this is a cake that my mom has been making for years. she made it almost every time we’d go over to her house because she knew it was my husband’s favorite – and who would blame him? it’s got sour cream to make it super moist, and pudding to make it fudgy. it may be called “death by chocolate” cake, but you’ll swear you died and went to heaven!
and may i also point out that my nephew, when asked what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday party said he wanted “the cake that nana makes with the hole in it.” move over disney-decorated cakes….
usually when i think of baking cakes i think of huge messes in the kitchen – flour everywhere, lots of dishes to clean, etc. but this recipe really couldn’t be easier to put together. and i only used my kitchen aid stand mixer – it was the only bowl i used. awesome.
the ingredients are probably ones you have in your fridge or pantry.
there are eggs, sour cream, oil, water, instant pudding, chocolate cake mix, and chocolate chips. that’s it!
the first thing you need to do is beat together the eggs and sour cream. the sour cream is what makes this cake unbelievably moist, just like it does in banana bread.
and then you just add everything else in and mix it up! it’s as easy as pie. well, actually, it’s as easy as cake. i was never good at making pie.
oops. i forgot the chocolate chips. just stir them in when you’re done mixing the rest of the batter, if you want. otherwise, just throw them in the bowl with everything else.
see how thick that batter is?! it’s going to make an amazing cake!
pour all the batter into a greased bundt pan (i use this non-stick bundt pan [aff link] but grease my pan just to be safe!) and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
and when it’s all done, let it cool down in the pan, and it’ll look like this:
when it’s cooled down, invert it onto a cutting board or cake stand. look – it even gives you portion sizes…little piece? big piece? you’ll definitely want a big piece.
cut yourself a big slice. it honestly cuts like butter, its incredible how moist it is.
and then if you’re feeling fancy, do what my mom always does and sift some powdered sugar on top. but only put that on when you’re about to serve it – piece by piece, if you need to. otherwise, the powdered sugar will start to seep into the cake (because it’s SO moist) and will like a little gummy. so powdered sugar is great, if used at time of serving. plus it makes it look so darn pretty.
for more chocolate goodness check out and follow my chocolate pinterest board! here’s the recipe!
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 small package instant chocolate pudding
- 1 chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Beat the eggs and sour cream together until well combined. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. The batter will be thick. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Enjoy!
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. So good!
🙂
Hello… I love this recipe and I have used it many times! But…now I need something that I can travel 6 hours with and doesn’t need refrigeration. Since it has sour cream….does it have to be refrigerated?
Thank you……
I’ve heard/read that sugar helps to stabilize sour cream in baking so it’s fine to leave out for a few days. I leave my cake out on the countertop (covered) overnight, and it is still perfect and delicious and doesn’t spoil at all. I think that for 6 hours you should be more than ok!
The sour cream in baked into the cake, it isn’t left uncooked on top of the cake. So just like the eggs, once they are cooked/baked into the cake they are not going to cause the cake to spoil. No worries 😉
I’ve been making this cake for YEARS! It is fine unrefrigerated. In fact, it’s better aged. I always bake it a couple days before I want to serve it.
Your willpower is strong. In my house it is gone in 2 days tops. The teenagers, love it.
Looks delicious! Can you tell me the number of ounces in the pudding box you used? Also, are you saying to just dump the dry pudding mix into the batter or do you reconstitute it with the milk before adding it to the batter? Thanks!
Hi Laura! Great questions. I used a 15.25oz (432g) devil’s food cake mix. And you’ll need to use the pudding mix dry – just open the box and sprinkle it right in the batter, no reconstituting needed 🙂 Thanks for asking!
Howmany ounces in the pudding box?
I believe it is the 3.4 ounces box. There is always a small box and a bigger box on the shelves at the store. Hope that helps!
The small pudding boxes at my local stores are 3.9oz. I doubt that will make a difference, but I’m not a baker. Think it’ll be ok? I know baking is typically very precise.
Yes! The 3.9oz box is exactly what you want 🙂
Enjoy your cake – this is a great one! Yum!
