This easy doctored cake mix Chocolate Cake is fabulous! It is super moist, just like my scratch Classic Chocolate Cake…but has a lighter, fluffier texture, which makes it great for cupcakes as well.
People are always surprised by this chocolate cake’s secret ingredient. Are you ready for this?
It’s mayonnaise. Yep. A bit of mayo incorporated into this recipe makes it extra moist. I know it seems a little unusual, but trust me, it makes for a DELICIOUS cake.
Don’t worry, the mayonnaise is completely undetectable, but the resulting ultra moist crumb elevates this chocolate cake to a new level of deliciousness. You’ll be tempted to throw a bit of mayo into every cake mix recipe (and maybe you should!)
Whenever I need delicious chocolate cupcakes from a mix, I use this recipe. The cupcakes are so moist and chocolatey, but have a satisfying fluffiness too. Everyone loves them! We hope that you enjoy this quick, easy, and delicious recipe!
***This is a very moist cake and softer than most of the cakes in our Recipes section. I wouldn’t advise covering this cake with fondant unless you dam and frost your layers with a chocolate ganache frosting (like our Simple Spreadable Ganache frosting). Once the ganache has firmed up, it provides a sturdy shell to properly support the weight of the fondant.
The chocolate cake pictured above was frosted with our favorite Classic Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe. We piped the spirals of buttercream with a star tip 21.
Find our Classic Chocolate Buttercream Recipe here!:Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Don’t even think about canned frosting, this chocolate buttercream recipe is SO easy to make and tastes a million times better than anything that you can find at the store! Yummmm….
How to Make a Doctored Cake Mix Chocolate Cake
- Okay, so nobody has to know how simple this cake is to make. It’ll be our little secret. We’ve gotten SO many rave reviews for it, and it comes together in minutes!
- First, grab your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix. (We’ve flip flopped over the years and currently use Duncan Hines.)
- Sift your cake mix into your mixing bowl. This step is surprisingly effective in improving the texture of your cake! Plus, every once in a while you’ll find a granule of something or other that doesn’t belong in your batter ;0)
- Add your ingredients as listed on the box, plus vanilla, cocoa for a little added richness, and our magical mayo that’s going to make the cake extra moist.
- Mix for two minutes and pour the luscious batter into your prepared pans.
Here’s a cake Pro Tip for you! Another secret to an ultra moist cake happens AFTER baking. Once you remove the cakes from the oven, allow the layers to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes.
Then, flip out the warm layers and wrap individually with plastic wrap, then foil. Place in the freezer. (It’s up to you if you want to place them on a foil-wrapped cake board for extra support while in your freezer- we often do this)
When you are ready to thaw and decorate, remove the layers from the freezer and place on your kitchen counter to begin to thaw.
Once condensation begins to form on the foil (10-15 minutes), you can remove the wrapping and thaw to desired temperature. (Sometimes its easier to assemble, fill, and crumb coat a cake while it’s still partially frozen but that is up to you!)
We have another fantastic Chocolate Cake {Doctored Cake Mix} Recipe that you may be interested in. This is our Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Recipe. The sour cream makes for a slightly denser cake that would hold up well to fondant. You can find it here!: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Recipe (Doctored Cake Mix). So decadent!
Finally, if you’re ever in the mood for a little scratch baking, we LOVE this homemade Classic Chocolate Cake recipe! This decadent chocolate cake is so moist and rich. It’s been our go-to chocolate scratch recipe for years, and one of our most popular!
Enjoy the recipe! We think it’s sure to become one of your go-to recipes for a quick, easy, and decadent chocolate cake!
Chocolate Cake- A Doctored Cake Mix Recipe
This moist and delicious Chocolate Cake all starts with a simple cake mix and a secret ingredient or two! Nobody would guess that this amazing chocolate cake isn't from scratch! So good!
Ingredients
- 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
- Ingredients as listed on the box (water, eggs, and oil)
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise (Use full fat. We like Hellman's.)
Instructions
- Sift mix into bowl and add ingredients according to box instructions. Add vanilla, mayo and cocoa.
- Mix all ingredients on medium speed for two minutes, scraping the bowl when necessary.
- Oven should be pre heated to 325 degrees. Fill two eight inch cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached it is done.
- This is optional but your cake will be more moist if you wrap your warm cakes in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for at least 2 hours. If you are baking in advance the cake layers can be frozen for 2 months. Just make sure they are wrapped air tight. Thaw on the countertop when ready to use.
- MAKES GREAT CUPCAKES - Fill cupcake liners 2/3's full and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
Thanks for stopping by! It’s a great day to make a chocolate cake. In fact, I think every day is a great day to make a chocolate cake. Now you have a few awesome, no-fail recipes to help you along! If you haven’t already, make to to check out our full collection of favorite Cakes and Frostings in our Recipes Section!
Hi Leanne, Thank you, I have added those instructions to the recipe.
Hi. I want to use your vanilla and chocolate wasc recipes for my two or three tier cakes so can you pls tell me which method is better conventional or reverse? Thanks
Hi Zarqa, Some bakers have trouble with the reverse creaming method so you might want to make a practice cake the first time you try it. Melissa has a video on the reverse creaming method, if you would like to watch, here is a link link to mycakeschool.com. Both methods are good but we find that most people like the conventional mixing method. If you are making a doctored cake recipe (using a boxed cake mix) the reverse creaming cannot be used.
