This Better Than Sex Cake really lives up to its name! Rich chocolate cake, gooey caramel filling, fluffy whipped cream, and toffee bits? Yes, please! This indulgent chocolate poke cake is living out your wildest dessert fantasies.
Looking for more indulgent poke cake recipes? Give my triple chocolate poke cake a try, too.
This Better Than Sex Cake Is Unbeatable!
If you’re looking for the most indulgent chocolate caramel dessert to ever exist, well, you’ve found it. This Better Than Sex cake is a moist and tender chocolate poke cake soaked in sweet caramel sauce, hot fudge, and your wildest dessert dreams!
This scandalously decadent dessert is super easy to make. Fluffy whipped cream on top helps to break up the richness and I drizzle my cake slices with extra fudge and caramel sauce. Can confirm: this easy chocolate cake 100% lives up to its name.
Why You’ll Love This Better Than Sex Cake Recipe
- Fudgy chocolate caramel flavor. This recipe is a treasure trove of ooey-gooey, fudgy chocolate caramel goodness. Moist homemade chocolate cake, caramel filling, homemade whipped cream, drizzled with hot fudge? It’s a yes from me.
- Easy ingredients. Whether you make your cake from scratch or from a box, you don’t need anything complicated to make a Better Than Sex cake. Just a handful of pantry staples! I love poke cakes for this reason (check out some of my favorite poke cake recipes). They always turn out great with little effort.
- Crowd-friendly. This is the kind of easy dessert that’s guaranteed to get the party talking. Take this Better Than Sex cake along to potlucks, parties, and BBQs. It’s always a hit.
What is a Better Than Sex Cake?
Better Than Sex cake is a variation of chocolate poke cake created by food-writing mogul Diana Rattray. It’s a chocolate cake that’s soaked in caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk, then covered in a whipped cream topping. You’ll also find it called a Better Than Robert Redford cake and a Better Than Anything cake. Ever since Paula Deen featured this cake in her home cooking series during the 80s, it’s gained the status of a Southern classic.
What You’ll Need
I like to use my ultra-moist chocolate cake recipe as the base for this better than sex cake. You can reach for a boxed cake mix instead if you’d like, but I highly recommend homemade. Below is a short overview of the key ingredients involved. Make sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and details.
- Oil and Sour Cream – Two essential ingredients for the ultimate moist and tender chocolate cake (or any cake, for that matter). Using oil instead of butter creates a soft and light crumb, while sour cream adds loads of richness and moisture. In place of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt works, too.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works perfectly here. Make sure to measure your flour correctly using a food scale or the spoon and level method.
- Cocoa Powder – I use Hershey’s Special Dark, but any natural unsweetened cocoa powder will do.
- Hot Brewed Coffee – This brings out the chocolate flavor like none other. You don’t actually taste the coffee, but it makes a big difference (see below). If you’d like, you can add a tablespoon of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate even more.
For the Filling
- Caramel Sauce and Hot Fudge – Use your favorite store-bought caramel sauce and jarred hot fudge, like Hershey’s or Smuckers.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – A staple in Southern dessert-making! Sweetened condensed milk makes this cake so dreamy. Be sure to buy the sweetened kind and not regular condensed milk.
For the Topping
- Whipped Cream – I include my super-simple method for fluffy homemade whipped cream. It’s easy, and all you need is heavy cream and powdered sugar. Alternatively, you can use store-bought.
- Toffee Bits – I finish off this cake with a sprinkle of toffee bits and a drizzle of extra fudge and caramel. So good!
What Does Coffee Do In Chocolate Cake?
Adding hot brewed instant coffee to a chocolate cake amplifies the cocoa flavors. The cake won’t actually taste like coffee, but the flavor will be deeper and fudgier. If you’d prefer to make your cake without coffee, you can substitute milk instead. The chocolate flavor just won’t be as intense.
How to Make a Better Than Sex Cake
The process of making this poke cake is super simple, and it definitely doesn’t require a seasoned baker. It’s a low-effort, high-reward type of dessert! Gotta love it. Here’s a quick overview on how to make it:
- Prep your tools. Get your oven preheating to 350ºF.
- Make the cake batter. First, cream the sugar together with the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Afterward, beat in the sour cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then gradually add these to the batter, alternating with hot brewed coffee until combined.
