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Are you familiar with the chocolate cake filling inside of a Costco cake? You know the one. It’s light and fluffy, not too sweet, but similar in taste to a chocolate mousse. What’s not to love? That’s the inspiration behind our easy chocolate cake filling! It’s a simple, five ingredient recipe to make that creamy, fluffy chocolate filling at home!
This easy chocolate cake filling is one of our favorites because it’s a simple and basic recipe that pairs well with any kind of layer cake! You can even fill cupcakes with this creamy goodness. Try it in our famous chocolate cake.
Chocolate Filling for Cake
This is the quickest and easiest cake filling you could ever make. The filling is thick, creamy, smooth and so easy to spread between cake layers. The secret ingredient that pulls this chocolate cake filling together so quickly is the instant chocolate pudding mix.
It is a great filling for chocolate cake or vanilla cake but it goes with any flavor that complements chocolate. Try it with our banana layer cake or coconut cake. And it is so much more than just a filling for cake. Use it as a dip, sandwich it between cookies, spread it on top of cupcakes, or serve it as a quick chocolate mousse.
If you have a soft spot for chocolate cake, you’ll love our chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream! It’s the easiest, most versatile chocolate cake recipe and we break down all the different bake times you’ll need for various pan sizes, too. Check it out, because if you’re interested in this easy chocolate cake filling, you’ll need the perfect chocolate cake to go with it!
And you will want to check out our easy recipe for vanilla cake filling too. It is just as easy to make as this recipe.
How to make the dreamiest chocolate cake filling
A slice of classic, moist and tender chocolate cake will solve many problems. Not all problems, but we believe there’s a lot that a good cake can do. Agree? Whether you’re baking for fun, for a special occasion, or for a short home-ec baking activity, our easy chocolate cake filling is tasty, light and creamy, and simple enough for anyone to make! So if you have little ones at home, don’t hesitate to have them join in!
This recipe only requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to whip together! Here’s what you’ll need:
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- heavy cream
- instant chocolate pudding mix
To make this, you’ll need a standup mixer or a hand mixer since the cream cheese needs to be beat until smooth and it requires a lot of whipping to get the mousse-like texture.
Here’s the quick rundown of how it’s done, but be sure to check out the full recipe at the bottom of the page!
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or bowl with a handheld mixer). Beat the cream cheese until smooth- you’re going for no lumps.
- Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, stirring on low until both ingredients are well combined.
- Turn the speed up to high, beat until smooth.
- Turn the speed to slow, then add the whipping cream and whip until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the powdered instant pudding mix, increase the speed, and whip until the chocolate cake filling is thick and fluffy.
This recipe makes about 3-1/2 cups of cake filling. You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Simple, rich and delicious! We love this easy cake filling recipe! It results in a decadent, chocolate-y, whipped cake filling that’s not as sweet as a standard frosting, and pairs well with buttercream. It’s incredibly fast, which means you can get it ready while you’ve got a cake cooling.
how to use chocolate cake filling
Besides enjoying this cake filling in a layer cake, you can get creative with how to use it! It’s light, chocolate pudding taste makes it a versatile cake filling recipe, and here’s a few of our favorite ways to enjoy this chocolate goodness:
- Use it in this classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting recipe!
- Pipe it onto these red velvet cupcakes to try out a light whipped frosting instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting.
- Spread it on oatmeal shortbread for a sweet, indulgent spin.
- Use it to make cookie sandwiches to every kid’s delight!
This chocolate cake filling recipe is so easy and straightforward, we know you’ll love it! So bookmark it for the next time you have a layer cake or cupcakes in the works, or anything else that could use this sweet spread!
More Recipes You Will Love:
These chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are hard to beat! You will love our soft, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie and I guarantee you’ll need more than one batch!
This 6-inch cake recipe is perfect for any occasion! A personal-sized cake is never a bad idea, and we’ve got you covered with this tender, yellow cake recipe, on a smaller scale.
This Lemon Bundt Cake –perfect for spring- it’s infused with lemon and is light and moist. Serve with a dollop of lemon dessert sauce for something really special!
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Easy Chocolate Cake Filling
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Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 (3.4-ounce package) instant chocolate pudding
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then beat on low until incorporated. Turn the speed up and beat until smooth.
- Slowly add the cream and whip on slow until it is well incorporated and smooth.
- Slowly pour in the powdered instant pudding mix. Increase the speed and whip for 2 to 3 minutes until it is thick. If it gets too thick, add additional cream until it reaches the consistency you want.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Can I freeze the leftover filling? I only needed half of it for now and didn’t think to cut the recipe in half.
Absolutely, this filling freezes very well. Thanks for the question
I just made this as a filling for my nephew’s birthday cake. I doubled the recipe because i was doing a big layer cake. It came out very thin! Not mousse like texture at all! More like regular pudding consistency. I trued adding more powdered sugar and beat for longer, but no improvement. HELP! I have no filling now!!!
Make sure you are using instant pudding mix and not the kind that needs to be cooked. Also, you need to use cream for this recipe and not milk. You should be able to fix the filling if you get a package of powdered instant pudding and whip it into the mix that you already have.
Just made this yesterday for birthday party today. My batch came out very very thick so I globed it on thick and had plenty. If my cake hadn’t been frozen probably would have thinned it to spread more easily. The cake sat out on table the whole time. No problem. And everyone took seconds! Yummy! Will make again.
Thanks for the comment. If you make it again and it is still thicker than you like, you can add a tad more cream.
Will this recipe hold well out of the fridge for a few hours?
Yes, it will. FDA guidelines recommend 2 hours outside of the fridge but I’m a bit of a rebel and I will leave it out all day as long as it isn’t in the sun.
Can I fill cupcakes with this the day before and keep them successfully in the refrigerator?
Yes, you can. This filling holds up very well
Does it squish out the sides when in a layer cake? Do I need to pipe a buttercream dam to keep it in or is it stiff enough to work on its own?
No this filling is quite firm and holds up on its own. It will hold a heavy butter cake and you don’t need to make a dam with buttercream. This is a filling that makes cake decorating quite easy. Thanks for your question
Can I use half and half instead of whipping cream
It won’t get as thick if you use half and half
I made this for my Chocolate loving 10-year old’s birthday cake. Everyone loved it!
Oh wow! Double digits this year. Happy birthday to the kiddo 🙂 Thanks for the comment
Do I need to refrigerate my cake with this filling in it?
Yes, if you will not be serving it on the same day then you should refrigerate it. The cake and the filling will taste better if you let it come to room temperature before serving it.
Looks absolutely delicious with just a few simple ingredients..and it reminds me of unbaked chocolate cheesecake.
Thanks Angie, it is a bit like cheesecake but a bit more spreadable 🙂