READY IN 1 hr

Death by Chocolate

Read Reviews (123)

"I make this while I'm cleaning the kitchen after dinner--layers of German chocolate cake, toffee candy, and whipped topping." — Karen

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
Mix cake batter according to package directions, adding water, oil, and eggs as directed. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool and crumble. Make pudding, according to package directions, with milk.
In a large trifle or other glass serving bowl, place half of the crumbled cake. Pour half of the coffee over the cake, and spread half of the pudding over that. Top with half of the whipped topping, sprinkled with half the crumbled candy bars. Repeat layers in the same order. Refrigerate until serving.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 1 hr

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Oct 08, 2003

This is the ultimate dessert. I did make some alterations to it though, instead of the coffee I used caramel sauce and skor bars. Everyone raved, and begged for the recipie.

—KIMSANDY

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 10, 2010

Seldom make critical remarks but the name is off on this recipe. This is no a Death by Chocolate. The real one is quite different

—Barbara

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161 Ratings

Oct 29, 2005

This recipe was amazing. I used the base recipie and improvised. I doubled the recipe using 4 8oz tubs of extra creamy cool whip. I used crushed chocolate covered shortbread cookies and chocolate malt balls in addition to the chocolate covered toffee bits. I used Devil's Food flavored pudding and I made the Deep Dish Brownies recipe from this site in place of the cake mix. I also used instant coffee instead of the brewed kind. It was a huge hit at my dessert party and went fast. I also sprinkled some cocoa and a few coffee crystals on the top of the cool whip in the final layer. This recipe is always in rotation and I know it by heart. Don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients. Try using some sliced frozen strawberries that are thawed out or, for an absolutely deadly experience, the buttercream frosting from ths site on one layer. Also, Oreo cookies placed on the top and middle layer for decoration also meld in nicely for a wonderful flavor. This is truly deadly and addictive.

—DAWNCANDACE

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Aug 22, 2008

My 2 teenagers love this cake, have made it in place of birthday cakes even. I don't care for German chocolate cake so I use devil's food. If I am in a super hurry, sometimes I'll just by the McCain's frozen cakes (2) and scrape off the icing. If you don't have a Skor, you can use packaged toffee bits in a pinch, but DON'T try to substitute another chocolate bar, I've tried that and it is not pleasing to bite into big chunks of chocolate. Drizzling Kaluha over the cake pieces is also good. Update: If you want to make this toddler friendly (ie. for a birthday, potluck, etc), you can buy clear plastic cups, and layer the cake, pudding, Skor Bar, and end with whipped cream, put some chocolate curls on top, and you have little individual cake cups. A family member brought this to our reunion and it was the best idea ever for the kids.

—B_32

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May 04, 2006

Mmm.. I used a chocolate brownie mix and 2 pkgs of chocolate pudding. I used kahlua in place of the coffee and used Daim chocolate bars (like Skor). I didnt use a frozen whipped topping because it's not available where Im living so I whipped up cream and added a tad bit of sugar to it. Using cream that wasn't as sweet as store boughten whipped toppings actually worked perfectly as the dessert is already really really sweet!

—Sarah S

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Oct 09, 2003

If you're gonna go, this is the way to do it. Anyone mind if I throw in a few crumbled Reeses peanut butter cups?

—LINDA MCLEAN

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Sep 10, 2006

Excellent! Made this for a bridal shower and everyone raved over it. I did what a few others did and replaced the toffee with crushed up Oreo cookies. The bride loved it so much she requested it for a birthday party she was having later that same week! Also made it in a 13 X 9 cake pan and it turns out great!

—Harrison's Mom

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Oct 08, 2003

My daughter had to make a dessert by herself for a foods class at school, and someone told her about this dessert. I thought it might be a little complicated for a 12 year old, but she made it alone, no problem, and WOW this is GOOD!!! Very rich, no wonder they call it death by chocolate :O)

—BELLO

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Nutrition

Calories
498 kcal
25%

Carbohydrates
62.6 g
20%

Cholesterol
60 mg
20%

Fat
24.4 g
38%

Fiber
0.6 g
2%

Protein
5.3 g
11%

Sodium
539 mg
22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Death by Chocolate

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 498
Calories from Fat: 220

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 24.4g 38 %
Saturated Fat 11.6g 58 %
Cholesterol 60mg 20 %
Sodium 539mg 22 %
** Potassium 184mg 5 %
Total Carbohydrates 62.6g 20 %
** Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2 %
Protein 5.3g 11 %
Sugars 43.4g
Vitamin A 5 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 14 %
Iron 15 %
** Thiamin 2 %
** Niacin 11 %
** Vitamin B6 2 %
** Magnesium 4 %
** Folate 13 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.