This chocolate dump cake is made with only five simple ingredients! Three kinds of rich chocolate, chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding and chocolate chips, result in a decadent moist cake that you just dump in the pan and bake.
More easy cake recipes we love include this death by chocolate poke cake, chocolate molten lava cake and cookie cake recipe!
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Quick and Easy Dessert
This chocolate dump cake is a chocolate lovers dream with a boxed chocolate cake mix, instant chocolate pudding, AND chocolate chips. Yes, 3 different kinds of chocolate in one decadent dessert.
It’s not your classic dump cake made with fruit, like an apple dump cake or peach dump cake. Both are phenomenal, but let’s be honest, they’re no chocolate cake!
This is a chocolate cake recipe that deserves all the applause. It’s right up there with my favorite flourless chocolate cake recipe and better than anything cake!
Chocolate Dump Cake Ingredients
It’s so easy to make and with just 5 minutes of prep time, no bowls needed, and a handful of ingredients, the entire thing is ready to be eaten in under 1 hour!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Boxed chocolate cake mix: If you have homemade cake mix, you can use it. I’m all about keeping this an easy dessert with simple ingredients. Use anything from a plain chocolate cake mix to a devil’s food cake mix. It’s up to you!
- Chocolate pudding mix: Instant pudding starts off as a powder and when combined with milk it turns into a thick creamy pudding. This transformation happens as the cake bakes.
- Whole milk: The higher the fat content in the milk, the thicker the consistency of the cake batter. We want rich chocolate cake after all.
- Salted butter: Melted and cooled ahead of time, this will be poured on top of everything just before baking to add the fat needed to maintain moisture.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the perfect level of sweetness! As much as you might want to add the entire bag of chocolate chips, that may be slightly overboard. The amount listed is perfect.
Substitions and Variations
Dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or toffee chips would make great substitutions.
You can also bring back the fruit idea and turn it into a chocolate cherry dump cake for a twist! Add cherry pie filling to the baking pan before the rest of the ingredients.
How to Make Chocolate Dump Cake
- Sprinkle in the cake and pudding mix. Into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish or pan, pour the dry cake mix and sprinkle the pudding mix on top of the cake mix.
- Pour melted butter overtop. In a small bowl, stir the milk and melted butter together and pour that over the pudding mix. Use a fork to mix or gently whisk until just combined.
- Add chocolate chips and bake. Evenly distribute the chips as the top layer (don’t worry they’ll sink into it and become all melty and yum) and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Cool and serve. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes before diving in. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle caramel sauce on top, or add a dollop of whipped cream.
Expert Tips
- Check the cake box label. Some of them come with pudding in them. Pick one that doesn’t.
- Test for doneness. This can be tricky because of how moist and fudgy this dessert is. Insert a toothpick into the center and it should come out clean. Just be sure to bake as long as directed, but watch for overdoing it.
- Enjoy a piece warm, cool, or cold. You can’t go wrong any which way!
Recipe FAQs
Definitely! Dump the ingredients in as you would the baking dish, then cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
For sure! You just don’t want to overdo it and overpower the batter with the extras. You can sprinkle in some chopped nuts, crushed candy, pieces of a chocolate bar, or even some M&Ms.
Thanks to the pudding, it is quite moist. The chocolate chips add a gooey texture while the cake mix delivers a more traditional cake-like topping. It’s fudgy, rich, and super chocolatey with a variety of textures in every bite.
It gets its name from the idea that you traditionally dump fruit into the pan, cover it with boxed cake mix, and then add butter on top to bake it. The result was a quick and easy dessert, made with few ingredients and budget-friendly, too!
This version replaces the fruit with chocolate and more chocolate. It’s almost like a fudgy homemade brownie, but easier to make!
Serving Suggestions
The rich chocolate flavor of this chocolate pudding dump cake hits the spot every time, and when you’re feeling a little extra indulgent, it tastes great served with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Don’t forget some homemade whipped cream, too!
Storage
Store chocolate dump cake leftovers in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
Looking for more chocolate cake recipes? Don’t miss my homemade German chocolate cake, slow cooker chocolate cake, or chocolate bundt cake recipes.
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Chocolate Dump Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 (18-ounce) box chocolate cake mix
- 1 (5.1-ounce) box chocolate pudding mix
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter , melted and slightly cooled
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
For serving: Vanilla ice cream or Whipped cream, Hot fudge sauce, Caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pour the dry cake mix into the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Sprinkle the pudding mix over the top.
- In a small bowl, stir together the milk and butter. Pour over the pudding mix. Mix with a fork or whisk just until slightly combined.
- Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool at least 5 minutes.
- Best served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Cake + Cupcakes, Christmas, Crockpot, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Reader Favorites, Valentine's Day
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Instant pudding?
Yes, instant pudding is best.
This recipe is a keeper! We all loved it!
This cake is simply divine! thank you so much for sharing this recipe
WOW!! So easy to make and crazy delicious, thanks so much. My chocolate loving family devoured it.
One of my favorite cake desserts! It’s so chocolatey and delightful, the chocolate chips on top are soooo great and yummy. Thanks for this wonderful recipe Jamielyn!
So glad you enjoyed the chocolate dump cake! Perfect for chocolate lovers!
I have never tried this but many years ago, My T Fine cooked pudding had a recipe I made for years when my kids were young. So easy ..cook the pudding, then add the chocolate cake mix, stir, add to 13×9 pan, tip with chocolate chips, nuts, whatever combo, bake. Made a great snack cake. Will try this one soon