was hesitant because I always cook from scratch. But I've had so much trouble lately with  getting my chocolate cakes moist because of the high altitude I'm at, so I'll try anything. It turned out perfect. I cooked it in 9" cake pans for a birthday cake filled it with raspberry &amp; frosted with chocolate buttercream. Everyone raved about it, and it was so moist. I used the mini chocolate chips and they were perfect, melted totally. My husband said it was almost like a brownie cake. Great for decorating because it holds it shape and doesn't crumble. It will be my standard chocolate cake recipe, can't wait to try it again with different fillings and frostings. Yum!!!

I made this for family for Valentine's Day. I did use 3/4 C. oil as suggested. I replaced the h2o with strong coffee and used a bag (11.5 oz.) of Ghirardelli's 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips. I used 1 round and 1 8x8 pan so that I could cut the round cake in half and push it against 2 of the squares sides to form a heart. These baked perfectly at 330 for 45 minutes. I topped it with whipped cream and strawberries I dipped in chocolate. This made a good sized heart cake that was devoured in 2 nights. It was so rich and chocolate-y that we could not keep our hands off of it. Thank you for the fabulous recipe!

I had to make a second cake.  The recipe has too much oil and would not cook completely without the outside being overdone.  Cooked it again with 1/2 the oil and it was great.

This chocolate cake is phenomenal! I have been making this for about 2 years now for many, many different occasions, and it always gets rave reviews. I usually make the cake in regular cake pans, slice the cakes in half lengthwise, and spread seedless raspberry preserves on each cut half. Then I place the layers back together and frost the cake sides, top, and between each cake with "Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting" (also on this site). Chocolate doesn't get any better than this! Thanks, Denise for such a wonderful chocolate cake recipe!

i don't like cake and I don't like to bake, but I had to make a dessert for a potluck dinner. I chose this recipe because of the ratings it had. I followed the advice of another and used mini chocolate chips.....don't really know if it made a difference taste-wise. I did have to bake it about 15 minutes longer than written. Took the leftovers to work and it disappeared! And, as someone who doesn't like cake, I thought it was fantastic (everyone else thought so too!). I also want to comment on the people who rate lower on this recipe based on their own changes. I strongly feel you have no right to rate the recipe if you've made your own changes or additions to the recipe. Make the recipe as written, then rate away....it's not fair to the person who submitted the recipe to have it slammed for changes you made.

This is now the ninth time I have made this cake.So many people have requested this recipe from me,but I do not understand why they feel the need to put a different spin on the amount of ingredients,such as the amount of oil etc.Every time they put less oil in there recipe I am told from others, behind there back, that it was not as good as the way I make it because it is not near as moist.Every one that I know of that has had this cake has raved about it,so why toy with the ingredients.Just make your cake exactly as this recipe is stated and you will be rewarded.I put a thermometer in my oven and at exactly 350F it takes fifty minutes exactly to bake.If I leave it in for fifty five minutes it just starts to give a hint of being slightly burnt.Some things really are okay just the way they are and this recipe is one of them.I am not going to give this recipe to anyone from now on because most of them should just be enjoying eating it and not trying to bake it.They can search for there own recipe as they drew-ell over this one.Keep it real.

With 600+ 5-star reviews, I wanted to see if this recipe lived up to the hype. To help camouflage the boxed cake mix taste I added one teaspoon each of vanilla and chocolate extract, and used strong, brewed coffee for the water called for.  Having made many of these pudding enhanced recipes over the years, I knew a regular, 3.9 oz. package of pudding mix would work just fine.  In the end, it certainly is a good cake, one that I'd confidently serve anywhere to anyone, but it still is a common, easily identifiable pudding enhanced chocolate cake mix. Making a far superior scratch cake mix would not take much more effort or ingredients. I made this in a beautiful, specialty "Celebration" cake pan and topped it with Chocolate Glaze I, also from this site.  I garnished it with toasted, sliced almonds and a maraschino cherry in the center. It looked like a torte from a European bakery!

I DON'T REVIEW RECIPES, BUT I'M MAKING AN EXCEPTION FOR THIS ONE! YOU NEED TO READ THIS REVIEW!  I've been making this cake for a couple of years, and I promise it will make you look like a champ every single time. I always top it with the "Satiny Chocolate Glaze" which is also in allrecipes. I guarantee this combo will have your name on the lips of every chocolate lover in your neighborhood. I've used the mix for cupcakes. They are even more evil than the bundt cake, because even weight conscious moms that won't eat a whole piece of cake will have a cupcake! I've also substituted the devils food, chocolate pudding &amp; chocolate chips with white cake mix, vanilla pudding and white chips. This makes the whole thing exactly the same in vanilla; the same texture, the same moist, gooey, chippy PERFECT cake. (the glaze won't work with white chips though) The staff at my 2 daughter's schools still talk about my cupcakes whenever they see me.  COPY THIS ONE TO YOUR RECIPE BOX FOLKS!!!

