Chocolate Pudding Cake with Pudding Mix

This chocolate pudding cake is easy to make with cake mix and pudding mix. It’s incredibly rich and fudgy. Chocolate chips give it a wonderful topping so there’s no need for frosting.

overhead view of chocolate pudding cake with chocolate chips.


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Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Pudding

This is a delicious and easy-to-make chocolate cake using a box of cake mix and a box of chocolate cook and serve pudding (not the instant kind). The final touch is a topping of chocolate chips to give you a wonderfully rich, chocolatey cake.

When served warm, this chocolate pudding cake recipe with cake mix is absolutely perfect because of the wonderful melty chocolate on top. This recipe is for you if you absolutely can’t resist decadent chocolate cakes.

What is a Pudding Cake?

A pudding cake is a chocolate cake that is self-saucing – no frosting needed! When the cake is baking, a fudgy pudding-like sauce is formed beneath the cake layer.

It’s actually two desserts in one – a chocolate cake on top with a rich chocolate pudding underneath.

What Makes This the Best Chocolate Cake With Pudding Mix

The triple layers of chocolate really set this cake apart from other chocolate cakes. This chocolate pudding cake recipe is probably the easiest way to make chocolate cake there is.

Using only four ingredients, you’ll get the best-tasting chocolate cake you’ve ever had. This gooey chocolate pudding cake is so simple to make and so moist it will just melt in your mouth. You don’t even need a mixing bowl!

It’s not exaggerating to claim that this chocolate pudding cake recipe will give you the best chocolate cake ever. You get a chocolate cake that’s rich and perfectly moist, like a hot fudge pudding cake. Your friends and family will beg you for the recipe, and, if you don’t let on, they’ll never know that it’s actually an easy cake mix hack!

Ingredients You Need to Make Chocolate Cake With Pudding

This chocolate pudding cake recipe is very easy to make with four very simple ingredients:

  • Chocolate Pudding Mix (Cook and Serve) 
  • Chocolate Cake Mix
  • Milk
  • Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

You can use Duncan Hines to make Duncan Hines chocolate pudding cake or your favorite chocolate cake mix.

For a gluten-free version, use a boxed cake mix with gluten free flour to make the batter.

chocolate pudding cake ingredients.

How to Make This Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe With Cake Mix

This chocolate cake recipe with pudding mix couldn’t be easier to make. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. Combine the milk and pudding and cook and stir or whisk occasionally until thick.
chocolate pudding in a saucepan.
  1. Add the cake mix to the pudding mixture and mix well with a whisk or spoon.
whisking chocolate cake mix into chocolate pudding.
  1. Pour the cake batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
chocolate pudding cake batter in a baking dish.
  1. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter.
chocolate chips sprinkled over chocolate pudding cake batter.
  1. Bake for approximately 20 minutes in a 350°F oven.
baked chocolate pudding cake with chocolate chips in a baking dish.

CopyKat Tip: Lining the sides and bottom of pan with aluminum foil makes removing the baked cake from the pan easier.

How to Serve Chocolate Pudding Cake

When this cake comes out of the oven, you will want to serve it on plates or in dessert dishes with either a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or in a pinch, Cool Whip will work. Either topping will work just fine.

If for some reason you do not finish this cake in one sitting, I suggest that you warm the cake in the microwave the second time you serve this cake.

chocolate pudding cake slice on a cake server.

Recipe Variations

This recipe is for a rich, moist chocolate cake with pudding. However, you can try some variations if you want. Here are a few ideas:

  • Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter for an extra rich flavor.
  • If you like nuts on your cake, add some finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the chocolate chips.
  • Drizzle hot fudge sauce over the top.
  • Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the batter for a slight caramel flavor on top.
  • Dust lightly with some unsweetened cocoa powder for garnish.
  • Dress your chocolate cake up by adding a few berries or some sprinkles on top.
  • Substitute peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips (or mix them up).
  • Try it with vanilla pudding and a lemon or orange cake mix with white chocolate chips.
  • Make it with a yellow cake mix with butterscotch pudding and butterscotch chips.
  • If you want, you can make the recipe as cupcakes. Be sure to use cupcake liners.

