Chocolate Dump Cake

Chocolate dump cake is as rich and decadent as any other

chocolate cake

you’ve ever had. But with one catch: It’s so much easier. The name nearly gives it away. A dump cake is intended to be

dumped

into the pan, without mixing or stirring, and then it bakes up fluffy and tender on the other side.

This chocolate dump cake is a little different than our other

dump cake recipes

. We actually do want you to do a bit of stirring. The Test Kitchen pros found the final result was worth the extra time to gently mix the ingredients once they’re in the pan. But don’t worry—you don’t need to break out a mixer, just a spoon!

Learn how to make chocolate dump cake. It can be served warm and with ice cream if desired. But if you don’t have ice cream, the whipped cream helps to cut the richness of the chocolate.

Ingredients for Chocolate Dump Cake

The basic formula for chocolate dump cake is 1 box of cake mix + 1 package of pudding mix + 1 quart of milk + 1 stick of butter + 1 bag of chocolate chips. If you can remember that, this recipe will be your back-pocket, go-to dessert from here on.

• 
  Cooking spray:
  
  To coat the baking dish so the cake doesn’t stick.
• 
  Chocolate fudge cake mix:
  
  We used Betty Crocker for our recipe tests, but any brand will work.
• 
  Chocolate instant pudding and pie filling:
  
  Make sure you pick up the instant pudding mix; the cook-and-serve won’t work.
• 
  Whole milk:
  
  Adds moisture to the cake while it bakes so it’s fluffy and fudgy.
• 
  Unsalted butter:
  
  Adds richness and tenderness to the cake.
• 
  Vanilla extract:
  
  This is optional if you’re sticking to the formula above, but we’re always fans of adding vanilla extract to baked goods to help elevates all the flavors.
• 
  Semisweet chocolate chips:
  
  Semisweet chocolate is the right balance of sweet and dark in our book, but you can use your favorite variety, including milk or bittersweet.
• 
  Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream:
  
  For serving.
  
  

How To Make Chocolate Dump Cake

As mentioned before, this recipe for chocolate dump cake strays just a bit from the standard dump cake style, but we think the tiny bit of stirring you’ll do will pay off with a tender, fudgy cake that doesn’t have any dry spots. Here’s a brief outline of the process:

• 
  Step 1. Prepare the baking dish:
  
  Warm up the oven, and spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• 
  Step 2. Add ingredients to dish:
  
  Dump the cake mix and pudding mix in the baking dish.
• 
  Step 3. Melt butter:
  
  In a small bowl or a saucepan, melt the stick of butter and warm the milk, then stir in the vanilla.
• 
  Step 4. Add butter to dry ingredients:
  
  Gently drizzle the melted butter mixture over the dry ingredients, then mix carefully to hydrate the dry mixture. Be sure to break down any large clumps.
• 
  Step 5. Add chocolate chips:
  
  Sprinkle the bag of chocolate chips over the cake batter.
• 
  Step 6. Bake:
  
  Move the cake pan to the preheated oven, and bake until the cake is set around the edges and a few moist crumbs stick to a wooden pick inserted in the center. If wet batter clings to the pick, keep baking.
• 
  Step 7. Serve:
  
  You can let the cake cool completely before serving, or let it rest 15 minutes before spooning into it. Don’t forget the
  
  vanilla ice cream
  
  or
  
  whipped cream
  
  .

How To Store Chocolate Dump Cake

If you have leftovers, this cake is great the next day—but you need to store it properly. Store chocolate dump cake, covered in baking dish, at room temperature for up to three days.

If you make whipped cream, it too can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Just give it a quick re-whip before serving.

Our Tips for the Best Chocolate Dump Cake

The

Southern Living

Test Kitchen tested this recipe a few times to make sure it was absolutely perfect, so you know you can trust the recipe. But here are a few other handy tips worth knowing:

• 
  Skip the heat:
  
  Warming the milk and butter up first helps to avoid any milk fat white spots on top of your decadent chocolate cake. If that doesn’t bother you, then drizzle the milk and vanilla (if using), and mix as instructed. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and cold, unsalted butter that’s been cut into small pieces. Bake as directed.
• 
  Break it up:
  
  When you’re stirring the batter, you want to mix up any large clumps or dry spots. They won’t break down during the baking process.
• 
  Double down:
  
  We recommend white milk in the ingredient list, but you could use chocolate milk instead of white milk for even
  
  more
  
  chocolate flavor.