HELPFUL TIPS AFTER READING ALL THE REVIEWS:  Well despite wanting to say I made a cake from "scratch" as I hate any boxed items, I tried this &amp; the soldiers loved it!  I only use 1/2C of olive oil (more would leave the outside crispy), 1/3C milk (helped w/consistency), 1C chocolate chips (more is too much &amp; just a waste) &amp; greased generously w/PAM to prevent any problems.  From a baking video, it's best to cut out a piece of wax/parchment paper in shape of what you're baking in &amp; put on bottom, so you can easily take out &amp; work w/layers. Also, I wanted to make sure some 1st timers didn't make the same mistake I did the 1st time I made this.  I forgot about the chocolate chips so when checking to see if this was done, I almost overcooked it b/c my toothpick kept coming up with what I thought was batter.  DOH!! Cooking at 335 for 55 minutes was perfect.  I used Satiny Chocolate Glaze like many others but had no idea it really wasn't a glaze but came on more like a frosting.  Next time I'll try a more traditional chocolate frosting as the kids kept wondering what all that fancy gooey stuff that did not taste "great" was instead of their normal chocolatey frosting. :)

Fabulous, rich cake! BUT cake mixes are no longer 18+ ounces. In order to keep the correct consistency, I reduced the oil to 2/3 cup, reduced the water to 1/3 cup and took away one egg. Turned out perfect!

This is, quite simply, the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.  It has exceptional qualities.  First, it tastes silky and dense, yet it is light texture at the same time.  I was amazed.  Some of the reviews were negative (it tasted to some like an adultered box mix), but to me and my husband, it was sublime.  These were the changes I had to make due to my inability to accept the fact that it called for 1 cup of oil:

1) Replace half of the oil with half and half.
2) Replace half a cup of water with dark coffee(the cake will not taste like coffee, but will have a more deeper flavor).
3) I only used 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips and found that to be more than enough.

If you find that your batter is stiff after it has been mixed and will not pour, do not worry, that is how it is supposed to be.  Just spread it in the pans with a spatula.

I made this in two teflon coated 9 inch round pans and left it in the oven for 38 minutes.


I made this for the first time last night.  I used a dark chocoloate fudge cake mix, Jello instant chocolate mint pudding mix, and a bag of Andes mint chips.  Before I mixed the pudding mix into the batter I sifted out the mini mint green chips that come in the pudding mix.  Then after the cake was finished (I baked it for 55 minutes) and cooled, I frosted it with a can of melted chocolate frosting and then sprinkled the green chips on top.  It looked beautiful and right now, at 9:30 in the morning, there is less than half of it left at work.  The guys love it!

UPDATE:  I've made this cake two more times.  Once with a red velvet cake mix, white chocolate pudding mix, white chocolate chips, cream cheese frosting, and topped with chopped walnuts.  Last night I made it with a devil's food cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, and peanut butter chips.  I drizzled it with the frosting from the "Brownies with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting" recipe on this site and topped it with mini Reese's Pieces.  This is such a versatile cake!

This cake was excellent. I couldn't bring myself to use a cup of oil so I cut back to 3/4 cup and it was still so moist. I used the full 2 cups of chocolate chips but used mini chips and they were wonderful. I drizzled ganache on the top and a tiny bit of white chocolate drizzle and put strawberries in the middle. I will post a picture. It looked professional. It is a very dense, moist cake. I made it for my son's birthday and he loved it. My father-in-law, who is a chocoholic like me, told me about 3 times how amazing it was. I sent some home with him and another guest. I can't stop eating it myself. It's dangerous to have in the house. I will make this again and again. The possibilities are endless with flavorings and toppings!

Just a hint: if you roll your chocolate chips in flour first, they will not sink to the bottom while baking. Wonderful recipe!

I made this as cupcakes and they were PERFECT.

I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 milk.  I also used fat free sour cream and mini chocolate chips (only 1/2 cup).  The cupcakes were DELICIOUS!!!!  Better than bakery cupcakes!  I iced them with buttercream frosting (powdered sugar, softened butter, milk, and vanilla extract) and they were perfect.

Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!!  These cupcakes went fast!!!

Well, with over 3000 great reviews, this recipe doesn't really need another one, but deserves it nonetheless. First time around, I used the larger chips and I kinda liked the fact that there was a bit of chocolate in every bite, but at the same time, at 350 and 55 minutes the cake overall was a bit too well done and a bit on the dry side. My first thought was that was how it was supposed to be... after all, it slipped out of the bundt pan picture perfectly! On the second try, I used the mini morsels and baked at 325 for 55 minutes. FRICKIN" PERFECT! Moist, chocolaty, almost brownie-like and I never got to the point of frosting , sprinkling or drizzling... it was gone in a heartbeat! Thanks so much for sharing this GREAT recipe Denise... can hardly wait to make it again and even try with other flavor cake mixes and chips!

