Bready or Not: Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake
I love bundt cakes. I’ve made some pretty fancy ones. This Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake, however, is easy as can be… but make sure you use a large bundt pan.
I say this as a warning. I found the original recipe in a little cookbook published by Nordic Ware that I snagged at my local Friends of the Library sale (tangent: support your local library sale!) and it called for an 18-oz cake mix. Well, that size is no longer available. I thought I’d be fine using a 10-cup pan with a 15-oz cake mix.
Hahaha. No. For the first time ever, my bundt pan overflowed. The good news is that the clean-up wasn’t as bad as I feared, as the crispy cake bits broke off the rack and oven floor right away, but it could have been much worse.
That disclaimer stated, this is a delicious, super-moist chocolate cake, the kind of thing that would work for a dessert or a brunch. Pair it with fresh fruit and ice cream, and you have something very special. No one will guess it’s made from a mix.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Cake Mix Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 12-15 cup large bundt pan
- baking spray with flour
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25- ounce chocolate cake mix
- 3.25 ounce instant chocolate pudding powder
- 3/4 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Topping
- confectioners’ sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Generously coat a large bundt pan with baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, combine everything except for the chocolate chips. Mix for 2 minutes, then scrape the bottom of the bowl, then mix for another 3 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add batter to prepared bundt pan. Level out to make even. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in cake.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then use mitts to carefully tip cake onto a baking rack. Cool completely.
- If desired, dust confectioners’ sugar on top prior to serving. Store in sealed container at room temp or in fridge. Cake can be cut into slices and frozen for up to a month.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Irish Coffee Creamer Chocolate Mini Muffins
Lo, many years ago, I featured a recipe called Baileys Irish Coffee Creamer Chocolate Mini Muffins here on Bready or Not. As I had a big container of Irish creamer to finish up, I redid the recipe, changing up some details and adding a glaze.
Really, I think the glaze makes it. The Irish coffee creamer adds such a great flavor to chocolate!
I used a basic box of devil’s food cake mix from Aldi. Whatever brand you get, acquire a 15.25-ounce box, not the larger one.
Bready or Not Original: Irish Coffee Creamer Chocolate Mini Muffins
Equipment
- nonstick spray
- small cookie scoop
- mini muffin pan(s)
Ingredients
Mini muffins
- 15.25 oz chocolate cake mix box such as devil’s food
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup nonalcoholic Irish coffee creamer
- 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 4-5 Tablespoons Irish coffee creamer
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep mini muffin pans(s) by applying a heavy coating of nonstick spray in the wells. Note that the recipe makes about 70 mini muffins, so having multiple pans will speed up the process. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and Irish coffee creamer. Once there are no clumps, add the chocolate chips. Batter will be a little runny.
- Use a teaspoon scoop to fill the wells about 2/3 full. Do NOT fill to top, as they will grow during baking.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are springy and the innermost muffins pass the toothpick test. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Use a fork to pry them out and onto a rack to cool. If some chocolate chips stick to the pan, try to pop them back into the muffins… or just eat them.
- If you’re reusing the pan to do another batch, use a paper towel to swipe out the wells before adding fresh nonstick spray. Refill with batter and continue.
- Once the muffins are cooled, place them close together in rows on parchment paper.
- Mix the glaze ingredients to form a thick glaze. Either drizzle lines across the muffins or add a small spoon onto each. Let set an hour or so until glaze is firm.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge or at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]
A few months ago, I shared a time-consuming yeast-based recipe for making St. Louis Butter Cake. I continue to explore different takes on this Missouri classic, and this time around, the Gooey Butter Bars use convenient cake mix! (If you’re more interested in cookies than cake, I can also point you towards a Bready or Not guest post from Dan Koboldt back in 2018 where he shared Gooey Butter Cake Cookies that also use cake mix.)
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix2_sm.jpg)
To maximize the cheapness and convenience of this recipe, I used entirely Aldi ingredients. Their cake mix is as good as the name brands.
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix5_sm.jpg)
When it comes down to taste, I far prefer the yeast version. It is sweet and delicate with nuance–but it also takes a long time to make. This version is easy, but the sweetness could come across as cloyingly strong. So, keep that in mind in regards to your audience’s tastes.
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix4_sm.jpg)
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021 Magazine.
Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]
Equipment
- 15x10x1 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Cake base
- 15.25- ounce yellow cake mix or white cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
Top layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 15x10x1 inch pan (also called a jelly roll pan) with foil; apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, butter, and egg, until they are crumbly. Pat the entire dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. It will be very thin and fiddly to work with.
- In the same bowl, beat together the cream cheese and eggs until they are fairly smooth; a few clumps are okay. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar to make a cohesive mix. Spread on top of the crust.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle is set and golden brown. Cool at room temperature, and chill in fridge to completely set.
