This copycat recipe for Portillo’s chocolate cake is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you’ve been buying it all these years! It’s decadent, chocolaty, and has a secret ingredient to make it rich and moist.
If you live near a Portillo’s, you’ve probably tried the famous Portillo’s chocolate cake. People love this cake, and it’s easy to see why. Although it looks like your standard chocolate cake slice, once you grab a fork and dig in, you’ll get what all the hype is about. It’s suuuuper moist, rich, but somehow light and fluffy at the same time.
And guess what? You can make it at home with just five ingredients.
Copycat Portillo’s Chocolate Cake Recipe
So what kind of magic are they using to make this epic chocolate cake? The secret is… wait for it… mayonnaise!
Yes, seriously! If you think about it, mayo is made with eggs, oil, and lemon juice. So why not add it to a cake? The acid in the lemon juice brings balance to the flavor (a little like how vinegar is the secret ingredient for red velvet cake), while the oil makes it super moist and rich. And the eggs give it that light, fluffy texture!
Even better, you can make this copycat Portillo’s chocolate cake using store-bought Devil’s food cake mix! I think this might just be my favorite cake mix upgrade yet, in fact—it’s so good! Make some Chicago style hot dogs, French fries, and this cake and you can have a Portillo’s dinner without even leaving the house!
(Love chocolate? Try my Chocolate Cobbler too!)
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Betty Crocker Devil’s Food cake mix
- Eggs – These should be room temperature.
- Ice cold water
- Mayonnaise
- Betty Crocker chocolate frosting
How to Make Portillo’s Chocolate Cake
1. Prepare
Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
2. Make the Cake Batter
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir until well incorporated.
3. Bake
Divide the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Cool
Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the cakes and set them back on the wire racks to finish cooling.
5. Assemble
Put one of the cakes on a plate and spread about ¾ of one can of frosting over the top. Place the second cake on top and use the rest of the frosting to frost the sides and top of the cake.
How to Store Portillo’s Chocolate Cake
Store your cake in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days; you can refrigerate it up to a week, but it will dry out faster that way. You can also freeze this cake for up to 3 months, then let it thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat it.
FAQ
What is Portillo’s chocolate cake made of?
While the exact ingredients are a secret, we do know that mayonnaise is the secret ingredient that makes it light, fluffy, and super moist!
Why is Portillo’s cake not refrigerated?
The frosting here isn’t buttercream or cream cheese frosting, which means it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. In general, cakes are best stored at room temperature unless they have a filling or frosting that needs to be kept cold!
Can I make Portillo’s chocolate cake shake at home?
Yes! Just add some of this cake to a blender with vanilla ice cream and milk.
More Reader Favorite Cake Recipes
- Blueberry Dump Cake
- Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
- The EASIEST Coconut Cream Cake – Made From A Box Mix
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
Copycat Portillo’s Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup ice cold water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 16 oz cans Betty Crocker chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until well incorporated.
- Pour batter evenly between two greased 9-inch round pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Use a toothpick to check to see if the cake is done – should come out clean.
- Allow cakes to rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans.
- Remove cakes and let cool completely before frosting.
- Place one of the cakes on a plate and spread about ¾ of one can of frosting on the top of the cake.
- Place the second cake on top and use the remaining frosting to coat the top of the cake, and the sides.
Great recipe! But the frosting Portillo’s uses is Gold Medal Ready to Spread Original Fudge Icing. Will make it taste like the real thing!
Tried this and it’s deeeeeelish. Well worth the time.
Betty Crocker frosting doesn’t compare to Portillo’s, but these tweaks to the cake mix do make it more moist than usual. I wouldn’t call this a copycat, though, just a hack to improve box cake.
Portillos chocolate cake is nothing compared to their chocolate eclair cake and the very best is Portillos strawberry shortcake…I’ve never had better so goodbye chocolate cake! Hello eclair cake and strawberry shortcake…if you don’t think it blows away regular chocolate cake that anyone can make, your not yrying the others!!