Hi Melissa,
I’m wondering which brand box cake mix you use and why. I made a doctored vanilla cake and the WASC cake using Betty Crocker, but they both have a “wet” not just moist, texture to them that I find unappealing. I have to carve a dinosaur cake for a 2 year olds birthday. It will be a vanilla cake with orange buttercream filling. Can you recommend a vanilla cake to use for this?
I made your Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream today and flavored it with Orange Oil. Oh my, it was so light, fluffy, refreshing and delicious! Thanks for such a nice BC recipe.
Gloria
Hi Gloria, Melissa and I used to use Pillsbury but after the formulation was changed we did not like the taste. We have been using Duncan Hines for a number of years and are happy with it. I don’t know how much carving you will be doing for the dinosaur but you should be fine using the WASC recipe for simple carving. If the carving is intricate, you might like the durable recipe for carving, here is a link to that recipe link to mycakeschool.com. Hope all goes well. We are very happy that the Fluffy Buttercream recipe worked well for you.
Hi Melissa,
I made this recipe and was trying to do the ridged buttercream technique. I crumb coated the cake and went with a lot of layer of buttercream and still found that the cake was crumbling on me. I froze it the night before as well. Not sure what to do
HI melissa I am just new to your site and am amazed at the beautiful cakes that you can create. I have a question most of your recipes specify using 8 inch round cake pans would there be a problem if I used 9 inch ones. I have quite a few 9 and not 8 inch pans. Would it make that much of a difference in the look and also should the baking time be different if I use the 9 inch ones. Thanks for your help.
Mil
Hi Mil, You can use 9 inch pans for the recipes, your cake will not be as tall as they would when using 8 inch pans. With less batter in your pans you will need to decrease the baking time. Check with a toothpick and when the pick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached it will be done. Here are 2 links to cake batter amount that you might find helpful:
link to wilton.com
link to fromkarenskitchen.com
Hi BeBe: thanks for getting back to me . I will check the sites as suggested. Thanks again.
Mil
Hi Melissa or Bebe,
This recipe and the white doctored cake recipe are great for cupcakes. I️ used both with the classic vanilla buttercream frosting recipe for my sons football banquet.
I️ just have a quick question, the chocolate recipe seemed to stick more to the cupcake cups than the vanilla and I️ think I️t may have been moisture? I️ did freeze them overnight along with the buttercream and frosted right before the event. Could this be why?? Will adding flour to the chocolate recipe help with this? Just wondering so people aren’t losing the outside layer of the cupcake to the cupcake cup lol. I️ did read in the comments you have an updated version for both. Do you mind sending me the link as well. Thank you and have a blessed day.
These were my finished product though, awesome flavor. 😉
Hi Jessica, Your cupcakes look great! I am sorry you have had a sticking problem with the chocolate ones. Freezing should not have caused a problem and I would not add additional flour to the recipe. I suggest that when the cupcakes are removed from oven, take them out of the cupcake pan as soon as possible and let them cool on a cooling rack. If left in the pan moisture can develop making them stick to the wrappers. Parchment paper liners also help prevent sticking. I have found them at Jo Ann’s . They are typically brown in color. These work well for chocolate cupcakes, as they look like dark brown wrappers when the cupcakes are baked. As another precaution, you could put the liners in the pan and spray lightly with non-stick baking spray before filling. Hope this helps. I am not sure about the updated version, we have a Chocolate Sour Cream recipe (doctored mix) I think that may be what was mentioned. Click on the link below. Let me know how it goes.
link to mycakeschool.com
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. I️ will definitely try and make it to joans ASAP for those liners. And I’ll give them another shot. Thank you for the recipe as well, I️ think that is the one mentioned.
I️ will be sure to let you know what ends up working the best. Thank you and have a good day.
Hey Melissa, I just wanted to pop in and say that I love this recipe. It’s SO decadent and lush! It’s better, in my opinion, that many complicated scratch or commercial mix recipes I’ve tried (and I’ve tried SO many chocolate cake recipes, and that includes the Hershey’s recipe). Yes, this cake is super soft and a bit crumbly – but now that many of us finish our cakes in ganache instead of buttercream, the texture of this cake isn’t so much of an issue anymore for those wanting to cover their finished cake with fondant. The trick is to be sure to dam with ganache and to finish with ganache. Once that ganache shell has hardened, you can cover away with fondant. I do it all the time. You may want to update your followers to let them know that it’s actually fine for ANY use, including covering with fondant, as long as it’s protected by the big, strong ganache guard.
Hi there Peggy! So good to hear your feedback on this, I’m happy to know that you not only love the recipe, but that it works well for you for fondant when ganached! Great to know, will update above. Happy baking! xo
How much mayo would you add to 1 Hines chocolates box
Hi Maria, 2 Tablespoons (24) and the unsweetened cocoa powder is 6 grams
People are indicating this cake is crumbly, should it be? Additionally, what would happen if Instead of following the ingredients listed on the Duncan cake mix I used milk instead of water and butter instead of oil?
Thank yoi
Hi Sylvia, We do not find the cake to be crumbly and it will be fine for you to substitute milk and butter. You should still add the mayonnaise. Hope you will enjoy the cake. Let us know your thoughts.