- A reminder that this is called ‘Gooey Butter Cake.’ Cut pieces finger-sized. Some in the middle may be particularly gooey. If not serving immediately, move pieces to a lidded container and use waxed paper between the stacked layers. They will stay firmer and less-gooey if they are kept chilled.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Quick German Chocolate Cake Bars
Don’t scoff at cake mix. These Quick German Chocolate Cake Bars are so tasty, no one will guess that a box mix was involved.
I love from-scratch baked goodies, but cake mix has its uses, especially when there is a time crunch. The ‘chemical’ flavor of these mixes can be eliminated with some simple doctoring techniques.
I created this recipe because my husband had a co-worker who requested German Chocolate Cake. There was no way an actual cake was going to be easily ported to his work, and since 2020, I’ve been individually packaging all the goodies that he takes.
That meant a bar recipe was the way to go. The use of cake mix was a necessity as I had little time for fiddly recipes that week. I needed something I could throw together, fast.
These things turned out to be delicious with a great mix of textures from the cakey base to the chewy coconut to the soft chocolate chips on top.. The bars were quite cohesive and stayed together well when sliced and individually wrapped, too!
Bready or Not Original: Quick German Chocolate Cake Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
crust
- 15 ounce German Chocolate Cake Mix such as Betty Crocker brand
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg room temperature
filling
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup pecan pieces
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut either shredded or flaked
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a big bowl, mix together the cake mix, espresso powder (if using), butter, and egg. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan and even out. Bake for 7 minutes. While that’s cooking, prepare the filling.
- In the same big bowl (no need to wash it), mix together the sweetened condensed mix, vanilla, egg, pecans, and coconut. Once the crust’s first bake is done, bring it out of the oven. Pour the filling over it and even out. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for an additional 24 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge, if desired. Use foil to lift bars onto a cutting board to divide into slices. Store covered or individually wrapped at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: S’mores Cake Mix Bars
Cake mix is fantastic ingredient to keep in the pantry for a quick-fix dessert. It’s easy to doctor into something extraordinary, such as with these S’mores Cake Mix Bars.
This is a treat that doesn’t taste like cake mix at the end. It’s just sweet and wonderful, courtesy of the lovely combination of ingredients.
I used ready-made graham crackers crumbs here, but really, you could probably use various kind of vanilla cookies, smashed, to mix in. Vanilla wafers or even Golden Oreos would be good substitutes.
I love bar recipes like this where ingredients are swirled together at the end. There is something visually delightful about that marbled look.
Be sure that when these bars are sliced, they are stores with waxed paper between the layers. Marshmallow makes things a bit sticky! And delicious.
Bready or Not Original: S’mores Cake Mix Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- waxed paper
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix or yellow cake mix or French Vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 7 ounce marshmallow fluff jar
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 casserole pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs until no dry crumbs remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and even out surface. Add the graham cracker crumbs in little piles scattered across the top. Use a butter knife to partially swirl the crumbs into the dough. Add dollops of marshmallow fluff across the top. Again, swirl the marshmallow into the dough, coating it with graham crackers in the process. Don’t combine everything too much–there should still be visible swirls and varied textures.
- Bake at 350-degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are golden and contents look set.
- Completely cool at room temperature or speed process in the fridge. Use foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Slice into bars. Store in a sealed container with waxed paper between the stacked layers.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]
Doctor up a basic yellow cake mix box into an amazing Hazelnut Hand Cake!
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares11_sm.jpg)
It’s called hand cake because it’s convenient to eat without a knife and fork. Heck, napkins are optional, if you don’t mind a dropped crumb or two.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares1_sm.jpg)
This cake has a mild chocolate flavor–milder than that of a typical chocolate cake, from a mix or not. Nutella (or use a store-brand equivalent, as I did) is whipped into the batter, with some extra chocolate chips adding a gentle layer of flavor.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares3_sm.jpg)
This thing is all about convenience. The cake comes together fast. Bakes fast. Give it some initial time to cool at room temp, then stash it in the fridge, and you can eat it even faster.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares7_sm.jpg)
The end result is a cake with a soft, high, very moist crumb. The scattered nuts and toffee add extra flavor and crunch.
![Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hazelnut-Cake-Squares9_sm.jpg)
My husband’s co-workers inhaled this cake. One guy said it was the best Cato treat ever. Considering the goodies that come their way, that is high praise indeed.
Bready or Not Original: Hazelnut Hand Cake [cake mix]
Equipment
- 13x9 pan
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 2/3 cup Nutella or similar hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts toasted or not
- 1/2 cup Heath toffee bits
- confectioners' sugar to dust top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, water, hazelnut spread, and oil for several minutes, until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Fold in the chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and toffee bits. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is no longer jiggly and passes the toothpick test.
- Cool completely to room temperature; place in fridge to speed process along. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board. If desired, sprinkle confectioners' sugar over top. Slice into pieces.
- Store in sealed container(s) at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
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