I’m all for getting kids into the kitchen. Heck, I’ve even made a pledge on my blog and hosted a 3-week guest post series encouraging other cooks to get “Kids in the Kitchen”. But, yes, sometimes I kick the kids out of the kitchen just so I can get things done quicker.
I know, I know. But life isn’t perfect. At least not for me.
But I do allow for some wiggle room in my “kids in the kitchen” pledge. 
Like the other day, when my oldest wanted me to make my “chocolate cake with chocolate frosting” for her teacher’s birthday (which was coincidentally also the last day of school). She begged me to make the cake and told me that the whole class was counting on it. That she signed up to bring a chocolate birthday cake to class and that everyone will be mad at her if she didn’t and I’m a chef, so can’t I just make one.
Tonight.
Pretty Pretty Please.
I said fine. Because kids in the kitchen also means that they can request food. Especially if they want to give it to other people.
But at 4pm the afternoon before the last day of school is not when I want to go and be making a chocolate layered birthday cake. So I made my “fake out” bundt cake.
You know, the kind of cake that you can stock in your pantry and throw together in 5 minutes. The kind that tastes AMAZING and looks like a lot of work but really isn’t. This is the perfect fake-out chocolate cake.
This cake is rich, decadent, beautiful and a breeze to make.
I made the cake Thursday night and let it cool overnight. Then, the morning that she wanted to take it to her teacher, I just whipped the glaze together, poured it over the top and sent her off to school with an oozing cake in a cake box. Now that’s my kind of cake. Even if it was my daughter’s idea.
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Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
A rich, moist, delicious, easy-to-make chocolate bundt cake.
Ingredients
- 1 package Chocolate Cake Mix (the more basic, the better)
- 1 package (4 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 bag chocolate chips (I use the best quality here)
- 1 3/4 cup (420 ml) whole milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
chocolate glaze
- 2 c. (480 ml) sifted confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp. cocoa
- 1 tbsp. (15 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp. (60 ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celcius)
- In a large bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix and chocolate chips.
- In a separate bowl combine milk, eggs and vanilla.
- Add egg mixture to dry mixture and mix by hand until just blended.
- Pour into a prepared bundt pan.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove from pan and cool completely before topping with chocolate glaze.
- The unglazed cake can also be wrapped and frozen for later.
chocolate glaze
- Mix all of the ingredients together until combined.
- Add more milk if necessary for correct consistency.
- Pour over chocolate bundt cake.
- Lick bowl.
Notes
- Times do not include cool time, or glazing.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Chocolate
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/chocolate-bundt-cake-fake-out/
What to get the kids involved? Here’s how they can help:
- Dump out cake mix
- Dump out pudding mix
- Dump out chocolate chips
- Crack & beat eggs
- Measure out milk & vanilla
- Stir to combine
- Pour batter into bundt pan
- Mix glaze ingredients
- Pour glaze over cake
- Lick bowls – my favorite part
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this a “fake-out” cake — isn’t it just a box mix?
Yes, the entire cake batter is built from pantry staples: one package of chocolate cake mix, one package of instant chocolate pudding mix, a bag of chocolate chips, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla. The pudding mix adds moisture and richness that makes the finished cake taste far more homemade than a basic box mix, and the bundt shape makes it look like significant effort was involved — hence the “fake-out” label.
Can I bake and freeze the cake before glazing?
Yes — step 9 in the instructions specifically notes that the unglazed cake can be wrapped and frozen for later. The author’s own approach was to bake it the night before, let it cool overnight, and add the glaze the following morning, so a freeze-then-thaw strategy works equally well.
How do I know when the cake is done baking?
Bake at 350°F (176°C) for 50–55 minutes and check with a toothpick inserted into the center — it should come out clean. The recipe notes that cool time and glazing are not included in the listed times, so plan for the cake to cool completely in the pan for 15 minutes before unmolding, then cool fully on a rack before adding the chocolate glaze.
Love this cake! So perfect, such a great recipe!
This is a great cake! So easy and so delicious!
YUM!