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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Death by Chocolate Dump Cake

    Modified: May 9, 2025 · Published: Jun 24, 2015 by Kristin · This post may contain affiliate links. · 98 Comments

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    Death by Chocolate Dump Cake is a decadent dessert that combines rich chocolate flavor with the ease and convenience of a “dump” cake recipe. Using only 5 ingredients, this cake is quick to prepare and a sweet tooth favorite for the serious chocolate lover!

    chocolate packed dump cake ready using only 5 ingredients

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    This past week, I was in the mood for something quick, easy, and full of chocolate yumminess!

    After dumping a few ingredients together, this cake was created and AMAZING!

    Jump to:
    • Incredibly moist, full of chocolate, and simple to make; this dump cake is a winner!
    • Ingredients Needed for this Death by Chocolate Dump Cake:
    • How to prepare:
    • Love chocolate? Check out these other great recipes:
    • Death by Chocolate Dump Cake

    Incredibly moist, full of chocolate, and simple to make; this dump cake is a winner!

    Each of my kids had a small piece after dinner and went crazy over it. Yes, kids are bound to go crazy over just about any dessert, but they ALL really enjoyed this!

    My hubby and I add a small scoop of ice-cream to ours and thoroughly enjoyed this sweet treat!

    This recipe makes a full 9×13 baking pan, so its plenty big to bring to any gathering as well!

    moist chocolate cake made using minimal ingredients

     

    Ingredients Needed for this Death by Chocolate Dump Cake:

    • 1 box chocolate cake mix
    • 1 small box chocolate pudding (instant)
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
    • 1 ½ cups chocolate chips (any type desired works great)

    all the ingredients needed for death by chocolate dump cake

    How to prepare:

    1. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
    2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, chocolate pudding, and cocoa powder.
    3. Add in the milk and stir until just combined.
    4. Pour batter into the greased baking pan.
    5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cake evenly.
    6. Place pan in a preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

    chocolate cake made for the serious chocolate lover.

     

    Love chocolate? Check out these other great recipes:

    Death by Chocolate Peanut Butter Dump Cake

    Chocolate Overload Trifle

    Incredible Chocolate Cookies

    Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

    only 5 ingredients needed to make this moist cake

    Want to save this recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
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    Death by Chocolate Dump Cake

    Recipe by: Kristin
    Death by Chocolate Dump Cake is a sweet tooth for the serious chocolate lover! Using only 5 ingredients, this is quick to prepare!
    3.97 from 186 votes
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 12
    Calories 305 kcal

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowls
    • 9x13 baking pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 box chocolate cake mix
    • 1 box Instant Chocolate Pudding *small box
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
    • 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

    Instructions
     

    • Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
    • In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, chocolate pudding, and cocoa powder.
    • Add in the milk and stir until just combined.
    • Pour batter into the greased baking pan.
    • Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the cake evenly.
    • Place pan in a preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
    • Remove from oven and enjoy!!

    Notes

    Recipe from: Maria’s Mixing Bowl

    Nutrition

    Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 344mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 1gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 116IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @TheCookinChicks or tag #TheCookinChicks!

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      Hawaiian Dream Cake
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      Blueberry Dump Cake
    • a bite taken out of a shortcut cookie.
      Shortcut Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
    • a baked Bisquick Coffee Cake in a metal pan.
      Bisquick Coffee Cake
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    Comments

    1. Jennifer L. Martino says

      March 18, 2025 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      made this and it was delicious!! super easy and tasty. I added in coconut flakes and chocolate chips in the batter, in addition to chocolate chips on top. The amount of milk was a little too much, I used 1.75ish cups .
      Want to make it again and try different things, maybe nuts instead of coconut.
      thank you!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        March 19, 2025 at 11:21 am

        Yay!! So glad you enjoyed and LOVE the idea of coconut!! I will need to try that too!

        Reply
        • Carol says

          March 24, 2025 at 8:47 pm

          Since cake mix sizes are no longer standard, what size (ounces) works best for this recipe?

        • Kristin says

          March 25, 2025 at 9:57 am

          I use the 15.25 ounce boxes, however, I do know that a few others have used the 13.25 oz with success! Enjoy!

      • Hilda Sinke says

        April 01, 2025 at 7:16 am

        5 stars
        My husband went crazy over this cake! He ate a whole row in one sitting and asked if we had any vanilla ice cream! I love that it doesn’t take so many eggs since they are so expensive now!

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          April 01, 2025 at 11:06 am

          Yay!! So glad it was enjoyed! It’s one of my favorite desserts!

    2. Eileen says

      January 15, 2025 at 5:43 pm

      5 stars
      This cake is out of this world. Thank you for sharing. You posted a brownie recipe using powdered milk. What was the brand of milk you recommended?

      Thank you , Eileen

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        January 16, 2025 at 10:15 am

        Yay! So glad you enjoyed! As for powdered milk, I typically purchase store brand, in my case, Kroger! Any brand works! Enjoy!

        Reply
    3. Patty says

      December 19, 2024 at 4:57 pm

      I’m 74 years old and my Mother used to make this for us kids, evidently her set were more sophisticated. I digress, one Saturday night a friend of hers arrived early and came into the kitchen and this cake was on the table half eaten and she took a bite . She raved about the cake and asked that it be served after dinner with vanilla ice cream.
      I haven’t seen this recipe in that many years. Thank you for the memories and a great cake recipe.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        December 20, 2024 at 10:05 am

        Awww, my pleasure! Love a good classic recipe! Merry Christmas!