I love this cake as does everyone that I serve it to. The recipe calls for an 18.25 oz. boxed cake mix. Unfortunately, most leading brands have now cut their weight amounts by almost 2 ounces. Thanks to the reviewer who said to use one box and 1/3 cup of a second box. It's kind of stinky of the manufacturers to do this. You are left to keep an opened box until the next cake. I have many "doctored" cake recipes that call for an 18.25 oz. box and I can now make the adjustment for all of them.

Fantastic!!!! I made this for my workmates and they devoured it all!! This is the best mud cake, very dense and very rich. Followed the recipe exactly. except i let the cake cool in the pan for an hour instead of 1/2 hour. This is such as easy recipe that required very little fuss to make. UPDATE: i used this recipe to make cupcakes and it worked great! i omitted the choc chips and reduced the baking time to 25 minutes. So lovely!

This is a great recipe. Just FYI here's a trick I
learned from Ina Garten. She says if you mix
a light dusting of flour on your chocolate chips,
before adding them to the batter it will prevent them from sinking to the bottom and help them suspend throughout the cake.

This is a great recipe but if your not used to gooey chocolate cake it might be a put-off. Here's some helpful tips that helped me.
Reduce the oil to 3/4 cup of oil. Make sure you purchase the right size box of chocolate pudding (you need the large box). Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (it really enhances the flavor). Use mini chocolate chips the incorporate better into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees then lower the temperature to 300 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes! This will eliminate the crispy outside many reviewers complain about. Inside will be gooey. Allow to rest in pan for at least an hour before inverting onto plate.

As written this cake is really high in fat and calories.  I made a few minor changes to healthify it and it was still OUTSTANDING!  I used non-fat sour cream rather than regular, and substituted 1/2 cup applesauce for 1/2 cup of the oil (so 1/2 cup of each).  I also used a cup of Egg Beaters in place of the 4 whole eggs.  I only used 1 cup of chocolate chips because that was all I had.    It was served to a group of very health conscious adults (who rarely eat dessert).  A few tried it and raved about it, so pretty much everyone ended up having a piece.  Several had seconds!    The cake was really, really moist and very chocolately.  I think if more chips had been used it would have made it too, too rich.    I drizzled on a basic glaze flavored with almond extract (1/4 cup melted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp extract, and about four TBSP skim milk all whisked together).  It was perfect!  Note - vanilla extract could be used instead.

AMAZING CAKE! Not too sweet, even with the Satiny Chocolate Glaze from this site. Use icing. Do not leave it out. Makes it Perfect! This is not too sweet as other users may say. Loved it sooo much. Not too moist or too dry. Just perfect! Don't be afraid to make this EXACTLY as it says. I did bring it down to 330 after 15 minutes because I was afraid the middle wouldn't cook enough. PERFECT. A tiny crisp arount the edges and amazingly delicious! I used a mix of 1 1/2 cups of mini and regular sized chips but could've used the whole 2 cups. And even though I was afraid to use a cup of oil, I did and it was not greasy AT all! You do hand mix it and it's like a brownie batter. Don't worry, it doesn't cook as thick as a brownie. Very nice.

I made these into cupcakes, and followed the recipe perfectly besides i cooked them for 20 mins &amp; 30 degrees less, and they were great, even without any frosting or sugar on top.  I should also mention I am a horrible cook, but even I can make these, thanks for the great recipe!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a great doctored cake. Sorry to the author but I make it a lot better in several ways: 1) halve the oil to 1/2 cup, 2) add 1/2 cup Kahlua (instead of that other 1/2 C oil), 3) adding about a tsp or so of cinnamon, and 3) adding 2 tablespoons of finely shredded orange rind. This cake gets raves and demands for more wherever I take it.

this cake got me the response, "are you looking for a husband?"

I made this cake three times before rating it.  I made it the first time as written and it was very rich and decadent!  The second time I used 1½ cups of mini-chocolate chips, 3.3 oz size of chocolate pudding and ¾ cup oil.  It was delicious.  The third time I used white cake mix, 3.3 oz white chocolate pudding, ¾ cup oil and 1½ cups of white chocolate chips, it was divine!  You cannot go wrong with this cake.  All three times I topped it with Satiny Chocolate Glaze from this site, the last time using white chocolate chips.   That is really the only thing I would change . . . white chocolate does not need the addition of the butter in the glaze, just melt the chocolate with the corn syrup, and drizzle.  Truly a versatile cake to be proud of.

For my second experiment:
Yelow cake, vanilla pudding, lime zest, and blueberries with a simple lime glaze!
It came out really tasty.