Thank you! It’s in the oven now. Fingers crossed, it’s for a charity bake sale at work tomorrow.
Awesome! Hope it turned out great!
HELLO,
QUESTION? ARE WE SUPPOSE TO PREPARE THE CAKE MIX AS IT IS ON THE BOX OR DO I JUST USE THE MIX ITSELF.
THANK YOU
Nope, no need to prepare the came mix using the box’s instructions. The eggs and oil and everything else are included in the recipe for the bundt cake. You just add the dry mix to the other ingredients!
One small box of chocolate pudding.
I have made bundt cake this for years as well! I also add 1/3 cup of Kahlua to this recipe~~and sprinkle powdered sugar on top of cake when cooled! S C R U M P T I O U S!!!!
Thanks, Kimber!
This is my go to recipe for cakes! Use this the same recipe with butter and a little vanilla extract for yellow and chocolate cakes you can play with the pudding flavors as well! I always uesed Duncan Hines until they changed the box size and my cakes started failing. I was a little skeptical to Pillsbury because there is already pudding in the mix, but you sold me I will try it with Pilllsbury this time.
I made this for 4th of July weekend, and being a novice baker, I’d say this recipe was quick and easy. The flavor was great, although a bit dry for my mothers standards (she’s picky)! I’ll definitely make this one again. Thanks.
great recipe! I’m planning to make this for a friend’s housewarming party this weekend! I was wondering – how does it hold up the following day? I’m planning on baking the cake a day in advance, but not refrigerating it. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! 🙂
Great question, Yenny – this cake holds up pretty well! You just need to keep it moist, so try putting plastic wrap around it and then if you have a covered cake stand or container with a lid, I’d put it in there, too, as an added measure. And then just leave it out on the counter overnight. Good luck!!
I have a question maybe its dumm, but i better ask.
I add the chocolate cake mix dry? right? the oil, whater and eggs you add in the ingredients are for the mic cake …
Tks
Hi Jessica! Not a dumb question at all! And yes, you are right – you add the cake mix dry. The other wet ingredients will moisten it up when you mix everything together. Thanks for asking, and enjoy your cake! 🙂
This is a definite keeper!!! I used all 12 oz of chocolate chips! Can’t wait to make this again!
Will this cake be to be dry
it has never ever turned out too dry for me! just the opposite, actually.
This is the best cake always so moist, just don’t over bake. I use this recipe for lemon and strawberry cakes as well. I have been asked if I sell my cakes haha. I love to bake but I am horrible at decorating cakes. I drizzle frosting on my bunt cakes so they look neat.
The lemon and strawberry cakes sound delicious!
I made this cake tonight for my husband. It was delish!
Hi I’ve never really baked anything before so I really don’t know a lot about ingredients but anways I just want to know what kind of sour cream you used ? Does it matter .. Thanks
Hi Rosa – shouldn’t matter what kind of sour cream you use. I just use a generic Costco brand. 🙂
It’s in the oven…….while baking I was reading all the comments which we’re all informative. I would have sprinkled the powered sugar on the whole cake. I know it is going to be good because licking the spoon it
was soooo good!
Yay! Soooo rich! 🙂
I got this recipe years ago form my Aunt ( I think it’s from pampered chef ) and I do sprinkle the whole top of the cake with powdered sugar. It’s my family’s favorite cake 🙂
Really, really amazing recipe! I tried it out (minus the fudge pudding mix and powdered sugar unfortunately) and it was AMAZINGLY soft and moist: http://www.inmyyellowcardigan.com/2013/09/05/the-secret-life-of-chocolate-bundt-cake/
There is such a clear and distinct taste and texture difference with and without the sour cream it’s uncanny. It was awesome! Thanks for posting this! Also, next time I do believe I’m going to try sprinkling pecans or chopped almond slices into it. Could be another game-changer/enhancer! Thanks for posting this!
Glad it turned out Marissa. Cheers!
My daughter’s birthday is today. Looks like I found a cake to make! She LOVES chocolate!!
One thing I did learn making this cake. You have to make it in a bundt pan only. I tried another pan and because this cake is so heavy it falls in the middle because of weight. But this sure is the best chocolate cake.
