Chocolate Dump Cake with Chocolate Pudding — 🤎🙌🏻🍫The EASIEST cake ever because you literally dump just 5 ingredients into the pan, mix them in the pan, and bake! No frosting is needed thanks to the melted chocolate chips on top. The cake is super moist, ooey-gooey, and very chocolaty from chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding, and chocolate chips! Perfect for casual entertaining, birthdays, anniversaries, and more!
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Easy Chocolate Dump Cake Recipe
If you’re looking for the easiest dessert ever with 5 minutes of prep time and only 5 ingredients, this easy dump cake recipe is just for you!
Dump cakes have been around for decades and you may be wondering why they’re called ‘dump cakes’? It’s because you literally dump all the ingredients into the baking dish, mix the cake batter inside the baking pan, and bake it off. No need for extra mixing bowls – gotta love the no-extra-dirty-dishes action here!
You need to love chocolate though since it’s used as a chocolate trifecta in this recipe: chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, and chocolate chips for the win.
Since chocolate chips are sprinkled on top of the cake batter before baking, there’s no need to make frosting later, which is another time saving trick.
The finished cake is so moist because it’s basically like cake is slathered in ooey-gooey chocolate pudding. And then there’s the melty chocolate chips which add both flavor and a bit of texture to the otherwise soft and tender cake.
For supreme decadence, pair freshly made warm cake with a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream drizzled in chocolate sauce!
Ingredients in 5-Ingredient Chocolate Dump Cake
- chocolate cake mix – I am partial to Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix which is 15.25 ounces. Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge and other Betty Crocker chocolate flavor cake mixes tend to be a bit skimpier, around 13.25 ounces so you’ll end up with less cake, which is why I go with Duncan Hines. Use a mix you know you love.
- instant chocolate pudding mix – I use Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding (family size) which comes in a 5.9 ounce box. Other Jello brand pudding mix such as vanilla are slightly smaller. Store brands or other brands may vary in size as well. A few ounces one way or the other won’t affect the outcome of the cake.
- unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- whole milk
- mini semi-sweet chocolate chips – regular sized may be used, or another variety of chips such dark, milk, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make a Chocolate Pudding Dump Cake
- Preheat your oven and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Evenly sprinkle the dry cake mix into the pan and then sprinkle the pudding mix.
- Melt the butter, cool it momentarily, add the milk to the melted butter, and whisk to combine.
- Pour the liquid milk mixture over the dry ingredients in the cake pan and gently whisk to combine wet and dry.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cake batter.
- Bake the cake and serve it warm!
What to Serve with Chocolate Cake
This decadent chocolate cake doesn’t need frosting thanks to the chocolate chips on top. And really does not “need” anything else! Just dig in with a spoon or fork!
However, you can always add:
- whipped topping (Cool Whip), Reddi Whip, or real whipped cream
- ice cream – a scoop of vanilla ice cream is my pick, but any flavor you love should work
- hot fudge or chocolate sauce – if you’re going with ice cream, you may as well go all out and drizzle some on top!
- caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce
Storage Instructions
At Room Temp: This recipe will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. If you like chilled chocolate desserts, go with fridge storage.
In the Freezer: Leftovers will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
This is a quick and easy recipe that takes advantage of store bought boxed cake mix and you need to use it. I can’t say what will happen if you use a homemade version of store bought cake mix (there are recipes online for it). If you don’t have access to store bought cake mix (such as Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, etc.) or are opposed to cake mix, then make one of my other recipes below the recipe card, which are mostly scratch chocolate cakes. I haven’t tried with gluten-free cake mix so can’t say how it would work.
Just as that you need to use cake mix, you also need to use pudding mix. You want INSTANT chocolate pudding mix, not the “cook ‘n stir” variety. You want a bigger box which is approximately 5.1 ounces, not the smaller 3-ish ounce size. I have not tried with sugar-free pudding mix so I can’t say one way or the other how your results will be. Sometimes sugar-free products can get a little weird during baking, so to be safe, I would use regular (full sugar) instant pudding mix.
