Chocolate WASC is the chocolate version of our popular WASC recipe that with an addition of a few ingredients, your box cake will taste almost like scratch. The texture is light and fluffy but is still sturdy enough to carve a cake or stack into for a wedding cake. Chocolate WASC is a great option if you're not quite ready to take the plunge into baking a chocolate cake recipe from scratch.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
One of the ingredients that makes this cake so dang good is the sour cream. It adds a nice tang to the flavor and an extra level of moistness. Sour cream is a popular ingredient used in a lot of chocolate cake recipes giving it a similar flavor that you might get from using buttermilk or mayonnaise. Ready to bake from scratch? Try my from-scratch chocolate mayonnaise cake.
Chocolate Cake With Coffee
I like to use coffee as my liquid instead of water because the coffee brings out the chocolate flavor. Your batter will smell like strong coffee but don't worry, it won't taste like coffee. You don't have to use coffee, you can use water or even milk if you want.
How To Make Chocolate WASC
Chocolate WASC starts with a nice chocolate-y box mix. I usually use Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake but devils food cake will also do nicely. Just pour the contents of the mix into a bowl and add in your extra ingredients. Just ignore the instructions on the back of the box and use the recipe below instead.
Mix all your ingredients together until combined and then mix vigorously for two minutes. I used a stand mixer with a paddle attachment but you can also just use a bowl and a spoon.
I tweaked this recipe to contain melted butter so that when you chill it the cake is a bit firmer and easier to handle.
Why not just make it from scratch?
I get this question a lot. A LOT. I get it. If you're going to go through all this trouble of adding so many ingredients to a box mix, why not just make it from scratch? I used to think the same thing. But over the years of teaching countless bakers of all skill levels, I have learned that a lot of people are super intimidated to bake from scratch. They have little to no knowledge of how to measure, how to mix or even what a good scratch cake should taste like.
The thing about box mix is it isn't just the same ingredients as a cake from scratch. A box contains emulsifiers that basically make the cake bake up perfectly no matter what you do to it. The problem? Those emulsifiers make the cake taste a bit fake. Like eating strawberry flavored candy. It's good but doesn't exactly taste like a real strawberry right?
So adding in these extra ingredients gives you the best of both worlds. A recipe that makes the baker do more than just opening a box but the emulsifiers still ensure that the cake bakes up successfully and the added ingredients make the cake taste more like homemade. Thus giving the baker much-needed confidence and a bit of a taste of what a homemade cake tastes like so if they choose to take a leap two baking from scratch, it's not so scary.
Chocolate WASC Cake For Cupcakes
This recipe works great for cupcakes and rise up perfectly. I get about 36 cupcakes from one box.
I like using my chocolate buttercream for this recipe. The yummy flavor pairs perfectly with the chocolate cake without it being too heavy. If you're looking for other yummy chocolate cake recipes, check out my guinness beer cake which is the epitome of decadent.
Other doctored box mix recipes you might want to try!
WASC (white almond sour cream cake)
Strawberry cake mix recipe
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
Choose a pan type
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Cupcake Tin Size
Choose number of pans
Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate WASC Recipe
- 1 box Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
- 5 oz Ap flour 1 cup
- 2 oz cocoa powder ½ cup
- 12 oz cold coffee 1 ½ cups
- 2 oz vegetable oil ¼ cup
- 4 oz melted butter ½ cup
- 3 large eggs
- 6 oz sour cream ¾ cup
- 7 oz sugar 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- 16 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 16 ounces heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Chocolate WASC Instructions
- Preheat oven to 335℉. Prepare two 8" round cake pans. I prefer to use cake goop.
- Add all dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add in the rest of your ingredients and mix on low for 1 minute.
- Stop and scrape the bowl and then mix on medium for two minutes.
- Pour batter into your cake pans and bake for 30- 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center with just a few sticky crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
- Let cool a few minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. Let cool fully and frost.
Chocolate Frosting
- Place the heavy whipping cream into a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Whisk occasionally to prevent burning. Do not walk away!
- Heat cream until steam is rising from the surface but it isn't boiling.
- Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes
- Add in salt and whisk until smooth. If you have any un-melted lumps, you can use an immersion blender to get them out.
- Pour chocolate into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap let cool at room temperature until a peanut butter consistency. If chocolate is too firm, you can microwave for 10 seconds and then stir with a spatula or whip with a hand mixer.
- Frost cake as desired.
Serena says
Can you reduce the amount of added sugar or leave it out entirely?
Liz Marek says
I wouldn't. Cakes need that balance of sugar and flour for the right texture. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Catherine Schrock says
Does this cake have same kind of crumb texture as your WASC box cake recipe? I don’t want a fluffy cake.
Thank you.
Liz Marek says
It's light and fluffy but still sturdy enough to carve or stack for a wedding cake. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Malissa says
Would this recipe work in a 9x13 inch pan?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes definitely
carole says
I only have 9" round cake pans. How should I adapt the recipe? Thank you.
Liz Marek says
You can use two 9-inch pans with the same recipe. The layers will just be a little thinner. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Jo Ann K Fello says
I'm confused about the portion of butter to use. The recipe says 4 oz but then next to it it says 1/2 cup. You would need an 8 oz stick of butter to get a half a cup melted. Please clarify so I can make the recipe. thank you.
Liz Marek says
It's 4 ounces of butter by weight (1 stick). Melted, that's about 1/2 cup. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Noemi Arcila says
Best boxed cake recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have tried different ones and this one is the best. I made this cake for my sister over the weekend and everyone loved it. I used three 8 inch pans. I also wrapped each pan with cake strips.
Fofi La says
Delicious!
Shawn says
Hi! Can this recipe be used to make a bundt cake? If so, at what temp and for how long please? Thank you!
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can bake it in a bundt. Use the same temperature, grease the pan well, and bake until a toothpick comes out of the center with just a few moist crumbs. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Sandra Pagani says
Hi,
Is it possible to use a 13x9 inch cake pan?
Would the recipe make two?
Liz Marek says
Yes! One batch fits a 9x13 pan. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Caitlin says
I love this recipe and have been using it for years, but I'm looking to adapt it to a Guinness chocolate cake for a friend (I know you have a recipe for this from scratch, but I love this one).
Do you think I could replace the coffee with Guinness or do you think that wouldn't work?
Thank you so much!
Liz Marek says
Yes! You can use dark beer in place of the coffee. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Jackie says
Can I use 2 9x2 cake pans?
Liz Marek says
Yes, two 9x2 pans work. The layers will just be a little thinner. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Giselle says
Will this cake and frosting be ok/not start to wither if I keep it out of the refrigerator for several hours (at a birthday party)?
Liz Marek says
Yes, it's fine at room temperature for a party, and room temperature cake tastes best anyway. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Brandi says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!
Liz Marek says
Unsalted. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks
Isaiah Miller says
Overall I thought the flavor and the texture of the cake was good. However, I found the frosting too salty, even though I only started with 1/4 tsp salt.
I would recommend only using 1/8 tsp salt in the frosting.
Liz Marek says
Thanks for the feedback! Easing up on the salt is an easy tweak.
Johnetter says
Can I use a tube or Bundt pan for this recipe?
Liz Marek says
Yes, you can bake it in a bundt or tube pan. Grease it well and bake until a toothpick comes out of the center with just a few moist crumbs. If you have more questions, come ask me in the Sugar Geeks community: https://community.raptive.com/sugargeeks