Great tip – thank you! I know a few people have asked about using a 9×13, and here’s the answer! And I’d have to agree – this is the best chocolate cake ever!
Thanks!!
Has anybody tried to make this as cupcakes?
I’ve read through the comments. Can you use this recipe for cupcakes?
I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list of things to try! I’ll let you know when I do!
I call this chocolate killer cake. It’s been my son’s favorite for almost 30 years. I use Devil’s Food cake mix. Sometimes we add miniature marshmallows to create a rocky road effect. Yummmmmm.
yum! mini marshmallows sound delicious – can’t wait to try it! thank you!
Can this be used as a frosted cake?? I wanted to use the recipe for a birthday cake, but I saw that you said when sprinkling with powdered sugar to do it last minute as it can make the cake gummy. So, I wondered if frosting it would mess it up as well?
Hi Laurie! With powdered sugar, you want to do it just before serving because the cake is moist and the powder is dry and will start to absorb into the cake. But I think frosting it should be fine – I haven’t frosted it with icing before personally, but it don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Maybe I’ll try doing that next time….
I made this recipe for the first time for Thanksgiving dinner with frosting, and everyone loved it. This cake was super moist and absolutely delicious! No worries about left overs…
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I would think drizzling a little hot fudge over the top before adding nuts would be even better. You know, if you were really just trying to go all out.
YES! I will definitely go “all out” next time I make this – thanks for the suggestion!
Do you change the temperature or time if the Pan is dark?
not that i know of. my pan’s neither light nor dark. but if you do have a dark one, you could always adjust the time and/or temperature and check on it until it’s done. what a great question! sorry i don’t have an exact answer.
Made this last weekend for a family lunch. My husband doesn’t like chocolate so I used lemon cake mix and pudding and white chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious! Even my mother-in-law raved about how good it was. Can’t wait to try the chocolate version!
Just made for Thanksgiving….UH MAZE ING….so moist and incredible. I modified and used reese’s peanut butter chips instead. HEAVENLY
oh, i’ll have to try the reese’s pb chips! that sounds amazing!
I’m going to try this recipie for my boyfriends birthday…It sounds awesome! I’m going to use 2 round cake pans. Should I double this recipie or will one be enough for the two pans? Thanks 🙂
Hi Jamie Lee – I’ve never tried it in two round cake pans before, but my bet would be that a single recipe should be okay…it tends to rise quite a bit in the bundt pan.
What size round pan’s did you use? If I was going to use a square pan do you think a regular 9×13 would work? I’m making this as a birthday cake so kinda want it to look like a more traditional birthday cake. Very excited though! Sounds AWESOME! and with all the positive reviews I can’t wait!
Hi Leslie! I’ve only ever made this cake in a bundt pan, but I would guess that a 9×13 would work? There was another reader who said she was going to try 2 round cake pans – I wonder how it worked out? If you do try a 9×13, I’d be interested in knowing how it went!
I should be trying the 9×13 this week (unless I chicken out and buy a bundt pan!)! I will definitly comment in the results! Thanks for responding!
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear how it went! 🙂
I just stumbled on this on Pinterest. My mom used to make this exact cake too. She got it from her friend Phyllis. I wonder if your MIL and Phylis got the recipe from the same place.
Maybe! Small world if so! Glad you liked it. 🙂
I made this the other night. It was tasty, but not as fudgey as I’d hoped. Not quite sure what I did wrong. Could it have been that I used a fork to mix rather than a beater? Or that I floured the pan rather than spray it? :/
Hi Natasha! Thanks for your comment. I’m not sure what would have happened, though based on what you said, I know that the batter does have to all be incorporated thoroughly, and maybe the extra flour from the pan dried it out a little? It’s hard to say. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
I have found that sifting my dry ingredients tends to help some with that. A few years back my right collarbone was badly broken and it greatly affects my stirring abilities. I don’t have a standing mixer and I rarely use the hand mixer because most of the things I bake I’ve always made by hand because I never had a mixer before so I just don’t think to use it. But when experimenting with some cookie recipes a couple of years ago, I found that sifting my dry ingredients made things turn out better. I carried that over to my cake recipes too and found they turned out better as well regardless of whether I made it from scratch or used a mix. Anyway, just a thought.