Yes and yes! If you want to make a vanilla dump cake, use vanilla cake mix and instant vanilla pudding. Or strawberry, lemon, and so forth. Or if you want to try a chocolate cake mix with vanilla pudding, go for it. Really any type of flavor combo that you think will taste good will work out. This recipe is great for creating variations!
Try a chocolate cherry dump cake by using cherry pie filling, make a blueberry dump cake, try peach dump cake, and the list goes on and on. Simply do a quick Google search for these very easy and basic recipes.
I have only made this recipe with whole milk and that’s what I recommend. Many times pudding mixes instruct you to only use cow’s milk because something in the dairy proteins reacts with the mix to create pudding. And since you’re creating a pudding-like mixture with this cake, use whole milk to be safe. I have not experimented with 2% milk either but whole milk provides richness and creates a moist cake so I would just use it and not experiment.
I would not use plant based milks such as soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc. because I have a feeling your cake may not turn out, although I haven’t tested it.
I like using a majority of mini chocolate chips for this recipe rather than regular sized chips. They don’t sink as easily, they melt a bit more, and one bag is 10 ounces. For the remaining 2 ounces, I used regular sized chocolate chips. However, if you only have regular sized chocolate chips, that’s fine.
I recommend semi-sweet chips rather than milk chocolate chips, but it’s up to you.
Want to get creative and use say butterscotch chips, toffee chips, or peanut butter chips, go for it! A handful of nuts such as walnuts or diced pecans is fine too.
In theory, yes. In reality it will be tricky and then what are you doing to do with a half used bag of cake mix and pudding mix? Easier to just make the full recipe and give what you don’t want to friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers. They’ll be happy to take it off your hands!
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Chocolate Dump Cake with Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box devil’s food cake or similar chocolate cake mix*, see Notes
- 5.9 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix*, NOT 'cook and serve', see Notes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 10 ounces mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, regular sized chips may be substituted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13-inch pan very well with cooking spray.
- Evenly sprinkle the cake mix into the pan and then sprinkle the pudding mix over the top; set aside momentarily.
- Melt the butter (about 1 minute in the microwave on high power, or as necessary) and allow it to cool momentarily.
- To a large measuring cup or bowl, add the milk, the cooled butter, and whisk to combine the wet ingredients.
- Slowly and evenly pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the pan.
- Whisk to combine and create a smooth and uniform cake batter, and then smooth it with a spatula to make it flat and neat.
- Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Tip – Use anywhere between 10 to 12 ounces of chips (mini or regular sized). I used a 10 ounce bag of mini chips + about 2 ounces of regular sized because that's what I had on hand and the visual size contrast looks cool I think.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the pan once midway through baking to ensure even baking. Baking Tips – Cake is done when the edges are set, and the center is set and not raw, although it's okay to pull this cake even if the center looks a bit underdone and gooey. It'll firm up a bit as it cools outside of the oven. Plus there are no eggs in this cake to worry about.
- Serve immediately when warm (cold vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce are amazing touches) or serve when it's cooled a bit. Tips – This is a messy cake and don't expect to cut it into neat and precise slices. We dive in with spoons right into the baking pan while it's warm, or use a serving spoon to dollop portions into bowls or plates.
- Storage – I like to store this cake covered in the fridge where it'll keep for up to 5-7 days and serve the leftovers chilled. It'll keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Chocolate cake mix – I am partial to Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Cake Mix which is 15.25 ounces. Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge and other Betty Crocker chocolate flavor cake mixes tend to be a bit skimpier, around 13.25 ounces so you’ll end up with less cake, which is why I go with Duncan Hines. Use a mix you know you love.
- Instant chocolate pudding mix – I use Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding (family size) which comes in a 5.9 ounce box. Other Jello brand pudding mix such as vanilla are slightly smaller. Store brands or other brands may vary in size as well. A few ounces one way or the other won’t affect the outcome of the cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great cake
made this to take to the VFW potluck, everyone loved it
Thanks for letting me know this was a hit at the VFW potluck!
LOVE his recipe but box cake mixes now seem to be 13 ounces
Can this recipe work with that size?
It will more than likely be fine. Cake mixes are funny in that they can vary from brand to brand (Duncan Hines vs. Betty Crocker) and also some flavors have more ounces than other flavors which I have never understood but it’s just how they are. But 13 oz size should be fine.