How to Make Box Cake Better (Any Flavor!)

Our Chocolate Overload Cake is five layers of decadent rich chocolate goodness that starts with a box cake mix!

This Chocolate Overload Cake is inspired by a dense deep chocolately amazing cake I had the pleasure of experiencing on a recent trip. After a long hot and ridiculously awesome day in Aruba, we were treated to an evening of dining at the Bayou Cafe on the Coral Princess.  (Thank you so much for hosting us, Princess!).  Princess got a whole lot of things right with our cruise, but this cake, yo. This cake was so good.

Chocolate Overload Cake

Chocolate Overload Cake Ingredients

• Chocolate cake mix – Not prepared. Any chocolate cake mix will work, but I like to go for something super chocolatey when I make this cake.
• Eggs – The amount called for in the box mix + ONE MORE
• Milk – In the amount of water called for in the cake mix (i.e. if cake mix calls for 1/2 cup of water, use 1/2 cup milk instead)
• Melted butter – In the amount of oil called for in the cake mix (i.e. if cake mix calls for 1/2 cup of oil , use 1/2 cup melted butter instead)
• Semi sweet chocolate chips – My preference is the mini morsels as I feel like they distribute more evenly.
• Chocolate frosting – We’re using canned frosting in this recipe, grab whatever kind you like.
• Powdered sugar – Also sometimes called frosting sugar.  We’ll be using this to bring the canned frosting up a notch.
• Ganache – Not strictly necessary, but in my opinion this is what takes it from a great chocolate cake into a chocolate overload cake.  We have a super easy two ingredient ganache recipe that I know you’ll love! Or you can buy a jar. I’m not judging.

Aruba baby!

How Do You Make Chocolate Overload Cake

Preparing the Cake

⭐ First, prepare cake batter using substitutes mentioned above.  Mix well with an electric mixer (this will incorporate air into the mix and create a more bakery style cake.

⭐ Next, stir in chocolate chips.

⭐ Then, pour batter into greased/floured cake pans.  (We used this 5 layer Wilton cake pan set that I am absolutely obsessed with – but you can make it in as many or few layers as you prefer).

⭐ Finally, bake according to package instructions, then allow cake(s) to cool completely.

Preparing the Frosting

🟢 In between the cake layers, I used one can of chocolate frosting straight from the can.  So, go ahead and set one can aside.

🟢 For the rosettes on the exterior of the cake, I wanted the frosting to be a little bit stiffer, so we added about 1 cup of powdered sugar per can of frosting.

🟢 Beat together with an electric mixer until fully incorporated.  You will notice the frosting lightens significantly in color.

Assembling the Cake

💛 When cake layers are completely cooled (I like to stick mine in the freezer for a bit), layer them with the plain chocolate frosting and then, with a 1mm tip create rosettes up the side of the cake.

💛 Make sure to start at the bottom and work up in layers so as not to tip the cake over from the weight of the frosting!  Alternatively, you could just frost it like a normal cake and skip the rosettes altogether!

💛 If you’re pouring ganache over the top, make sure to only ice the sides and a little bit around the top edge of the cake – making a well or dip on the surface for the ganache layer to collect.

💛 Pour warm (not hot!) ganache over cake, and adorn with additional chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles, then allow cake and ganache to fully set (I put my cake in the fridge overnight).

After about eleventy billion amazing courses at the Bayou Cafe, when we all thought we couldn’t possibly put another bite into our mouths, the chef came out with a beautiful dense and rich flourless chocolate cake to celebrate one of the guest’s birthday.

You guys.  We made room for that cake.  Oh, yes we did.

If you know anything about baking, you’re probably looking at these pictures and saying to yourself “self, that is not a flourless cake!” – and you’d be spot on.  I am #notabaker, so I didn’t dare try to recreate that cruise cake, but instead, was inspired by it and made a cake that in its own right is really freaking insanely amazingly yummy.  Like, crazy good.

