How to Make 4-Ingredient Chocolate Dump Cake
Updated: Nov. 14, 2022
This chocolate dump cake fits right in with busy schedules—it requires no sifting, whisking or decorating. Just dump, stir, bake and serve this decadent dessert.
There are quite a few desserts that start with a box of chocolate cake mix, and this chocolate dump cake is no different. The best part about this super rich cake is that it doesn’t require much effort. There’s no cracking eggs and measuring out sugar and baking powder and shortening. You simply layer your ingredients into a cake pan, give everything a quick stir, and bake until set.
Not only does this cake require very little effort, but this recipe also calls for only four ingredients and will be ready to pop in the oven faster than the oven can preheat. It’s a great dessert to bake when you don’t have flour.
A lot of the dump cake recipes we love don’t require stirring, but this recipe does. This is so that the milk can mix consistently throughout the instant pudding and cake mix and will leave no powdery bits at the top of your cake. We promise it’s worth the extra bit of effort.
Once your cake is done baking, it will definitely be rich enough to serve alone, or you can top it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Of course, chocolate ice cream is always an option too. When a chocolate craving hits, it’s hard to resist!
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How to make chocolate dump cake
This recipe yields 12 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 2 cups 2% milk
Directions
Step 1: Prep the pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
Step 2: Layer the ingredients
Evenly sprinkle dry cake mix into the dish and then layer that with dry pudding mix. Top those two layers with 1-3/4 cup chocolate chips, and drizzle milk over the top of the chocolate chip layer.
Step 3: Gently stir
Stir to combine everything. The mixture will look thick and lumpy. Sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over the top of the combined ingredients.
Step 4: Bake
Bake your chocolate dump cake until the top appears set and the edges pull away from the dish, about 35–40 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.
Tips for making chocolate dump cake
- You can make chocolate dump cake your own by using your favorite chocolate cake mix. The recipe also calls for semisweet chocolate chips, but you can change that based on preference too. Try milk chocolate chips for a sweeter taste, or 72% cacao dark chocolate chips for a richer taste.
- We love a good mash-up of dump cakes and candy. If you want to take this chocolate dump cake into Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup territory, top it with creamy peanut butter instead of ice cream.
- While this cake is best served fresh, leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you don’t want to enjoy it chilled, warm it up in the microwave for that fresh-baked effect. If you’d like to freeze your chocolate dump cake, cut it into serving sized portions before freezing.