Want to use a square baking pan? You’ll need to use two 8-inch ones.

How to Store Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake

Store leftover cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container – it will be good for 3 to 4 days. This chocolate cake with pudding is delicious when served cold. But if you want to reheat, simply pop a slice or two in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and it’ll be nice and gooey again. 

Freezing can extend the storage life of your pudding cake for up to 3months. However, be aware that the texture of the cake may change somewhat once it has thawed.

I hope you enjoy this delicious chocolate dessert! Now if you have read this far, be sure to subscribe to my free newsletter and don’t miss out on the next recipe.

chocolate pudding slice on a plate in front of the cake.

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overhead view of chocolate pudding cake with chocolate chips.

Chocolate Pudding Cake with Pudding Mix

You can make a rich chocolate cake with chocolate cake mix, pudding mix, and chocolate chips.
5 from 18 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate, Chocolate cake, Chocolate pudding cake
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 476kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 5-ounce box cook & serve chocolate pudding
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 15.25 ounce box chocolate cake mix
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk and pudding cook until thick, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
  • Add cake mix and mix well.
  • Pour the batter into a 9×13-inch pan.
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes. When it's done the cake will be shiny and will pull away from sides of pan.

Notes

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 4.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Luke A

    Have you ever tried cooking it in a loaf pan? I grew up in the Chicago area ordering these from Market Day at school and they always came single slice wrapped in the loaf pan shape. Now out in Colorado I would love to recreate exactly the same thing from my childhood for my kids but I assume the cooking temp/time would be very different in a loaf pan vs. the 13×9.

    • Stephanie Manley

      I have not tried cooking these in a loaf pan. The temperature would be the same, the cooking time would be different. I think you could divide this into 2 loaf pans, but honestly without cooking it, I couldn’t give you an exact time to bake this at, I would guess with 35 to 45 minutes.

  2. Lisa Davies

    5 stars
    I have made this cake recipe for years as it came out of an old 60’s Betty Crocker cakes and frosting cookbook. Never used instant pudding. It has been a family favorite for years. We like to add chpped walnuts to the top along with the chocolate chips. This cake travels well too for potlucks or ? Great cake!

    • Diane

      Could you share what the name of the recipe is in the Betty Crocker Cakes and Frosting Cookbook? I was not able to find it. I never really had a recipe for this was just told make the pudding and add the cake mix so I used 3 cups.

  3. Sandee

    5 stars
    A 5 oz box of pudding does need 3 cups of milk according to the directions to make pudding. A 3.5 oz box has 3 cups do I agree I think if using a 5 oz box, use 3 cups. I made it with 3 cups and it was gooey but not difficult to spread in the pan at all as mentioned above. Thanks for the tip about the chocolate chips being over powering. I just sprinkled a handful on top not the entire bag and it came out perfect. Simple and delicious!

  4. Angelique

    I made this recipe as it calls for and the cake part is good and we loved it but the semisweet chocolate overpowered it. Good with vanilla ice cream,

  5. Andrea_lynn362008

    5 stars
    This cake came out extremely moist and tasty. Family loved it and they didn’t miss the frosting. Only one thing about this recipe is that the batter comes out very thick, almost impossible to work with and very hard to spread in the pan. The pudding mix calls for 3 cups of milk. So I am wondering if maybe this recipe should have said 3. I would appreciate any feedback.

    • Stephanie

      The box of pudding mix that I used required only 2 cups of milk. You are right, the mix is very thick, but I believe this was the intent of the recipe.

    • LISA

      I have made this cake a lot but in my recipe I put the amount of oil that the cake originally calls for. And then add 2 cups of milk with the pudding.

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