This Ultimate Chocolate Cake is the only recipe you'll ever need next time you're craving something chocolatey! It's rich in flavor but light and airy in texture. We brought it all together with a Chocolate Cream Frosting. Read the recipe below for the surprising secret ingredients to this decadent dessert!

I stumbled upon a saying the other day on Instagram that made me laugh, but it is so true- "January lasted four months and three days but somehow we're already halfway through February? How does that work?"

I feel like I'm still getting started on my New Year's resolutions, but on the plus side at least I'm sticking with it. Part of those resolutions are to stay organized and ahead of the seasonal holidays and occasions, so I'm not completely blindsided by the time the Spring season rolls around.

As I sit here writing this out on a glorious 70-degree afternoon here in New York, I'm sharing a slice of this decadent chocolate cake I've been working on...as a prelude to some birthdays we've got coming up in just a couple of weeks 😉

There are only two things I want from a cake - something chocolatey and something light. My friends, this cake not only met those expectations, it went above and beyond...

I started with a basic chocolate cake mix, but I wanted it to taste as homemade as possible - you can also check that off your list because your guests will never suspect that a cake THIS good was so deceptively easy to make.

All you need is a box of chocolate cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of espresso powder, and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. It's a one-bowl wonder.

You can make a sheet cake as I have or divide the batter into two round cake pans and make a layer cake.

The mayo is your key to a light and unbelievably moist cake. It replaces any butter or oil in the recipe and results in a batter that will leave you fighting the urge to lick the spoon. Seriously though, don't lick the batter.

Usually, the frosting is the star of the show, and while I agree, I'm torn with this recipe because I feel like the cake and the frosting come out 50/50 here, but the frosting can't be ignored.

While buttercream is the true crowd favorite, I've found a way to mimic that rich, creamy classic with just 3 ingredients, none of which include butter. For the frosting, I used 1-pint cream, 1 box chocolate pudding, and 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar. A few seconds later, and you will have an ultra-silky whipped topping for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and whatever else your heart desires.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

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Author: Living the Gourmet
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 sheet cake 1x

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Ingredients

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Chocolate Cake:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup mayonnaise (I used Hellmann's)
2 tablespoons espresso powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Chocolate Cream Frosting:

1 pint whipping cream
1 (3.9 oz) box Devil's Food Pudding Mix
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
Sprinkles for topping
Additional chocolate chips for topping

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 3 quart glass baking dish then line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper and sift cocoa powder over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
In the bowl of your mix master with the paddle attachment, beat all the ingredients for the chocolate cake until a smooth batter comes together.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean.
Let the cake rest for several minutes before carefully lifting it out of the pan by the parchment paper, onto a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by whipping the heavy cream together with the pudding mix and confectioner's sugar.
Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting liberally over the entire cake. Decorate with sprinkles and chocolate chips. Serve and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: dessert