Lotsa Chocolate Cake

Lotsa chocolate cake is the queen of doctored-cake-mix recipes, the one every grandma and church-cookbook author has in rotation because it works every single time. The whole point is to take a box of devils food cake mix and stack it with additions until no one would guess it started from a box.

The additions are what separate this from plain cake-mix bundt. A package of instant fudge pudding mix adds body and keeps the crumb moist for days. A full cup of sour cream replaces the thin texture of standard boxed cake with something fudgy and tender. Four eggs instead of the box’s three add structure and richness. Half a cup of oil and water finish the wet side, and then a full twelve ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips stir in last, suspended through the batter.

A well-greased 12-cup bundt pan is the traditional vessel. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 to 60 minutes, cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack. A dusting of powdered sugar is all the finish it needs. Every slice shows ribbons of melted chocolate chips.

Pro Tips

• Grease the bundt relentlessly with butter or shortening, then dust with cocoa powder instead of flour. Flour leaves a white film on a dark cake; cocoa keeps the finish clean.
• Beat on medium for the full 4 minutes as directed. This develops structure and aerates the batter so the cake rises evenly.
• Don’t open the oven for the first 40 minutes. Slumped bundts happen when the oven temperature drops before the crumb sets.
• Invert at exactly 10 to 15 minutes. Longer and the cake can fuse to the pan; shorter and it can break while unmolding.

Variations

• Peanut butter swirl: Warm ½ cup of peanut butter and swirl into the batter just before baking for chocolate-peanut butter marbling.
• Espresso depth: Add 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the dry mix to deepen the chocolate flavor.
• Mint chip: Swap ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the wet ingredients and use mint chocolate chips for a mint-chocolate bundt.