This frosted chocolate fudge cake is a play on the classic Little Debbie snack! It’s a moist and fluffy homemade chocolate cake filled and frosted with creamy fudge frosting.
I love recreating my favorite childhood lunchbox snacks for my family as delicious, homemade desserts. Next, try my Oatmeal Cream Pies and these Tagalong Bars inspired by the Girl Scouts’ cookies!
Why I Love This Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
Today, I’m sharing a supersized version of the Frosted Fudge Cake from my childhood! It has two layers of decadent homemade chocolate cake filled with smooth and creamy chocolate frosting. The slices look just like the snack cakes that I remember. I even swirl the frosting on top of the cake for nostalgia’s sake! Here’s why I love this recipe:
Like Little Debbie’s, but bigger (and better). I grew up snacking on the Frosted Fudge Cakes from Little Debbie. They’re such a classic lunchbox treat. As an adult, I’m living the dream with this jumbo sheet cake version!
Irresistible texture. This fudge cake is super fudgy, yet light and fluffy at the same time. It comes down to some key ingredients in the batter, like oil and cornstarch. Combined with plenty of testing to get the right ratios of ingredients, I can say, officially, that this is the BEST chocolate cake!
Made with two bowls. You need one for the cake batter and one for the frosting. That’s it! Clean-up is a breeze.
Easy to make. I bake this cake in a 9×13” pan, so even though the finished cake has two layers, there’s only one cake to bake. Cutting the cake in half is easy, and the frosting is quick to make. This recipe is perfect for beginner bakers!
Ingredients You’ll Need
There are a handful of ingredients that make this chocolate fudge cake ultra-moist and fudgy, yet soft and light at the same time. Below are some quick notes. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with amounts.
Sugar and Leavening – You’ll need your usual baking basics like sugar and salt, plus baking soda and baking powder for leavening. Make sure to check the dates on your baking soda and baking powder, to make sure they’re not expired.
Flour and Cornstarch – Cornstarch works with all-purpose flour to behave more like cake flour, reducing the gluten for a softer cake.
Cocoa Powder – I recommend natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, but Dutch-processed cocoa powder works, too. The cake just turns out darker.
Eggs – At room temperature for best results.
Oil – This can be any vegetable oil, like canola or avocado oil. Unlike butter, oil stays liquid at room temperature. Chocolate cakes and cupcakes made with oil stay soft and tender for longer.
Vanilla – Make sure it’s real vanilla extract! You can also use equal parts vanilla paste.
Chocolate Frosting – I include the recipe for a fudgier version of my creamy chocolate buttercream frosting. Of course, feel free to use your favorite store-bought or homemade frosting if you’d prefer.
How to Make a Frosted Chocolate Fudge Cake
Here are the easy steps to make your very own full-sized frosted fudge cake at home. This is an overview with photos, and you’ll find the printable recipe instructions in the recipe card after the post.
Mix the cake batter.Fill the pan and bake.
Make the cake batter. Mix the dry ingredients, then slowly add the wet ingredients to the same bowl, beating until a smooth batter comes together. It’ll be quite thin, and that’s OK.
Bake. Transfer the chocolate cake batter to a lined 9×13” baking pan. Bake at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes, until the cake passes the toothpick test. Leave the cake to cool completely in the pan.
Combine the frosting ingredients.Whip until smooth and fluffy.
Make the frosting. Meanwhile, combine your frosting ingredients in a bowl. Start mixing slowly, and gradually bring up the speed. Beat for a couple of minutes so that the frosting gets whipped and fluffy.
Assembling and Frosting the Cake
You’ll use the same batch of chocolate frosting to fill, frost, and decorate your fudge cake. So, before you start, you’ll need to divide it. The frosting will be thick and creamy straight from the mixing bowl, perfect for filling the cake.
Meanwhile, set aside about 2 ½ cups of frosting (you’ll use this to cover and decorate the outside of the cake), and follow these steps:
Cut the cake in half.Spread frosting over the first layer.
Prepare the layers. Pop the cooled cake out of the pan. Then, slice the cake horizontally into 2 even layers. Place the top half onto a platter.
Assemble. Spread a generous amount of frosting over the first cake layer. Afterward, place the second cake layer carefully over top.
Add the second layer and frost the cake.Add swirls.
Frost the cake. I like to thin out about 2 cups of the reserved frosting with milk and use this to frost the top and sides of the cake. The smoother frosting mimics the look of the Little Debbie Cakes.
Add swirls. No Little Debbie copycat is complete without some fudgy decorative swirls! Add the last ½ cup of frosting to a Ziploc baggie with the corner snipped off. Use this to pipe swirls all over the frosted cake (there’s no rhyme or reason here, just let your inner artiste go).
Tips and Variations
Extra guidance. If you need extra tips on how to trim and stack the cake layers in this recipe, check out my perfect chocolate layer cake.
Use two pans. If the thought of cutting such a large cake in half sounds intimidating, you could also bake the cake in two separate 9×13 pans. Just divide the batter evenly between both. You may need to reduce the baking time in this case.
At room temperature. This frosted fudge cake can be stored airtight on the counter for up to 3 days. You can keep it in the fridge if you prefer, but I recommend covering it tightly and letting it come to room temperature again for serving.
Freeze. You’ll want to freeze the cake layers before they’re frosted. Cut the cooled chocolate cake in half as directed, and then double-wrap the individual layers in plastic wrap. Freeze the cakes flat for up to 1 month, and thaw them in the fridge before assembling.
A play on the classic Little Debbie snack, this frosted chocolate fudge cake is super moist and fluffy, filled and frosted with creamy fudge frosting.
For the Cake
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water
For the Frosting
1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups powdered sugar
1 cup whole milk, divided
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add the flour, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined.
With the mixer still on low add in the eggs, oil, vanilla, and water. Mix on medium-low until smooth. The batter will be thin.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
Make the frosting: While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting by combining the butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, powdered sugar, and 3/4 of milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until the ingredients come together and then slowly increase the speed to medium. Mix for 2 minutes until the frosting is creamy and lighter in color.
Reserve 2-1/2 cups of frosting to cover the cake.
Assemble the cake: When the cake has cooled, turn the cake out of the cake pan onto a parchment paper-lined counter.
Cut the cake with a serrated knife crosswise in half, creating 2 layers. Using both hands, carefully transfer the top layer of the cake to a serving tray. Spread the unreserved fudge frosting on this cake layer.
Carefully transfer the other cake half on top of the frosted cake layer.
Using 2 cups of the reserved frosting, mix in the remaining 1/4 cup of milk to thin it a bit. Cover the cake evenly with this frosting.
Fill a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner cut off with the last 1/2 cup of frosting and pipe swirls on top of the cake reminiscent of the classic Little Debbie snack cake.
