This Better Than Anything Cake is one of the easiest desserts 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 easy recipe is an understatement. You might know it as better than sex cake. Whatever it’s called, I have been making it for every party or occasion no matter how small. Any excuse to have a 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
This 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 baked, I pour a mix of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce on top. This makes the chocolate cake sticky, sweet, and so, so rich.
I use a simple container of Cool Whip as a topping. I like how the light, airy whipped cream topping complements the decadent dessert. A few chopped Heath Bars are an easy garnish and finish off this perfect recipe.
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 for Better Than Anything Cake
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Chocolate Cake Box Mix – I like Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix, but any brand of chocolate cake mix will work.
- Water
- Canola Oil – Vegetable oil will also work in place of canola oil.
- Eggs
- Sweetened condensed milk – This makes the sticky, sweet caramel sauce that we pour over the entire cake. Make sure you grab sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk, which is quite different!
- 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 or toffee bits will work, but Heath Bars are my favorite. Use three large chocolate bars or eight mini toffee bars. Mini ones are nice because you have less chopping!
- Cool Whip – Cool Whip is typically sold frozen, and it can be a little hard to spread 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 dessert is baked and ready for topping, the Cool Whip is slightly thawed and can be easily spread across the whole cake. Any brand of frozen whipped topping will work.
Variations
- You can make Better Than Anything Cake with vanilla box cake mix rather than chocolate. This will give you a very caramelly flavor with a texture that is still quite dense and moist. It will just be a lot less chocolatey!
- Use devil’s food cake mix for an even richer flavor.
- Skip the Cool Whip topping, and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each slice as it is served.
- Use homemade whipped cream in place of Cool Whip.
- Sprinkle any of your favorite chopped candy over the dessert. I love the Heath candy bars, but I have also used Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers bars as the topping.
- Keep the baked cake in the pan rather than flipping it out of the baking dish. This will ensure all the caramel mixture soaks into the cake and none drips off. It is also easy to slice and scoop the dessert out of the baking dish.
- Add a sprinkle of coconut flakes on top for a taste and texture similar to German chocolate cake.
How to Make Better Than Anything Cake
- Prep the equipment: Start by preheating your oven, and greasing 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 the mixture into a thick batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes before flipping it onto a serving tray or plate.
- Slit the cake: Use a sharp knife to cut slits across the cake in a grid pattern. Or, use a wooden spoon to poke holes into the top. 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 two minutes. Pour the warm mixture over the cake, letting it soak in as you pour.
- Top with Cool Whip and Heath bars: Sprinkle a few chopped Health Bar pieces over the top of the cake. Then, spread the Cool Whip across the top evenly. Sprinkle more Heath Bar pieces over the Cool Whip, cool completely, and enjoy!
Quick Tip
The caramel sauce soaks into the chocolate cake best when the cake is still a little warm. I like to pop the entire dish in the fridge for about ten 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 Better Than Anything Cake
Because of the Cool Whip topping, you’ll need to store this dessert in the refrigerator. Place plastic wrap over the top of the pan, and store for two to three days in the fridge.
I would not recommend freezing leftovers! They’re likely to become soggy once thawed.
FAQs
Yes! Using milk in place of water makes the cake extra rich and dense. It is a great substitution that will help your cake mix have even more flavor. Use whole milk, oat milk, skim milk, or even almond milk in place of water.
Adding an extra egg will make the cake more tender and moist. It also gives the dessert a little more stability, which allows it to hold up well under the weight of the caramel topping.
You can use whipped cream in place of Cool Whip as a topping. 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
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking dish
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Small Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) 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.1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix, 1 ½ cups water, ½ cup canola oil, 3 eggs
- 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.1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup caramel sauce
- Chop the Heath bars into small pieces and sprinkle half of the pieces over the top of the cake.3 large Heath Bars (chocolate toffee bars)
- Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake and then sprinkle the remaining toffee pieces on top.8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- 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!