Thank you for the great tip, Deborah! I am definitely going to try that! I’m so sorry to hear about your collarbone 🙁
Maybe a bit overbaked? That will make a dry cake as it bakes out the moisture.
This is my husband’s favorite cake. He asks for it every year on his birthday. My aunt used to make it with yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding and chocolate chips. Tastes like a big chocolate chip cookie cake! I’ve made it before with chocolate cake mix and vanilla pudding. Rather than fudgy the cake tastes more like milk chocolate. The combinations are endless!
yum! those sounds great – i’ll have to give them a try! thanks for sharing!
This cake is so easy and soooooo yummy. I have made it many times and everyone who tries it loves it!!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for commenting, Patty!! Glad you like it!
I LOVE this cake!! But instead of 3/4 cup of sour cream I use the whole cup!! Makes it absolutely scrummdiddlyumptious! 🙂 Oh and I use the mini chic chips otherwise they all sink to the bottom of the bundt pant and it gets stuck aghhh mega mess LOL. Thank you for sharing!!
glad you liked it! thanks for commenting!
One of the ways to keep ingredientsfrom sinking is to coat them inflour before you add them.
Thanks for the tip!
Toss you chips in flour (shake off excess) before adding to the mix and they won’t sink!
Great tip, thanks!
Found vintage bundt pan, going to use this recipe today. Have football party. Should go good with pasta. Going to add espresso powder and ganache on top!! Can’t wait!
vintage – i love it!! and ganache would be great on top of this cake. have fun!!
Sounds like fun! Enjoy!
Can I make this using a homemade cake mix not a box mix? My kids don’y like a box mix.
Hmm…good question. I haven’t tried it before, so I don’t know. If you do try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I just made this, still in the oven, but oh my!! It looks delightful. I didn’t have a choc. cake mix, but several yellow mixes, so I added 4 Tbsp. of cocoa (dark) to it and it turned out great…so far. Very easy, having this with some home made coconut ice cream I just made….YUMMMY!!!
coconut ice cream…sounds delicious! lmk how the yellow cake mix + cocoa turned out – i’m really curious! it sounds great! 🙂
Can I add a banana to this recipe. I am looking for a chocolate cake recipe using chocolate cake mix, chocolate chips, bananas sour cream.
I don’t know – I’ve never tried it! If you do try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
i grew up with this cake. My mom made this for every family event. This was over 40 years ago!
Best when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
I too, have only ever used Dunkin Heinz.
it’s a good one! 🙂
Could I add zucchini to this cake or would it be too wet?
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried zucchini in this yet, but it sounds like it would taste amazing! Let me know how it goes if you decide to try it!
Can’t wait to try this. My boys love chocolate bunt cake. I also think you could use a yellow cake mix with vanilla pudding mix and add blueberries!
that sounds delicious! i think i might try that next 🙂
we have been making this cake for years – super easy and moist!! The only difference is that we start with a yellow cake mix – still very chocolately!! With that change you can also make a SUPER coconut bundt cake by substituting coconut for the chocolate chips and coconut pudding for the chocolate pudding. Both are staples at our house!!
Great suggestions – can’t wait to try them!
Delicious, substituted strong black coffee for the water to boost the chocolate flavor, thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it Maureen!
I have been making this recipe for 40+ years. I got it from my friend’s mom when I was about 11 years old back in the 1970’s. I dubbed it the YumYum Cake!….Glad to see it’s still going strong!!
🙂
I don’t like anything chocolate but hubby is a big fan. So I made this for him. I found using half sour cream /half vanilla yogurt
Makes this cake extra moist. I usually substitute half the oil a recipe calls for with yogurt anyway. It isn’t rocket science ,it’s so easy and the difference in the moisture is amazing.
Glad your husband liked it!
Hey I just wanted to know could you use like a strawberry cake mix with maybe vanilla pudding or a completely different combo?
