This Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake is so very easy….a boxed cake mix hack for sure. It makes the most chocolaty, moist, and delicious cake, and no one will ever know it’s from a box. Top with some super delicious Chocolate Buttercream frosting and OMG….sinfully decadent. It’s very versatile as well. You can make it as a bundt cake, layer cake, or cupcakes and they all turn out fantastic. All it takes is the addition of some instant pudding, mini chocolate chips, some sour cream, and a few extra eggs, and you’ve transformed a box of cake mix into something special!
Start out by preheating your oven to 350°. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, oil, sour cream, and water. Add pudding mix and mix with an electric mixer until thick and smooth. Add boxed cake mix and whip with the mixer for 2 minutes. Add mini chocolate chips and stir just until chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter. 
For Layer Cake: Spray two 9-inch cake pans with a cooking spray that contains flour. I use Baker’s Joy. You can also grease and flour the pans, but I have to say that is one of my least favorite tasks in the kitchen, so I love using Baker’s Joy. Fill the pans evenly and bake for 37-42 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
For Cupcakes: This recipe will make 32 regular sized cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes. Those little cupcakes are so cute! For regular cupcakes, line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Using a large (3 tablespoon) leveled scoop, fill the liners to ensure all cupcakes are the same size. Bake for 18-23 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. For the mini cupcakes, line the pan with paper liners or spray the pan with Baker’s Joy. Fill with a small (1 tablespoon) leveled scoop and bake for 11-14 minutes.
Of course, you can frost the Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake or Cupcakes with any kind of frosting that you like…but let me tell you the Chocolate Buttercream recipe below is to die for. It definitely puts this delicious cake over the top. Just look at those little beauties! To get the varying shades of chocolate, make a batch of Vanilla Buttercream to mix with the Chocolate Buttercream. I made one batch of Chocolate Buttercream and divided it into three portions. One of them I added a modest amount of the Vanilla Buttercream frosting to. The other I mixed about equal portions of Vanilla and Chocolate frostings. The last portion I left alone…all chocolaty and perfect. I put each in a different pastry bag with different tips and went to town decorating. So easy…but so pretty!
Here is a Chocolate Chip Pudding Layer Cake where I used the same technique. I frosted the cake with Vanilla Buttercream and decorated it with varying shades of Chocolate Buttercream. Again…it’s really easy to do, but you’ll impress your friends with this one. Not only because it’s beautiful, but because it’s delicious too!
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 4 eggs
- 1 3.5 oz. package instant chocolate pudding
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 12 oz mini chocolate chips
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl whisk together eggs, oil, sour cream, and water.
- Add pudding mix and whip with electric mixer until thick and smooth.
- Add boxed cake mix and whip for 2 additional minutes.
- Add chocolate chips and stir just until chips are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
For Bundt Cake
- Spray bundt pan with cooking spray with flour (Baker’s Joy) or grease and flour the pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes
- Invert the pan over a cooling rack and gently tap the pan to release the cake.
- Cool completely and glaze or dust with powdered sugar
For 9-inch layer cake
- Spray pans with cooking spray with flour (Baker’s Joy) or grease and flour the pans.
- Bake for 37-42 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
- Remove from pans and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
- Frost as desired
For Cupcakes
- This recipe will make 32 regular sized cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes and 24 mini cupcakes.
- For regular cupcakes, line cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Use a large (3 tablespoon) leveled scoop to fill liners ensuring all cupcakes are the same size.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- For the mini cupcakes, line the pan with paper liners or spray the pan with Baker's Joy.
- Fill with small (1 tablespoon) leveled scoop.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Frost as desired
Notes
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder preferably Dutch process
- 4 – 5 tbsp heavy cream can substitute milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¼ t. salt
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter for 2 minutes until its light in color and very smooth
- Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add about half of the powdered sugar and cocoa to the butter a little at a time and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add 3 tbsp of the heavy cream, vanilla and salt and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the second half of the powdered sugar and cocoa scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beat until light, fluffy, and smooth.
- If you would like the frosting a little thinner add the last tbsp of heavy cream and beat until combined.
Notes
I prefer Dutch process cocoa powder for a deeper, richer chocolaty flavor, but natural cocoa powder works fine as well.
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