But because I am soooooo not a baker, we started our cake out with a box mix.  Yup.  You read that right. No shame in my game.

I decided to try my hand at a super duper chocolate cake when I was at a loss for ideas for our live cooking show (you watch it, right?), and my seven year old suggested “A GIANT CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND THAT CHOCOLATE DRIPPY STUFF!”

I thought, oh yes.  The cake from the cruise.  This is definitely happening.  I also thought, why do kids yell everything?  Whyyyyy?

More Chocolate Recipes

• Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Pastry
• Chocolate Overload Cake
• Two Ingredient Chocolate Mousse
• See all our chocolate recipes!

More Cake Mix Recipes

• Carrot Cake Cookies
• Football Field Cake
• Cranberry Upside Down Cake
• Easy Carrot Cake
• Orange Cake with Fresh Oranges

Suggested Tools

• Electric mixer – I love love love love love (x’s 100) my stand mixer.  Really and truly.  But my daily work horse is this handheld electric mixer.  It even comes in allll the colors.  Which, yay!
• Oil mister – This is the perfect gift for folks who want to make sure they know exactly what they’re spraying on their pans.  We like to put olive oil in ours, but you could use anything from vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or whatever you like!  Just pump the top a few times and it sprays a fine mist of the oil you chose.

How To Make a Chocolate Overload Cake

Chocolate Overload Cake

Our Chocolate Overload Cake is five layers of decadent rich chocolate goodness that starts with a box cake mix!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate overload cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 320kcal

Author: April Woods

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix not prepared
• eggs called for in mix + ONE MORE
• milk in the amount of water called for in the cake mix (i.e. if cake mix calls for 1/2 cup of water, use 1/2 cup milk instead)
• melted butter in the amount of oil called for in the cake mix i.e. if cake mix calls for 1/2 cup of oil , use 1/2 cup melted butter instead
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips mini ones are my favorite
• 3 cans chocolate frosting
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 batch prepared ganache see how to make ganache here

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Instructions

Cake:

• Prepare cake batter using substitutes mentioned above.  Mix well with an electric mixer (this will incorporate air into the mix and create a more bakery style cake.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into greased/floured cake pans.  (We used this 5 layer Wilton cake pan set that I am absolutely obsessed with - but you can make it in as many or few layers as you prefer).
• Bake according to package instructions, then allow cake(s) to cool completely.
• Frosting:
• In between the cake layers, I used one can of chocolate frosting straight from the can.  So, go ahead and set one can aside.
• For the rosettes on the exterior of the cake, I wanted the frosting to be a little bit stiffer, so we added about 1 cup of powdered sugar per can of frosting.  Beat together with an electric mixer until fully incorporated.  You will notice the frosting lightens significantly in color.

Assembly:

• When cake layers are completely cooled (I like to stick mine in the freezer for a bit), layer them with the plain chocolate frosting and then, with a 1mm tip create rosettes up the side of the cake.  Make sure to start at the bottom and work up in layers so as not to tip the cake over from the weight of the frosting!  Alternatively, you could just frost it like a normal cake and skip the rosettes altogether!
• If you're pouring ganache over the top, make sure to only ice the sides and a little bit around the top edge of the cake - making a well or dip on the surface for the ganache layer to collect.
• Pour warm (not hot!) ganache over cake, and adorn with additional chocolate chips and chocolate sprinkles.
• Allow cake and ganache to fully set (I put my cake in the fridge overnight).
• Serve and ENJOY!

Notes

Calories are automatically generated. For best results calculate based on your exact ingredients.

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Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal

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When you’re done drooling over this cake, check out these other desserts that were inspired by our trip!  And when you’re ready to book your own cruise of a lifetime, hop over to Princess and check out all the awesome destinations!

• Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Strawberry Panna Cotta 
• Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
• Nutella Donuts!
• Chocolate Pistachio Dome
• Pineapple Fruit Salad
• Dessert Fruit Dip

7.3.17