        Reply
    4. E Lucia says

      September 08, 2024 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      I’m not one for leaving comments, but this was amazing. I am not one for overly sweet cakes or cakes with frosting. This is what I have been looking for. Perfect balance of sweet and no frosting needed. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        September 09, 2024 at 10:52 am

        Yay!! Love hearing this! Definitely one of my favorite cakes too!!

        Reply
    5. Sherrill Cross says

      July 15, 2024 at 6:38 pm

      I am 76 and have been baking for many years and am planning on trying this tomorrow. I went through all of the comments to make sure I read all right.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        July 16, 2024 at 10:34 am

        Yay!! Hope you enjoy! Keep me posted what you think!

        Reply
    6. Ellen says

      June 22, 2024 at 5:38 am

      Can this be made with almond milk,and would you use the same amount?

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        June 23, 2024 at 10:01 am

        That should work great and yes, same amount! Keep me posted what you think! Enjoy!

        Reply
    7. Renee says

      April 07, 2024 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      I was so skeptical about this recipe but it was so moist and yummy! I absolutely loved it. I baked mine for 25 minutes and it was perfect!! I didn’t change the recipe at all. I’m anxious to try different flavor combinations. This is a keeper!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        April 07, 2024 at 11:23 am

        Yay!! Love hearing this! I love adding peanut butter chips for a chocolate peanut butter flavor throughout!

        Reply
      • Cyndy Lanham says

        October 17, 2024 at 8:59 am

        am I reading this right? no eggs or oil in the cake mix?
        just making certain, I hate wasting ingredients! enjoy your day.

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          October 17, 2024 at 10:43 am

          Yep, that is correct!! It only uses the cake mix! Hope you enjoy, its a favorite in my house!

    8. Hallie says

      October 31, 2023 at 6:59 am

      What can I tip it with? Drizzle a topping? Make a frosting? Any ideas??

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        October 31, 2023 at 12:05 pm

        My daughter has made this and used chocolate frosting on top. Another tasty idea is to simply pour chocolate chips on top when it comes out of the oven. They will melt and can be spread into a coating that hardens a bit and adds a great chocolate addition. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Carol says

          May 15, 2024 at 10:07 pm

          5 stars
          I made this and love it. My husband thought it was similar to a brownie. It was that moist. Definitely a “keeper” recipe, soooo easy.

        • Kristin says

          May 16, 2024 at 10:44 am

          Yay!! Love hearing this!!!

    9. Eunice Edwards says

      April 03, 2022 at 11:43 am

      The recipe is listed as chocolate peanut butter dump cake, but no peanut butter is listed. Was this a mistake in the title?

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        April 04, 2022 at 8:38 am

        This one is a chocolate dump cake! You may have seen the link for my peanut butter version as well, which is this one, https://thecookinchicks.com/death-by-chocolate-peanut-butter-dump-cake/

        Reply
    10. Vicki says

      September 06, 2021 at 4:59 pm

      I accidently picked-up brownie mix. Can this be made by making cake like brownies & poking holes in it? I would follow the directions for the rest of the recipe.

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        September 07, 2021 at 8:52 am

        Hmmm, good question! I haven’t personally tried it, but if I were to do that, I would use just the brownie mix and continue instructions as though it were cake mix. Brownies can be a bit more dense, so I am not 100% positive it would be the same, but should be close! Keep me posted!

        Reply
        • Pam Jones says

          June 22, 2024 at 3:04 pm

          5 stars
          I am diabetic but this recipe sounded so good. First I used a zero sugar cake mix. I used a sugar free pudding. I used unsweet almond milk and lower sugar chocolate chips. Baked as you stated. It came out so good! Now to stop from eating it all !

        • Kristin says

          June 23, 2024 at 10:02 am

          Yay!! Love hearing that and love the changes you made to make it diabetic friendly. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!

    11. Susan says

      May 03, 2021 at 5:47 pm

      5 stars
      I have made many dump cakes. If your cake mix already has pudding in the mix it is fine to add the powdered pudding mix. If you want to add a can of pie filling, either spread it on the bottom of your cake pan or mix it in with the other ingredients. If the batter seems too thick add a little more milk, 1/4 C at a time. This recipe seems fine, it does not need tweaking. Sometimes a recipe needs a little help, but this one is perfect!

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        May 04, 2021 at 8:10 am

        Aww thanks for the kind words and great tips!!

        Reply
    12. Sandra says

      April 14, 2021 at 3:04 pm

      1 star
      This was the worst recipe I have ever tried ! I have been baking for over 60 years and decided to give this a try. YUCK, terrible, could not even get it out of the glass pan (sprayed with Pam) Threw this in the trash !

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        April 15, 2021 at 11:16 am

        Yikes! Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure why that would’ve happened as I just made this the other week again and it was a hit! So sorry it wasn’t a favorite!

        Reply
    13. Joyce says

      April 14, 2021 at 2:16 pm

      Could this be made with a gluten free cake mix?

      Reply
      • Kristin says

        April 15, 2021 at 10:38 am

        Absolutely! That should work great!

        Reply
      • Anne says

        June 02, 2024 at 7:15 pm

        Hi there. Just to be clear we do not add any of the ingredients to the cake mix that you generally would if making a cake from the mix right?
        Thanks so much!

        Reply
        • Kristin says

          June 03, 2024 at 9:56 am

          Hi!! Yes, that is correct, you will just be using the dry mix and other ingredients listed in recipe, not the ones on the box! Enjoy!

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    Welcome to The Cookin' Chicks…I am so glad you've stopped by! I am Kristin, a busy mom of 3, a wife, and a family chef! There are three things that motivate me each day - Family, Faith, and FOOD! I, along with the occasional help of friends and family, want to share my food creations with you! So, I invite you to join me around my dinner table through the recipes that I will share with you here. I hope you will enjoy the journey as much as I do!

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