Featured Recipe

Chocolate Pudding Dump Cake

Name: Chocolate Pudding Dump Cake
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 47 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: Nonstick spray for pan; 1 cup dry Devil's Food cake mix (adjusted from 1 standard box around 15.25 oz); 3/4 cup instant chocolate pudding mix (replace instant with homemade instant pudding powder for cleaner ingredient list); 1 cup whole milk (can swap for half-and-half or strong brewed coffee for depth); 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened, not melted or hot (better for even mixing with milk; swapping salted butter changes sodium levels); 1 small bag semisweet chocolate chips, approx 6 oz (replace with chunks for more melty pockets or white chocolate for twist)

By Kate

Created on 21 January 2026

A quick, layered chocolate dump cake that relies on boxed cake mix and instant pudding. Butter and milk blend to moisten the dry layers. Chocolate chips scatter atop to melt into pockets of gooey richness. Baked in a 9x13 pan until bubbling and crusty edges form. Requires no mixer or complicated steps. Uses pantry staples. Easy to tweak with different cake mixes or switch milk for coffee to deepen flavor. Watch for bubbling along edges and a crust that springs back with a gentle press as doneness cues. Room for improvisation but fundamentals stay firm.

Prep: 7 min

Cook: 40 min

Total: 47 min

Serves: 12 servings

dessert chocolate easy baking comfort food

Introduction

Chocolate cake mixes are cheats that don’t have to taste like shortcuts. Mix that box with pudding? Instant upgrade. Butter and milk—not hot—make a batter that’s part liquid, part dry, assembling the layers. Chocolate chips melt all bubbly on top, inviting you to dig in right out of the oven. Focus on hearing the sides bubble, smelling the chocolate-rich steam hit the air, watching that top crust shift from matte to shiny with baked gloss. The real trick? Resisting opening the oven too much and counting on tactile clues for timing. No fancy gadgets, just knowing when it’s right. Swap your milk if you want deeper flavor, fold in nuts or even espresso. Cook times flex, trust visual cues and springy touch. Not a precise science, more an intuitive bake.

Ingredients

Nonstick spray for pan

1 cup dry Devil's Food cake mix (adjusted from 1 standard box around 15.25 oz)

3/4 cup instant chocolate pudding mix (replace instant with homemade instant pudding powder for cleaner ingredient list)

1 cup whole milk (can swap for half-and-half or strong brewed coffee for depth)

6 tbsp unsalted butter softened, not melted or hot (better for even mixing with milk; swapping salted butter changes sodium levels)

1 small bag semisweet chocolate chips, approx 6 oz (replace with chunks for more melty pockets or white chocolate for twist)

About the ingredients

Go for a quality Devil’s Food mix—cheap mixes taste artificial and dry. Instant pudding mix works best if fresh; stale pudding powder can give off stale aromas and clump weirdly. Butter needs to be softened but not melted to blend smoothly with milk; hot fat causes curdling which fractures the liquid layer, uneven bake. Milk is best whole or half-and-half; skim thins the batter and changes texture. Consider swapping milk for cooled espresso or brew to boost chocolate depth but be aware of added bitterness; adjust sugar accordingly. Chocolate chips or chunks matter—chips keep structure, chunks create gooey pockets but risk sinking if too heavy. Nonstick spray aids clean release but buttering pan with parchment also works, especially if nonstick spray is low quality or absent.

Method

Preheat oven to 355°F (explanation: slight bump helps browning without burning chocolate). Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray, cover bottom evenly.

Scatter dry cake mix evenly across bottom, don’t press or cover; gives structure to crust.

Evenly distribute instant pudding mix over cake layer; no stirring here needed—dry layers must remain separate for texture differentiation.

Combine room-temp milk with softened butter. Avoid hot butter to prevent curdling or separating; mix gently with a whisk until homogenous but don’t overbeat—too much air means quicker drying while baking.

Pour milk-butter mixture evenly over dry layers. Try to cover entire surface; use a whisk to swirl gently, just enough to slightly incorporate but maintain distinct patches so cake bakes with light/dense zones.

Top everything with chocolate chips, scatter in a single uniform layer. This melts into dense spots but prevents clumping.

Place dish in oven, aim for center rack. Bake 35-40 minutes until edges bubble intensely, top forms a set crust with golden tones. Insert toothpick in center—sticky crumbs but no liquid batter signals done. You want the crust to spring back lightly when pressed.

Remove from oven and let stand 10-15 minutes. Hot is good, but steaming too long can collapse crust. Serve warm with cold ice cream or whipped cream to contrast temperatures.

Technique Tips

Preheat oven before you start layering—temperature stability matters for crust development. Spraying the pan liberally prevents sticking on the bottom edges where fruit or sugar tends to caramelize. Do not stir dry ingredients together; layering dry cake mix under pudding powder retains layering that helps create distinct spongy vs dense textures. When combining milk and butter, whisk gently until uniform but don’t aerate too much; over-whisking introduces air, leading to a brittle cake crust. Pouring the mix evenly is crucial—spotty coverage leads to uneven rise. Lightly swirling batter encourages some blending without homogenizing—tries a knife tip technique or gentle circle motion. Bake uncovered; moisture is needed to escape for crust formation. Don’t rely strictly on time—watch for bubbling edges and crust elasticity. Allow resting time after baking for residual heat to finish setting and to avoid collapsing the top crust.

Chef's Notes

💡 Layering dry ingredients right; don't mix. Cake mix first for structure, pudding on top for gooeyness. Keeps textures distinct—light spongy and dense pockets.
💡 Milk needs room temp. Cold or hot butter ruins blend. Softened helps incorporate evenly without clumping. Whisk gently; too much air dries out cake.
💡 Chocolate chips or chunks? Chips keep structure; chunks melt for gooey spots. Dusting chips with flour helps them stay afloat in the batter.
💡 Check for visual cues as you bake. Bubbly edges are a must; crust springs back to light pressure. Don't stab too soon with toothpick that ruins crust.
💡 Resting time matters. Cool for 10-15 minutes for crust to settle. Serve warm, contrast with cold whipped cream or ice cream. Layer textures, temperatures.