So easy I made a chocolate ganache frosting to drizzle over the top. I finally got to eat a piece this morning and wasnt that impressed.  It almost was too much chocolate.  and I never thought I would utter those words.

amazingly delicious and easy!  I top it off with a glaze of 1 cup each of chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream that's melted together on med/low heat (sitrred frequently.) Let cool and drizzle on cake.

I normally view cake as merely a means of consuming frosting.  While this cake is wonderful with the Satiny Chocolate Glaze recipe on this site as others have mentioned, I can honestly say that it's amazing even frosting-less, as I learned the first time I made it when I left the cake to cool and ran to the store for an ingredient only to literally find half the cake gone when I came back.  My tips (I'm sure with this many reviews, someone else has mentioned these as well:) 1.  Many brands of cake mix already include pudding in the mix.  To avoid making the cake potentially soggy with all the pudding and sour cream, use a mix such as Duncan Hines which doesn't contain pudding (trust me, your cake will still be moist!) 2.  If you've never used a Bundt pan before, please note that you need to really grease it well and be sure to get the grease into all those little corners so that your cake comes out cleanly from the pan. 3.  For a really rich, dark chocolatey taste, replace the water in this recipe with freshly brewed coffee - it somehow takes the chocolate flavor to the next level.  Amazing cake and it truly doesn't taste like it's from a mix!

This is a very quick and easy cake!  It is absolutely delicious.  Several people asked me for the recipe - it's a hit!

I was really excited to try this recipe, though it was disappointing. I could not detect how the sour cream and pudding added anything to the cake, and even the chocolate chips did little to help with the overall presentation. The texture was just what you would expect from any run of the mill boxed cake mix. I have no problem with boxed cake mixes, though when you sink extra money into extra ingredients, you want to be able to taste the difference. The texture was lacking, and the flavor was just a little bit better than what you would get from just using a one-dollar cake mix. I doubt I will be making this again.

This cake was a big hit! The person who compared it to a gourmet chocolate chip muffin was dead on. The texture is very similar, but the taste of this cake is much better! This was very rich, and very moist. I frosted it with a chocolate buttercream frosting and cooked it in 2 9 inch rounds. Be very careful to not overcook! It is the most common mistake when making chocolate cake!

My son asked for a very chocolatey cake for his family birthday party and so I chose this one to try.  While I was making it exactly as the recipe is written, I thought it was going to be more like a brownie in texture.  It was so very rich looking.  I baked it in two 9" round pans, wrapped the cake in plastic wrap really well once cooled, followed by foil, then placed them in the freezer a week in advance of the party.  The day of the party, I unwrapped them completely after removing from the freezer to thaw.  While they were unfrozen, but still cold, I began to assemble the cake just as my 6 year old requested.  Chocolate mousse filling, chocolate ganache topping, mini peanut butter cups on top, and vanilla mousse accent piping.  The more I looked at the cake the more I began to shiver thinking this was going to be waaay too rich.  When it came time to serve it, I was bowled over.  This cake can handle rich flavors with it because it is the perfect blend of sweet vs. chocolate.  Ohhhh - and the moist texture was nothing like a brownie - the most tantalizing chocolate cake experience I've ever had in my life.  It was a big hit with my son.  Our guests were going gaga over it while I was still in shock that I produced something this amazing.  I'm picky about my recipes and what a rewarding experience to find such a treasure.  Thank you, Denise!!

Excellent-made it for Christmas Eve and brought over to a friends house-they loved it! Very moist and chocolatey. Would make it again!

After reading all the reviews, I was so excited about making this recipe.  I even followed it exactly as it was stated instead of making some of the changes (like the oil and choc chip amounts) that others had made.  It looked beautiful and smelled amazing but . . . . it didn't taste all that great.  It wasn't sweet enough and just tasted very plain - it just had a very chocolaty flavor that's all.  I tried to add a BUNCH of powdered sugar on top to sweeten it up but it didn't help.  Even had a few people at work eat it and they thought it was just ok - not great but ok.  Don't think I'll be making this one again.

We didn't have the bundt pan, but we used 2 nine inch cake pans and it turned out great.  It is delicious!

This cake is perfect! I didn't change a thing!

Great recipe! Very rich. I did not use the chocolate chips, instead I baked this in two 9 inch round cake pans. Put holes in both layers with a skewer, poured melted caramels (melted with a little milk) on both layers and in between layers chopped up toffee Heath bars. I frosted mine with cool whip... not too sweet for such a rich cake. Very well received!

This came out awesome! I made cup cakes instead of a whole bundt cake, baking for 25 minutes. They came out beautiful and smelled up my entire house very nicely!

I made this cake for my boss on her birthday. Everyone loved it! I made it into a double layer round cake and only cooked it for about 25 min and it turned out great. I also made it lower in fat by substituting fat free vanilla yogurt for the sour cream and applesauce for the oil, it was so moist and just the right amount of sweetness. 

