Triple Chocolate Cake (Cake Mix)
This Triple Chocolate Cake recipe is so rich and decadent, it is sure to become an instant favorite. Keep this cake recipe in mind for the chocolate lovers in your life.
Chocolate chip Devil's Food Cake layers are spread with rich ganache and filled and frosted with homemade chocolate buttercream in this fantastic dessert.
Although this is a doctored cake mix recipe, nobody would ever guess it wasn't made from scratch. It reminds me of our rich homemade Chocolate Cake recipe.
Table of Contents
Quick Look at Ingredients
You can find the full, printable recipe for Triple Chocolate Cake at the bottom of this post. Here is a quick look at our key ingredients for the cake layers.
- Devil's Food Cake Mix (We used Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist)
- Sugar and Flour (this gives us even more cake batter) and also lends a "from scratch" quality to the cake's texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for even more rich chocolate flavor
- Sour Cream- Adds moisture, richness, and enhances the texture. We recommend "full fat".
- Hot Coffee : Not boiling. We used instant espresso granules to make our coffee. Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. Using hot coffee makes it even more rich as it develops the cocoa.
- Mini Chocolate Chips- We recommend mini chips as they are less likely to sink. This cake batter is not very thick.
- Unsalted Butter- Using butter instead of oil enhances the richness and flavor. (We used unsalted because there is already sodium in the cake mix.)
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
*Ingredients for the Chocolate Ganache & Chocolate Buttercream can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Triple Chocolate Cake
Here is a quick look at our steps for making the cake layers. You'll find all of the details in our recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. We line ours with parchment circles as well.
- Add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl (cake mix, cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt), mix to combine. Add the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low speed 30 seconds to combine. (This is everything but the coffee and chocolate chips.)
- Next, with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the hot coffee (not boiling). Increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes. *Batter is very runny just after adding the coffee and so you may need to mix on low for several seconds before increasing to medium.
- Gently fold in the cup of mini chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the three prepared pans. (There is about 6.5 cups of batter.)
- Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until the middle of cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Baking times may vary! Peek in as the end time approaches and adjust as needed.
Ganache and Buttercream
Our cake layers are very rich all on their own, but for an extra boost, we added a layer of ganache in the filling, along with chocolate buttercream.
The ganache is optional as the cake is already very chocolatey, but it is so delicious and simple to make.
It is a combination of heavy cream and semisweet or dark chocolate chips, and can be prepared by heating in the microwave in small increments until the chocolate has almost completely melted. Stir until smooth.
We also used our simple, classic chocolate buttercream as a filling as well as our frosting. It tastes great and is so easy to work with.
Assembling the Triple Chocolate Cake
Once the cake layers have cooled, and the ganache has cooled to desired consistency, it is time to put it all together.
Place the first cake layer on a cake pedestal or cake plate. Spread a thin layer of the cooled (but still very soft) ganache over the top. Follow this with a layer of chocolate buttercream.
Add the second cake layer and repeat. Add the top layer and frost the cake with a thin layer of buttercream (this is a crumb coat). At this point, we like to chill the cake for 10-15 minutes in the freezer (or a bit longer in the refrigerator) to firm everything up before applying the final coat of frosting.
Decorate the cake however you like! We frosted the cake and smoothed around the sides with a bench scraper, while rotating it on a turntable.
We then spread ganache on top of the cake with a small offset spatula, and sprinkled mini chocolate chips around the border.
We finished things off with a chunky shell border around the base of the cake, using a 2D piping tip.
More Chocolate Cakes
We have so many chocolate cake recipes to share with you! Make sure to check out these favorites and more.
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Triple Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Devil's Food Cake Mix We used Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist
- 1 cup all purpose flour (125g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ teaspoon salt (2g)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (28g)
- 1 cup sour cream (242g)
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted (This is ½ cup).
- 1¼ cup hot coffee (275) (Whatever coffee you like, we made instant espresso)
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (Mini chips are lightweight and therefore less likely to sink)
For the Ganache (optional)
- 7 oz semisweet or dark chocolate (we used mini chocolate chips)
- 5 oz heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Buttercream
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (339g)
- 6 cups confectioners sugar (Adjust slightly up or down to your liking)
- 1 cup unsweeteded cocoa. Measure, then sift to eliminate clumps. (82g)
- ½-¾ cup milk (start with ½ cup and increase to your liking) (180g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
- 1 teaspoon salt (6g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. We line ours with parchment circles as well. (You could also use two 8 inch pans instead for thicker layers or two 9 inch pans.)
- Add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl (cake mix, cocoa, flour, sugar, salt), mix to combine. Add the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low speed 30 seconds to combine. (This is everything but the coffee and chocolate chips.)
- Next, with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the hot coffee (not boiling). Increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes. *Batter is very runny just after adding the coffee and so you may need to mix on low for several seconds before increasing to medium.
- Gently fold in the cup of mini chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the three prepared pans. (There is about 6.5 cups of batter.)
- Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until the middle of cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Baking times may vary! Peek in as the end time approaches and adjust as needed.
For the Ganache (optional)
- Pour the chocolate and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 40 seconds, then additional shorter bursts as needed until the chocolate is almost melted.Once chips are soft and almost melted, stir to finish the melting process and allow to cool to desired thickness. (It will thicken as it cools).
For the Buttercream Frosting
- Add the softened butter and mix on low to medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and blend into the butter.
- With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar, most of the milk, salt, and cocoa powder. Increase to medium speed as it becomes incorporated and add the remaining milk as needed. It may take 5 to 6 minutes to reach the smoothness and consistency you like. Too thick? Add a bit more milk. Too thin? Add a bit more powdered sugar.
Assembling and Decorating
- Place the first *cooled* cake layer on the cake pedestal. Spread a thin layer of the cooled ganache onto the layer. It should be soft and spreadable.
- Next, spread a layer of chocolate buttercream on top of the cooled ganache. Top with the next cake layer and repeat. Top with the final cake layer. Fill in any remaining gaps between layers with frosting.
- Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting on top and around the sides of the cake. At this point, we like to chill the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up before applying the final coat of frosting. This keeps the layers from shifting as you decorate.
- Apply the final coat of frosting to the outside of the cake. Spread a layer of ganache on top (it should be cooled but still easily spreadable). Decorate however you like. We added a large shell border around the bottom using a 2D piping tip.
Storage
- The cake is fine to sit at room temperature under a cake dome or in an airtight container for a couple of days. Beyond that, we like to move to the refrigerator for freshness. *If you do refrigerate the cake, allow it to warm to room temperature before serving so that it can warm and soften.