I’ve never tried anything but chocolate, but if you do end up trying a combination like what you suggested, I’d love to know how it turned out!
I’m sorry to say this cake turned out dry and rubbery for me. I don’t understand how a cake can be both dry and rubbery. But it was. I am a seasoned baker, but this really shook my confidence. I took it to a BBQ yesterday, and I took one bite and was embarrassed. I give up on doctored up cake mixes. I think I’ll stick with from-scratch baking and keep looking for a chocolate pound cake recipe that compares in taste and quality to my regular pound cake.
Sorry it didn’t turn out for you like it did for everyone else. Good luck finding another recipe you like!
Love this cake! Have made it several times, do you think the recipe would be okay for cupcakes?
I’ve never tried it for cupcakes! If you do end up trying it, I’d love to know how it turned out!
For the chocolate pudding, can I use jell-o cook and serve pudding and pie filling?
I haven’t tried it with the cook and serve, only with the instant pudding. if you try it out, I’d love to know what you think of the cook and serve!
Do you have to use sour cream in this cake.
I’ve never tried it without, so I don’t know. But the sour cream does make it really moist!!
I was wondering what kind of oil to use? It looks like in your picture it is Canola oil but would vegetable oil work?
Hi Jennifer! Yes, I always use canola oil. My understanding is that canola and vegetable oils are similar or could at least be used in place of each other, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! Thanks for the question.
I found your recipe on Pinterest today. I just took it out of the oven. Lord does it ever smell good in my apartment! It overfilled my bundt pan a tad so when I took it off the baking sheet there was a little round piece of cake on the pan, so I got to try the cake before I’ve even iced it and can testify that it is YUMMY!! I’m going to ice it with a chocolate ganache just because it needs extra calories, lol. Thanks so much for the recipe!
yum, the ganache sounds heavenly! i’m so glad you like the recipe!
I made this cake last night and it was delicious.
Glad you liked it Gracie!
This sounds good, I think I’ll be making on today. What about an icing? I have a hard time imagining a chocolate cake with out one??? Any thoughts on this?
I’ve never put icing on it and we love it just as it is! It really is a smooth, fudgy cake, so you don’t need the icing. But then again, icing never hurt anyone 😉
This is my favorite cake ever. I also make a vanilla version with white chocolate chips and actually like it better. Yummy!!!
Sounds delicious, Donna!
Made this for my fiances bday. It was a hit for sure!! Delicious!! Will definitely make over and over!
Glad you guys enjoyed it Katrina!
Can I make this cake into a double layer?
I’ve never tried it before! Though I don’t see why not!?? If you try it as a double layer, I’d love to know how it went for you!!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe that you can personalize! I just made this cake in a 13×9 pan. I used devil’s food cake & vanilla pudding. After it cooled, I iced with 12oz Cool Whip that I mixed about 10 crushed Oreo cookies into. Sprinkled super crushed Oreo dust on the top for decoration! Amazing! Even better the next day! Definitely needs refrigeration.
that sounds delicious! i’m totally going to try that next time!! thank you!
Do you use a mixer or just hand mix?
You can do either! I prefer either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, but you can certainly do it by hand as well.
This looks great! Do you have a way of checking for doneness? I live in the mountains so most times are off here
I live in the mountains too and it’s always turned out great – I just use a toothpick to check for doneness!
Amazing!!! For reals sooooo yummy! I used a large chocolate pudding box because it’s all I had and it delicious! Thanks for sharing! Will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you love it, Jenny!! Yay for finding a keeper of a recipe!! 🙂
What a beautiful cake! Came out perfect…here are my changes and comments:
Used Pillsbury Triple Chocolate cake mix
Used Godiva Dark Chocolate Instant Pudding mix
I subbed Fage nonfat yogurt for the sour cream (cuz that’s what I had on hand)
I subbed coconut oil for the vegetable oil
I subbed strong brewed coffee for the water – enhances chocolate flavor; does not add coffee flavor (added coconut oil to hot coffee to melt it)
I added 1 tsp vanilla extract
Used a nonstick bundt pan coated with shortening
I baked it for 45mins. which seemed quick to me. This cake bakes quicker than other bundt cakes I have made.