Finally baked this much raved cake( more than 1000 reviews!)today! I was abit anxious when i poured the batter into my bundt cake tin as the thick batter did not look like the usual cake batter...infact, looked more like cookie mixture! Baked it for 55 mins at 325C ( as my bundt tin is dark colored ). I left the cake in the tin for 1/2 hr, then made the satiny choc glaze ( recipe also from allrecipes ). I was glad tht the cake unmoulded easily and looked perfect. Taste and texture of cake was fantastic - moist n soft, without a hint tht it came out from a boxed cake mix. My husband and kids love it - hubby n son had 2nd helpings and my young daughter, who normally dislike cakes finished her cake in no time at all!!Thks Denise for sharing this wonderful easy recipe!

I wowed my coworkers with this one today!  Made exactly as written using the mini choc chips and this cake blew my expectations away:  it is very thick and dense, so I thought that it would not rise very much...it did.  I was worried that greasing the pan without the usual "flouring" step would cause the cake to stick...it didn't.  I thought that the dough (thick like brownies) would never cook in 50-55 minutes...it took 60 minutes in my oven but was VERY moist and delicious!  I topped it with the Satiny Choc Glaze from this site (very good and easy also) and filled the center with strawberries.  The cake traveled and cut very nicely.  A wonderful, easy and impressive cake!  Next time, I think I will use another reviewer's suggestion of subbing cooled cofee in place of the water.  A winner!  Thanks for sharing!

Excellent! This is an easy recipe that anyone could do! It’s very moist, has good flavor and texture. I tried out my new mini bunt cake pans, and got 6 of those and 11 “cupcakes” out of the recipe. The baking time on the mini bunt cakes were about 37min. For the cupcakes, they took about 30min to bake.

To all Canadian bakers out there.  If you find your batter is too wet or too oily, take a look at the weight of your cake mix package.  Most cake mix boxes in Canada are sold in 432 grams packages and not like the United States where it's 18.25 ounce, which is equivalent to 517 grams.

I made this for a dinner party and it turned out excellent - moist and tasty.  I used the suggestion by others to use 1/2 oil and 1/3 cup milk -- and I baked at 350 for 1 hour but last 20 minutes I lowered the temperature to 325.  It turned out perfect and I did everything else as the recipe says.  For those using metric - the pudding mix is the 113 gram box.  I found the 5.9 ounce box confusing and I did convert it online but got different numbers for the grams.  Anyway, the recipes worked with the 113 gram pudding box.  Thanks for a delicious cake!

My daughter specifically requested a homemade chocolate cake for her birthday--"Not from the store, momma.  Homemade."  My daughter is also one of the biggest chocoholics I know.  I have yet to run across a chocolate dessert that is too rich for her tastes so the hunt was most definitely on.  The "Too Much" part of this cake immediately caught my attention and, even though there is a cake (and pudding!) mix in the recipe, I decided it was close enough to homemade for our purposes.  I tweaked the general recipe by substituting *strong* coffee for the warm water--yes, I used the entire cup of oil!--and added 2/3c of milk and a tsp of vanilla.  I also added some peanut butter flavored chips along with the mini-chocolate chips and baked for an hour and five minutes.  Took the cake out, let cool, and then drizzled (slathered, perhaps?) the whole concoction in the Satiny Chocolate Glaze.  Oh, I placed some halved Reese's cups on there too--just to add to the overall decadence.  The cake?  Total win.  My daughter was delighted and could only finish one piece which should attest to the sheer richness of this cake.  A major hit with parents and kids.  For a not-from-scratch cake it was pretty close to heaven. :)

It tasted ok when I baked it but it tasted like a big brownie. Very disappointed. I wanted to bake a moist chocolate cake and I'm still looking for the ideal recipe

My daughter has baked this cake twice lately and I am still craving it.
Delicious and oh-so-moist!

I've been making this for way over 25 years, with exception of using 4 Tbl. rum in it, I use a DUNCAN HINES Yellow cake mix and I make a choc. glaze to drizzle over it.  My choc. chips never sink.  I get constant requests for this and they are so easy that I make 2 at a time.

Yes, it is a wonderfully moist, dense, fudgy cake.  Just a couple things to note however.  First, don't be nervous if your batter looks like it's pulling together into a solid mass!  I had mine in the Kitchenaid on medium, for only 3 minutes, but it looked really odd like it was pulling together into a dough.  It poured out into the cake pans, and I actually had to wet my fingers down a bit and level it out a bit as the batter was that cohesive.    Secondly, realize this is a dark chocolate cake.  Some of my guests prefered more of a milk chocolate cake, but no one complained once they tasted it.    One huge suggestion...make this in advance!!!  It is so incredibly better the next day and after...  It seems to get moister as it sits.  Was a huge hit at the party and I'm grateful for the recipe!