- Bake. Transfer the cake batter to a 9×13-inch baking pan and bake at 350ºF for 25-28 minutes. You’ll need to let the cake cool for about 20 minutes before you go ahead and poke holes.
- Add the filling. While the cake is still warm, use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Next, pour over the can of condensed milk, followed by the caramel, and lastly some warmed fudge sauce.
- Make the frosting. When the cake has cooled to room temperature, in a chilled bowl, beat heavy cream into soft peaks. Slowly add powdered sugar, whipping on high until stiff peaks form. Spread your whipped topping all over the top of the cake.
- Garnish and serve. Finish the cake with a sprinkle of toffee bits and a drizzle of leftover caramel and fudge sauce. I recommend chilling your better than sex cake in the fridge for 30 minutes before slicing. If you can resist the temptation, it’s worth it!
Tips for Success
You’re going to be swept off your feet after one bite of this Better Than Sex Cake. Let’s go over some tips on how to make this cake as bomb as it can be:
- Add the filling while the cake is warm. Don’t let your cake cool to room temperature before you poke it and add in the filling. You want the condensed milk, caramel, and hot fudge to soak into the cake while it’s still a little warm, for maximum gooey-ness.
- Don’t poke all the way through the cake. If you poke the holes all the way down to the bottom of your cake, the filling will fall right through. Only poke about halfway down into the cake. The filling will continue to soak through the cake anyway.
- Chill your whisk and mixing bowl. When making homemade whip cream, remember to chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5-10 minutes beforehand. The heavy cream should also be cold from the fridge. Cold tools and ingredients are key to fluffy whipped cream!
Variation Ideas
Looking to put a unique spin on this recipe? Go ahead and live out your wildest fantasies with your Better Than Anything cake. Here are some simple variations that you can try:
- Different Frosting – Even though I love this light whipped frosting, cream cheese whipped cream frosting tastes incredible on this cake as well. And if you’re not in the mood to make your own frosting, you can use Cool Whip instead.
- Another Kind of Cake – For those of you who aren’t big fans of chocolate, I recommend using my yellow cake or vanilla cake for this recipe instead. Alternatively, you can go with your favorite boxed cake mix for extra convenience.
- Different Garnishes – Chopped toffee bits and extra caramel sauce are my go-to garnishes for this cake. But there are plenty of other crave-worthy options out there! Try crushed Oreo cookies, chopped candy bars, mini peanut butter cups, M&M’s, or whatever you’re craving.
How to Store a Better Than Sex Cake
- Fridge. Extras can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. But let’s face it – they’re sure to get devoured way sooner than that!
- Freezer. You can freeze the entire cake or individual slices for up to 2 months. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe container and store it. Thaw it out in the fridge before digging in.
More Easy Poke Cakes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Poke Cake
- Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
- Slutty Brookie Poke Cake
- Ultimate Oreo Poke Cake
Better Than Sex Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Better Than Sex Cake really lives up to its name! It’s the ultimate chocolate poke cake recipe with gooey caramel filling, fluffy whipped cream, hot fudge, and toffee bits.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups (285g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118 ml) sour cream
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (55 g) cocoa powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) hot brewed coffee
For the Filling
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 jar (12oz) caramel sauce
- 1 jar (12oz) hot fudge sauce
For the Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (354ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (81g) powdered sugar
- Heath Bar Milk Chocolate Toffee bits
- Additional caramel sauce for garnish
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add half the dry ingredients followed by half of the coffee to the wet ingredients, then mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Add the remaining dry ingredients and coffee. Beat until all of the ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Pour the batter into a 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 25-28 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Filling
- While the cake is still warm, take the end of a wooden spoon or another round object and poke holes all over the top of your cake.
- Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk all over the top of the cake and spread gently. Then pour the caramel sauce and hot fudge sauce over the cake. Heat the hot fudge sauce in the microwave for 30-60 seconds if needed to reach a pourable consistency.
For the Toppings
- Make the whipped cream. Place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to chill. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks start to form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake.
- Garnish with caramel sauce, additional hot fudge, and toffee bits prior to serving.
Notes
- To Store: I recommend adding garnishes to individual slices before serving to best preserve the leftover cake. Keep the cake refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Entire cake or individual slices can be frozen for up to 2 months. Cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe container and store. Thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 167534
