This Better Than Anything Cake is one of the easiest cakes you will ever make. It is dense, chocolatey, and loaded with caramel flavor.
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Pin RecipeTo say I am obsessed with this cake would be an understatement. I have been making it for every party, every get-together and anytime my family is celebrating even the smallest of milestones. Any excuse to have a big slice of Better Than Anything Cake, I will take it!
In fact, I’d say it ranks right up there with my Honey Bun Cake, Chocolate Poke Cake, and Wacky Cake in terms of ease and deliciousness.
Easy Better Than Anything Cake Recipe
My Better Than Anything Cake recipe starts with a chocolate boxed cake mix. I make the boxed cake mix using extra eggs so that it is super rich and dense. Once the cake is baked, I pour a mix of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce over the cake. This makes the chocolate cake sticky, sweet and so, so rich.
I use a simple container of Cool Whip to top the cake. I like how the light, airy whipped cream topping complements the decadent cake. A few chopped Heath Bars are an easy garnish and finish off this perfect cake. One bite of this delicious creation and you will see why it is called Better Than Anything Cake… it really is better than anything else you have ever tried!
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Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Chocolate Cake Mix – I like Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix, but any brand of chocolate cake will work.
- Water
- Canola Oil – Vegetable oil will also work in place of canola oil.
- Eggs
- Sweetened condensed milk – This is what helps make the sticky, sweet caramel sauce that is poured over the entire cake.
- Caramel sauce – Use homemade caramel sauce or store-bought. I can usually find a jar of caramel sauce near the ice cream toppings in the grocery store.
- Heath Bars – Any brand of toffee chocolate bar will work, but Heath Bars are my favorite.
- Cool Whip – Cool Whip is typically sold frozen and it can be a little hard to spread over the cake when it is too cold. I like to put my container of Cool Whip on the counter when the cake goes into the oven. By the time the cake is baked and ready for topping, the Cool Whip is slightly thawed and can be easily spread across the whole cake.
Variations
- You can make Better Than Anything Cake with vanilla cake mix rather than chocolate. This will give you a very caramelly cake that is still quite dense and moist. It will just be a lot less chocolatey!
- Skip the Cool Whip topping and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each cake slice as it is served.
- Sprinkle any of your favorite chopped candy over the cake. I love the Heath Bars but I have also used Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers bars as the cake topping.
How to Make Better Than Anything Cake
- Prep the equipment: Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF and spraying a 9×13 baking pan with baking spray. Set the pan aside for now.
- Make the cake: Combine the cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl and whisk into a thick batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes. The cake is fully baked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes before flipping it onto a serving tray or cake plate.
- Slit the cake: Use a sharp knife to cut slits across the cake in a grid pattern. Cut about ½ inch deep. These shallow cuts will allow the caramel sauce to soak into the cake easily.
- Make the sauce: Whisk the caramel sauce and condensed milk together in a saucepan and heat it over low heat for about 2 minutes. Pour the warm mixture over the cake, letting it soak in as you pour.
- Top the cake: Sprinkle a few chopped Health Bar pieces over the top of the cake, then spread the Cool Whip across the top of the cake evenly. Sprinkle more Heath Bar pieces over the Cool Whip and then the Better Than Anything Cake is ready to enjoy!
Quick Tip
The caramel sauce soaks into the chocolate cake best when the cake is still a little warm. After spreading the sauce over the cake, I like to pop the cake in the fridge for about 10 minutes before topping it with the Cool Whip. It is easier to spread the Cool Whip over a slightly chilled cake, as it tends to melt a little when the cake is warm.
How to Store
Because of the Cool Whip topping, you’ll need to store this Better Than Anything Cake in the refrigerator. Place plastic wrap over the top of the cake pan and store for 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
FAQs
Yes! Using milk in place of water in cake mix makes the cake extra rich and dense. It is a great substitution that will help your cake mix have even more flavor.
Adding an extra egg to a cake mix will make the cake more tender and moist. It also gives the cake a little more stability, which is great for Better Than Anything Cake because it needs to be strong enough to hold up under the weight of the caramel sauce.
You can use whipped cream in place of Cool Whip to top this cake. Homemade whipped cream is a great topping for this rich cake. Just remember that whipped cream is not stabilized which means it will soften and melt after just a few hours. If you want to use whipped cream rather than Cool Whip, just add it to the cake right before serving to ensure it is nice and fluffy.
More Easy Cake Recipes
Better Than Anything Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 3 large Heath Bars (chocolate toffee bars)
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Start by making the cake. Mix the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Once the cake batter is nice and smooth, pour it into the prepared cake pan and bake the cake for 30 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center of the cake to check if the cake is fully baked. The toothpick will come out of the cake cleanly when baked.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes then flip it out onto a large plate.
- Cut shallow slits across the top of the cake in a grid pattern. The slits should go about ½ way down into the cake.
- Mix the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce together in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Pour the warm mix over the top of the cake slowly, letting it absorb into the cake. It's okay if some drips down the sides, too.
- Chop the Heath bars into small pieces and sprinkle half of the pieces over the top of the cake.
- Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake and then sprinkle the remaining toffee pieces on top.
- Refrigerate the cake until you are ready to serve then slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Scoop the cake mix into a paper lined cupcake tray, making about 24 chocolate cupcakes. Poke holes in the cupcakes and then pour the caramel mix over each one, Add the toffee bits and Cool Whip to make Better Than Anything Cupcakes
- This cake is best when served warm so I like to make it right before I am ready to serve it. Make the cake before dinner and it will be ready to eat by dessert time!