I decided to go ahead and give this recipe 5 stars.  Some reviewers knocked off one star because it still tastes like cake mix.  Of course it does, it IS cake mix, just with a few extras thrown in.  If you're looking for a 'from scratch' taste, this probably won't do it for you, but if you want a delicious, moist, EASY chocolate cake, this is definitely it!  I topped it off with Satiny Chocolate Glaze (also from this site) and drizzled milk chocolate over that.  Everyone loved it, and even though I'm one of those who prefers cakes from scratch, I will still be making this again.  It's too easy and too good not to.

Hurt my feelings that this was the best cake i’d ever made. I took the tips of using mini chocolate chips, and using coffee in place of some of the water. I have made it numerous times and the mini chips are really great dispersed throughout. Thank you poster. Talents like yours make me a better cook.

What a hit!  I've made this cake 3 times now for the biggest chocolate fans and they loved it. I don't have a bundt pan so I made a triple layer cake - just as good and makes a beautiful presentation.  I also added chocolate frosting - talk about fixing your choco-halic needs!

loved this cake.....also made this with white cake mix....sour cream....white choclate chips....wonderfull

I made this cake tonight.I used Chocolate Fudge cake mix since it was all I had. It was moist, I only used 3/4 cup of oil because I ran out, and then a 1/4 cup of half and half as another reviewer suggested. I baked it at 340 for about an hour. Everyone enjoyed it. If you like a moist chocolate cake you will love this.Edit 8/12/08: I had to give this recipe 5 instead of 4 stars. Everyone is asking for more cake! I actually had to hide the last peice to give to someone, and the family bickers about who gets it. My teenage daughter wants to attempt to make it with her friends, and she don't make cakes! Thanks again for a recipe I will use over and over. EDIT: I made this one week later, and used Devil's Food Cake. It was good, but not as good as the Chocolate Fudge cake. If you have this cake mix in your store get it!

Excellent receipe!  Easy to make and I 
impress many of my friends they thought
I brought it at a bakery.

Easiest, moistest chocolate cake I've ever made!! I followed one reviewer and instead of one cup of oil, I used 1/3 milk and 1/2 oil. I made them into cupcakes and baked for 23 minutes in 350F oven. Gone in minutes!

I don't understand - I've never seen such rave reviews for a recipe, but this was not good at all to me.  It tasted bitter and powder-y.  It was very simple to make but I just did not like it.  The texture still seemed like a cake mix but with a worst taste.

Wow...very good.  I used a milk chocolate cake mix and mini chocolate chips and followed the recipe how it was.  Also, made it into a layer cake, using 3-9 inch round pans, spraying and baking them at 350 for 24 minutes and they turned out wonderful!  I love this with the chocolate fudge buttercream frosting recipe from this site- just be prepared for a chocolate overload!  Always a good thing though...

this cake was awesome!!  followed the recipe exactly and it was a big hit at our party.  I didn't have time to wait the recommended 1.5hrs to cool the cake before plating it.  I flipped it onto a plate after approx 5min while it was still hot and it held together perfectly.  I actually think it was better this way because it was still warm and the choc chips were melted and gooey.  Served immediately with ice cream and it was incredible!!

I made this cake for my "chocoholic" father's birthday. He loved it. The family loved it.  Everyone wants to know when I am going to make it again! I can see why this is an award-winning recipe - it's easy AND delicious!

First I want to say that I am not a great baker but after reading all the reviews I had to give it a try..This was by far one of the best cakes I have had and my family agrees!!! I did make some adjustments to the recipe..I used coffee instead of H20, 1/2c oil and 1/2c applesauce, and 1c of semi-sweet chips along with 1c of peanut butter chips. Did not glaze the top, just powdered sugar..Baked for 55 minutes and came out perfect, moist, and delicious..I will be trying different flavor combinations!! This is a wonderful and easy recipe!!

Excellent, easy recipe, the only chocolate cake recipe I've used in the last year.

We didn't care for it at all.  Ended up throwing it out. 

This recipe is perfect for the ultimate chocolate lover. I made it exactly as the recipe said, but in a 9x13 pan and it turned out perfect. I baked it for about 50 minutes. About an hour after I took the cake out of the oven, I topped it with the Satiny Chocolate Glaze. The recipe for that can be found on this site. I doubled the Satiny Chocolate Glaze recipe, and it was perfect. If anyone gives this cake a bad rating, it's because they messed up, they don't really like chocolate in the first place, or they didn't exactly follow the recipe. Also, to prevent the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake, I lightly coated them in flour before putting them in the mix. I'll be making this cake again, and again, and again!!

Made this with a couple of additions. To the water added one tablespoon instant espresso coffee. And, to the batter, folded in a half cup of toasted coconut. Awesome!

