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Our family loves this recipe for easy chocolate cake! This box mix chocolate cake is super moist and chocolate-y because of the added buttermilk and cocoa powder, our recipe doesn’t call for pudding mix or coffee! Learn our cake mix hacks for how to make a box cake taste homemade.

slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate curls on white plate
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I’m a fan of box cake mix recipes probably just as much as you are! They are super quick and convenient. 

I wanted to share this recipe because I know many of us don’t have lots of free time to be spending in the kitchen, but when you make something, you want it to taste good, right?

This easy chocolate cake recipe is perfect for all of us who like the ease of a box mix, but maybe want to doctor up the cake mix for more of a homemade taste. Plus, I feel that this doctored up version of a chocolate cake comes together just as quick as the box mix because you can still put everything into one bowl and beat it together.

slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate curls on white plate

What is an Easy Chocolate Cake?

I consider an easy cake to be one that starts with a box mix. Box cake mixes are great and very handy, plus they can be transformed into bakery style cakes with a few extra ingredients. You are essentially doctoring up a cake mix with a few cake mix hacks. 

How to Make a Box Cake Taste Homemade

It’s all about adding ingredients to the cake mix to give the cake better texture & taste.

Adding additional dry ingredients to the cake mix like flour, sugar and cocoa powder will improve the structure and texture of the cake.

Adding buttermilk will ensure your cake turns out incredibly moist. Plus the acid in the buttermilk punches up the chocolate flavor.

Adding additional eggs enhances the flavor and fluffiness of the cake.

Use butter in place of oil. Butter has more flavor than oil and improves the texture of the cake.

Easy Chocolate Cake Ingredients

  • buttermilk: adds moisture & fat 
  • melted butter: adds moisture & fat 
  • eggs: binds the cake together by providing structure 
  • vanilla extract: adds that classic vanilla flavor
  • 1 box of devil’s food cake mix
  • sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
  • all purpose flour: adds structure 
  • cocoa powder: intensifies the chocolate flavor 
slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate curls on white plate

How to make Box Chocolate Cake Recipe

For this recipe you’ll want to use a 15.25 oz box of Duncan Hines devil’s food or chocolate cake mix. I know some boxes out there are 18.25 oz, so be sure you’re getting the right size. 

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cake mix, sugar, flour and cocoa powder, beat with an electric mixer until combined, 1-2 minutes.
  2. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding frosting.

What Brand of Cake Mix to Use

I prefer Duncan Hines cake mixes, as do a lot of food bloggers, plus Wilton recommends Duncan Hines brand and Wilton is a cake powerhouse, so I trust their opinion. 

2 pieces of chocolate cake side by side on white background

Cake Mix vs. Doctored Up Cake Mix Comparison

The above image compares 2 pieces of cake – the one on the left is a chocolate cake mix, following the directions on the back of the box and the one on the right is our recipe for easy chocolate cake using a box mix.

You can see that the left one is pretty airy and spongy compared to the right one. The doctored up version (right) is incredibly moist and it’s more dense and rich, like a homemade cake would be. The doctored up one also has a deeper chocolate flavor.

How To Make Doctored Up Chocolate Cake Without Pudding or Coffee

The big thing for me when coming up with this recipe was I didn’t want to use pudding mix or coffee as elements to doctor up the cake mix.

Why?

There are already a lot of doctored up cake recipes out there that use those things. Plus, a common thing I saw people asking was “What can I use in place of the pudding/coffee?” So we’re bringing you a recipe that doesn’t use those items.

To make a doctored up chocolate cake you need to start with a high quality box of cake mix.

Then we added buttermilk and melted butter to increase the moisture and fat content and additional cocoa powder to amp up the chocolate flavor. 

slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate curls on white plate

How to Make Easy Chocolate Curls

My secret for making easy chocolate curls is to get a Hershey’s bar and use a vegetable peeler to make curls, it’s so simple! Be sure to hold the chocolate bar on the wrapper so the heat from your fingers doesn’t leave imprints on the chocolate bar. 

Frostings to Pair with Chocolate Cake

Looking for a doctored up white cake mix recipe?

4.43 from 271 ratings

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Easy Chocolate Cake

By: Beth
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Our family loves this recipe for easy chocolate cake! This box mix chocolate cake is super moist and chocolate-y because of the added buttermilk and cocoa powder, our recipe doesn’t call for pudding mix or coffee! Learn our cake mix hacks for how to make a box cake taste homemade.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted, 1/2 cup
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 box devil’s food cake mix, 15.25 oz
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate Frosting

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • cup cocoa powder
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • dash milk if frosting becomes too thick

Instructions 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350º F.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, devil’s food cake mix, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder, beat with an electric mixer until combined, 1-2 minutes.
  • Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

  • Place room temperature unsalted butter in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium and beat the butter for 1 minute, until whipped and fluffy. 
  • Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat again on low for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until everything is incorporated. 
  • If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or heavy cream, and beat until creamy. 
  • Spread on top of the cooled cake, add chocolate curls if desired. My secret for making easy chocolate curls is to get a hershey’s bar and use a vegetable peeler to make curls, it’s so simple! Be sure to hold the chocolate bar on the wrapper so the heat from your fingers doesn’t leave imprints on the chocolate bar. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 508IU | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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About Beth

I believe that everyone should have a go-to dessert to bring to parties! With hundreds of recipes, I'll help you find yours!

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62 Comments

  1. I recently made this cake recipe and followed your instructions exactly. I did add 1/3 cup of coffee. The cake was moist and delicious. I used your buttercream icing but without chocolate. It too was delicious. Thank you for this recipe using the smaller cake mix size. I will be making this again.
    Nancy

  2. Unfortunately, I was so excited to make this that I picked up a Betty Crocker Super Moist Devil’s Food cake mix instead of Duncan Hines! :( Will an already moist cake mix still be ok to follow this recipe? I would like to make this asap for a birthday dinner.

  3. While it turned out fine, I found that with all the additions to a boxed cake mix (sugar, flour, cocoa, buttermilk, vanilla) beyond the usual cake mix additions, you can just as easily make a better chocolate cake from scratch.

    1. Hi Rachel! I always use unsalted butter – but it’s a personal preference!

    2. It truly is personal preference! I really enjoy the tiny bit of salt to cut the sweetness in a super sweet chocolate frosting, while others have to watch their sodium intake or just dont care for it. Do whatever suits you and your family as its delicious either way.

    1. Hi Sandra! Hmmm.. this is just a guess because I haven’t tried it myself, but I would probably double the recipe. That would give you plenty of batter for three 8 inch pans – probably even a little too much batter, maybe enough to make a fourth 8 inch pan!

  4. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, since staying at home, I am stuck and with these, I am able to make a delicious and moist cake for my teen girl. 

    1. Hi Leonda – adding the additional flour helps to improve the structure of the cake. It is crucial in our recipe.