Semi-Homemade Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

4.04 from 27 votes

This delicious semi-homemade cake is made from a doctored cake mix. It uses Devil's food cake mix and a homemade fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting. The rich chocolate in this cake is out of this world!

Prep Time25

Cook Time28

Cooling Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake, chocolate, chocolate buttercream

Servings: servings

Calories: 561kcal

Cost: $10

Ingredients

Semi Homemade Chocolate Cake

15 oz Cake Mix Devil Food
5.9 oz Instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup Sour cream
1 cup Vegetable oil
4 Eggs
½ cup Water warm
1 ½ cups Mini chocolate chips optional

Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 tbsp Butter softened
½ cup Cocoa Powder unsweetened
2 ⅔ cups Powdered sugar may need a bit more
⅓ to ½ cup Milk may need a bit more
1 tsp Vanilla

Instructions

Making Semi-Homemade Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients for the cake batter, stirring in the chocolate chips last (if using).
Grease two nine-inch pans really well with Baker's Joy.
Dividing the batter evenly, pour it into the two pans.
Set the pans in the oven for 24 - 28 minutes.
As soon as the cakes have slightly pulled away from the edges, a toothpick or knife comes out clean, and the tops spring up when touched, they are ready.
Allow cakes to cool in pans for one hour before turning out onto wire racks.

Making Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

While cakes cool completely on wire racks (another 30 minutes or so), prepare the frosting.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter.
To that, add the cocoa and sugar alternately with a little milk, beating after each addition.
Add vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds.
If frosting looks dry, add a bit of milk until the frosting comes to the right consistency. Or if not firm enough, add a bit of sugar until frosting is thick enough for spreading.

Frosting the Chocolate Cake (See notes)

With an offset spatula, frost the top of the first layer by putting ¼ cup of frosting in the center of the cake and spreading evenly out toward the edges of the cake.
Place the second layer (bottom side up) on top of the bottom layer. Follow the same method for spreading the frosting over the top layer.
Add a small amount of frosting to the sides of your cake, rotating cake often to cover all the sides of the cake.
Using the spatula do a scraping method of the frosting, removing excess as you rotate the cake. Save the frosting. Do the same with the top. (This is the base layer - the crumb layer.)
Chill cake for about 30 minutes or so.
Add remaining frosting to cake, starting with the top of the cake first and then the sides. Create swirl patterns in the top of the cake and a diagonal line pattern on the sides. Add sprinkles, if desired.
Keep leftover cake in the fridge, but serve at room temperature.

Notes

Make sure cake layers are completely cool before adding frosting.
Place cake on top of cardboard cake board or small plate that fits the cake as perfectly as possible. (It is a good idea to put a small drop of frosting on the cardboard or cake under the bottom layer to act as a sort of glue.)
Place a piece of foil under the cardboard or plate so you can rotate the cake easily while decorating (unless you have a rotating cake decorating stand).
For best results, frost a "crumb layer" first which involves 30 minutes of chill time afterward.
For a tutorial on frosting the cake, consult the video I linked in the post.

Nutrition