My daughter called this "the God-cake"... Whole family loved the depth of the chocolate. I liked being able to simply dress it in powdered sugar to make it more diet-friendly... or at least be able to have some. I used Reese's peanut butter chips, and everyone loved it. Next time, I'm going to use 1/2 pnut butter chips, and 1/2 choc chips., esp. as you're not getting a whole 2C of chips in a pkg anymore.... they don't make it easy. But, this cake is! SO EASY. 

For anyone with an underperforming gas oven, I used a dark nonstick Bundt pan, so reduced the oven temperature to 335, and took it out to test at the 57 minute mark, and it was PERFECT. I did grease the pan with butter, no flouring, and it inverted without any sticking. Fabulous recipe, fabulous flavor.

This is my favorite cake recipe.  I use it all the time.  I substitute cake, pudding, and chip flavors.  My favorite combination is white cake mix, vanilla pudding and white choc. chips.  

This cake is very chocolatey and very moist. It's easy to make, and delicious!

This is a wonderfully delicious and easy recipe.  Thanks so much for sharing it!

ADD ON:  Just made this again with a cream cheese sauce, 2 cups powdered sugar, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 Tbs butter, 1 Tbs water, 1 tsp vanilla.... mixed, microwaved and poured. Was wonderful with the chocolate! 

Wow! I did just as the recipe said and it was wonderful!  I'm glad I read the reviews first b/c I might have overcooked it if I didn't know that the melted chips would cause the toothpick test to to be a little tricky. I teamed this up with vanilla ice cream and the Satiny Chocolate Glaze for a Hot Fudge Cake type dessert and it was delightful!

Tasted the chemical preservatives in the boxed mixes.   This isn't a replacement for a from scratch cake even with all the chocolate chips.  If you're used to making scratch cakes you'll be disappointed.  At least the it taught me to look at the low reviews as well as the average.

Never to much Chocolate!  I made this the day before Thanksgiving.  I warmed up a jar of Hot Fudge (ice cream) topping and poured it over the cake.  Everyone loved it.

Simply AMAZING. I did not change a thing in this recipe. Serve with dusted powder sugar and strawberries for garnish. This also makes great cupcakes, just cut down cooking time to about 20 minutes (toothpick test, as always). Everyone loved the cupcakes I made for my daughters 1st birthday. Great recipe, it's a keeper!

This cake is excellent!  If you like those big chocholate "Otis Spunkmeyer" muffins, you'll love this cake...it's even better!  So rich and moist.  I made it for my co-workers..only had one piece to bring home to the family..now I'm making another for them..No such thing as TOO MUCH Chocolate!

*Edited review.  My original suggestion was to use foil cupcake liners  for cupcakes, otherwise chocolate chips stick to the bottom of the cupcakes and stay there.  My newest suggestion is to use a cake mix extender if you like to make layer cakes like I do. Remember how big and pretty layer cakes were when cake mixes were 18.25 ounces instead of 15.25 - 16.25 ounces? I mix the cake ingredients as written but then I use  a Duncan Heinz cake extender recipe. Mix together 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup oil, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Stir into your already mixed, cake mix batter. Bake per directions in recipe. This also works well on other cake mix recipes. Simply omit the cocoa powder and use different flavored extracts depending on what cake you're making. When making a white cake, just use the egg white.

We're not big cake lovers at my house, but everyone loved this.  We would all usually choose brownies or bars for dessert, but this cake could easily become our favorite dessert.  I followed the recipe exactly and topped it with the satiny chocolate glaze.  So, so good.

Good, moist cake.  I agree with another reviewer that I don't see what all the fuss is about, however.

I'm pretty sure the temperature should be 325 instead of 350 degrees (according to an oven thermometer, over temps vary), because the cake was ever so slightly burned on the outside but perfect on the inside both times I made it.

This cake is amazing.  I even had people who don't like chocolate trying this cake and they loved it!

I also made a vanilla version of this cake.  I used french vanilla pudding and cake mix and white chocolate chips.  It turned out great!

This cake certainly lives up to its name. This is very rich. I substituted 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce for the oil, used miniature chocolate chips, and made this into cupcakes. I baked for 18 minutes using standard muffin pans (with liners), and they came out fluffy. I dusted the cupcakes with powdered sugar. 

To tell you the truth, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Don't get me wrong - this was a good chocolate cake, but I was not blown away. I will continue my conquest for true chocolate bliss. In the meantime, don't get your hopes up too high for this recipe. Thanks anyway.