Cooled the cake in the pan for 30 mins then turned over onto cooling rack for additional hour. No sticking!!!!!
As if it wasn’t chocolatey rich already, I topped it with chocolate ganache and served it with whipped topping and fresh rasberries. A delicious show stopper!
Thank you!!!
Awesome. Glad it turned out! 🙂
Katie, just read all the reviews (from 2013 thru 2019) and I must say I cannot wait to make this cake!
My granddaughter celebrates her 38th birthday this weekend and she is going to be over the moon when she tastes it. Never made it before but I can taste it already. Thanks for what must be THE recipe!
Barb Titley
Aw, such a sweet comment, Barb – thank you! I hope you and your granddaughter loved it! 🙂
This has become my new favorite cake!!! Everyone just loves it! Baking one as we speak! Any idea if this cake can be frozen? I need to make one on a Monday for my husband to take to a family event on Friday, since I will be out of town all week. Should I freeze it? Or just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap? Thanks for your advice. And thank you for this fabulous recipe!!!!
I’ve never made it and had it last that long! So I’m really not sure about freezing it, sorry. I’d assume it would be fine, but cannot vouch for the freezing method. I have had leftovers for a day, and I just use plastic wrap or a sealed container.
Do you preheat the oven before placing it in the oven? I ask because a lot of Bundt Cake recipes I use are not preheated and just want to make sure. I am looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving!
Yes, I preheat my oven 🙂 Hope you liked this cake – it’s a favorite at our house. Yum!
This is the best version of this triple chocolate cake I’ve found. Added 3 oz white cake mix to bring to recipe size. White was all I had.
Wonderful! I’ll have to try it with some white cake mix sometime!
This has been my go to cake recipe for years! Thank you for sharing. I’ve changed it over the years occasionally to a vanilla with white chocolate chips, and that was delicious as well! I was wondering, my 4 year old requested this cake but as a frosted, 2 layer type cake. Do you think the batter will work for that? Or could it be too heavy? I’m thinking it would hold up fine, but just wanted to see if you knew for sure!
Ooh, great question! I’ve never tried this as a two-layer cake, but I imagine it would work well! If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out! And I’m going to have to try vanilla with white chocolate chips – thanks for the idea! 🙂
Hi Katie: I noticed in the directions it indicated to “beat the eggs and sour cream together”.
Then, add all the other ingredients and “mix” well.
I am assuming “beat” pertains to an electric stand or hand mixer?
When you say “mix” are you meaning to mix the ingredients by hand with a spatula OR with a electric stand or hand mixer?
I know some recipes can change if you “over mix or over beat” the ingredients.
Thank you!
Lynn
Great question! With this recipe you can do either. I usually “beat” in the remaining ingredients since I already have my stand mixer out, but you can always stir it by hand if you’d like. Hope that helps! Enjoy your cake!
This was great thanks for sharing this recipe. I didnt have the pudding mix and was not going to run out to the store just for that during these times. I did add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking and it was a great addition. I just realized we cant add pics of how our cake turned out lol!
I’m so glad it turned out for you, Rene! Hmm, I’m not sure I know how to enable uploading of pictures of recipes you’ve made, but I love that idea! I will look into it for sure! Thanks for the suggestion!
For everyone who is wondering if this can be made in 2 cake tins : it can! follow the same instructions and use 2 9-in cake pans (like the disposable ones from the grocery store; which is what I used). Bake for 45 minutes as instructed above—works perfectly.
Also 2% Fage greek yogurt works as a substitution for the sour cream—still moist and a little bit lighter cake.
Thank you so much for trying this out and coming back to let us all know! And thanks for the green yogurt tip – I will try it next time!
Your recipe is soo easy yet soo yummy! Since I did not have a chocolate pudding mix, I used what I have in my storage, butterscotch pudding. I also used a rum glaze and poured it over while cooling. It’s soo delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
awesome! i’ll have to try it with the butterscotch pudding sometime! thank you 🙂