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–+ servings

Upgraded Boxed Cake

Diner-StyleOvenVegetarian
Time :50 minutes
Yield :8 servings
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Rich and moist homemade chocolate cake slice on a crystal dessert plate with a whole cake in the background. Perfect for chocolate lovers, featuring decadent frosting, cocoa flavor, and a moist crumb.

The Scoop

This upgraded chocolate cake is the ultimate gaslighting tool for your next party!
Instead of spending hours measuring flour and praying to the baking gods, you are taking a humble box of cake mix and aggressively upgrading it with a few high-fat dairy products and pantry staples.
The real chef's kiss?
A splash of strong brewed coffee, which unlocks a deep, expensive-tasting chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like espresso. Throw in some mini chocolate chips, bake it, and slap on some fudge frosting.
Your friends will genuinely believe you ordered this from a boutique bakery, and you can just smile and let them think that...
Hack it:
Add a handful of chopped chocolate, dark chocolate chunks, or extra cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor.
Switch up the flavor: Use vanilla pudding mix with a vanilla cake mix or try cheesecake pudding with strawberry cake for a fun twist.
Bake the cake in three thinner pans and add frosting between each layer for a professional-looking dessert.
Brush cooled cake layers with simple syrup before frosting to keep every bite tender.
Leftovers:
Make cake pops: Crumble leftover cake, mix with a little frosting, roll into balls, and dip in melted chocolate.
Layer cake pieces with whipped cream, pudding, berries, or chocolate sauce in glasses for an easy fancy treat.
Turn it into ice cream cake: Layer slices of leftover cake with softened ice cream and freeze until firm.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15.25-ounce) box chocolate cake mix
  • 1 (3.9-ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 3/4 cup strong coffee, brewed then cooled
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • fudge frosting, to taste, store-bought or homemade

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Prepare two 8-inch round pans by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper.
  • Stir together the cake mix, the pudding mix, the eggs, the egg yolk, and the butter.
  • Whisk the coffee, the sour cream, and the vanilla into the cake batter.
  • Fold the chocolate chips into the cake batter.
  • Evenly divide the cake batter between the prepared baking pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, about 30-34 minutes.
  • Let the cakes cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
  • Transfer the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely.
  • Frost the cakes with the fudge frosting.
  • Serve.
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