Have made this three times now...and every time has been a big hit!  I must warn you though...be prepared to be craving chocolate cake for a long time after...the smell is so good, and seemed to linger long after the cake was gone, that I kept wanting to go a cut a slice, only to be disappointed that there was none.  So chocolately, rich and moist. Will satisfy any chocolate lover.  I used Betty Crocker Devil's Food cake mix, didn't give the "cake box" taste as the Duncan Hines mix did.  Need 1 box plus 1/3 cup from another mix to have the right amount though.  I also used Jello brand plain instant chocolate pudding - needed 1 and a 1/2 packages.  I do use the full cup of oil.  I tried it with full fat, and 5% fat sour cream.  Both were excellent.  Enjoy!

This cake is... AMAZING! I had to use one less egg because I ran out, but it still was awesome! I made these into cupcakes, and they took 17 minutes to make! Then I cut a piece out of the top and filled it with a recipe I found, using 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup shortening, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups confectioners sugar, and a pinch of salt! Beat all the ingredients together until fluffy! Then I made a frosting using 1/4 cup melted margarine, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/3 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar. Fist blend the cocoa and margarine, then mix in the other ingredients! SOOOO good! Everything really complimented the cupcake! Thanks for this recipe!

I used Duncan Hines cake mix and followed the recipe to a T. The cake was really good, but there was nothing extraordinary about it. It tasted like normal cake mix and the extra ingredients didn't add anything special to it.

I made these into cupcakes instead of a bundt cake and they turned out great! I will defineitely use this recipe again!

If I could give this more stars I would! Best recipe for cake or cupcakes that I have ever used. I didn't have a bundt pan, so I used the batter to make cupcakes - cooking them at 350 for 20 minutes - and they were perfect!  Huge hit at work and home.  Thanks for this amazing recipe!

I have made this cake for many years, an absolute favorite for my family. The only change I make is by adding a tsp of almond extract. It gives it a unique flavor that has people wondering what that "special" taste is.

This cake is so rich and delicious! Not for those who don't have a passion for triple chocolate cakes. I used Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies on the bottom of a cupcake and made a Thin Mint-style buttercream to top it. Together they made a tasty version of the cookie that washed down well with a glass of milk. I will definitely be adding this to my recipe repetoire because it pleases all who eat it!! (BTW - If you use it for cupcakes like I did, be warned that it makes approximately three dozen regular cupcakes, so plan on having a lot. I baked mine for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees and they turned out great!)

I was really excited to make this for my daughters birthday as chocolate cake is her favorite.  We all only had one piece and most didn't finish it.  Just didn't taste right.

Best cake ever!!! Such wonderful chocolate flavor and very moist. I was very pleased. Instead of dusting it with powdered sugar, I drizzled a cream cheese frosting on it. 
Cream Cheese Icing:
4oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 Tbls. Butter (softened)
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
½ tsp. vanilla

Whip all together with mixer until smooth. Nook in microwave for 10-15 seconds to drizzle over your bundt cake.

This is a delicious cake!  It's very moist and very chocolatey.

Delicious, super easy &amp; a major crowd pleaser! The only thing I did different was use mini chocolate chips instead of regular. I think they work better in a cake. I will definitely use this recipe again and can't wait to experiment with different flavor combinations per some of the reviews I was reading. Thank you for a great go-to recipe!

This is the best cake I have had in a long time! So super yummy, and I will make this many, many times to come!!!

you can add 1/2 cup coffee flavoured liqueur or Irish cream and vanilla flavouring.


This cake was awesome! I even forgot to put in the chocolate chips, and it was still divine! I would like to note that the cake was a very dense cake, but it was incredibly moist and delicious. One thing that I did find is that the batter is VERY thick, almost like a thin dough-I attributed this to the instant pudding mix thickening up. This didn't affect the end result, but it was not what I was expecting during the mixing process. The recipe states to use a 12-cup bundt pan, but all I had was a 9-cup and it worked out fine. I simply trimmed the raised portion after cooling before inverting the cake. I took the advice of some other reviewers and lowered the temperature down to 325 after the first 30 minutes, and this seemed to help the inside cook thoroughly without creating crusty edges. I did have to increase the cook time to about 60-70 minutes total, though.

I've yet to make this in a Bundt pan but this is my go-to recipe for sheet cake, layer cakes, cupcakes, etc.  The chocolate chips make the cake denser &amp; too flat so I usually leave them out.  My favorite is vanilla cake with vanilla pudding.  I bake it in a jelly roll or cookie sheet pan (25 minutes) and use a biscuit cutter to make little mini cakes.  Put pie filling between the layers and top with whipped cream.  I did these in 1/2 pint mason jars and they were a HUGE hit.  I make mini muffins with the chocolate (&amp; use mini chips) and they are like brownie bites.  Trust your nose when baking.  Generally, when you start to smell whatever you are baking it's either done or close to being done.

Too much chocolate is just enough with this prize-winning cake.

too much chocolate cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total: 2 hours, 35 minutes

Servings: 6.5

Author : Denise

Ingredients

Instructions

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