Better Than “Anything” Cake
Do you remember waaaaaay back in the early 2000’s (which is like decades ago in Internet years), there were recipe exchanges via email? I don’t remember exactly how it worked, but there was a list of people in an email chain… you sent a recipe to everyone on the list and you got a recipe back in return from each person. A lot of the recipes that are my favorites to this day were procured through this email recipe exchange, this cake chief among them. While this cake is better know with an R-rated title, I cleaned it up a bit and called it Better Than Anything Cake to make sure I stay out of the junk filters, but the flavor combination is unmistakable: a chocolate poke cake infused with sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, then topped with Cool Whip and toffee bits.
I typically use chocolate cake recipes from scratch when making desserts, but I also love having a few recipes in my back pocket that can be whipped up quickly using a box mix if I’m in a bind. My other favorite for these types of situations is the Ho Ho Cake (which I tend to make multiple times during the month of December!). If you prefer, you could definitely use your own homemade chocolate cake recipe; my recipe of choice would be the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake, baked in a 9×13-inch cake pan.
Do you have any old recipes from recipe exchanges? What about a favorite poke cake flavor combination?
Three years ago: Minestrone Soup
Four years ago: Maple-Bacon Kettle Popcorn
Better Than Sex Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix
- 14 ounce (396.89 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounce (340.2 g) jar caramel ice cream topping
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Cool Whip
- ½-1 cup (115 to 230 g) Heath toffee bits
Instructions
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top using either the bottom of a wooden spoon, a skewer or a fork.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce, then slowly drizzle the mixture all over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake, top with the Heath toffee bits and refrigerate again for 1 hour. Serve cold and refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I do remember the emails. Will try this recipe very soon as my birthday is coming up. Have you had the opportunity to try Sarris’s coco powder in a recipe?? OMG its very good. You can so easily taste the difference and its goooood
I made a homemade cake and homemade caramel but instead of chocolate cake I made vanilla cake and made according to directions. It’s was amazing.
To all the people complaining… make it your own you don’t have to follow the recipe exactly the way it’s written.
Best cake ever.
way-way to sweet.sodium a little to high.won’t be making again.plus very rare I use cake mixes,mostly due to sodium.
Wonderful cake. Made 4 of these for my dad’s 75th birthday party. What a hit! I didn’t do the caramel at all. I thought it would be too sweet. I used the Heath bars crunched just on TOP of the cake.
I have to say, I found this cake absolutely vile. A friend made it for her birthday, and it was so sickening sweet I could only manage one bite. It had that awful, chemical-laced flavor from using so many pre-made ingredients such as whipped topping, cake mix, and caramel sauce. I would suggest avoiding this cake at all costs.
I have made this cake before and I LOVE it. I was thinking of making it today for my mom for her birthday/mothers day. Although she is not a big fan of just chocolate cake. So if I somehow made a marble cake does anyone think it would taste just fine? Everything else would be the same. I guess I can always just try it myself too and let you guys know!
This cake is delicious and can be modified so many ways based on preferences. I.e. I sprinkled malted milk powder over the cake after I drizzled the milk/caramel sauce, and I used chopped up Heath bars and malted milk balls to sprinkle over the top of the whipping cream layer. Yum! This is my son’s favorite cake, and I’ve been making it for him for about 20 years. My hubby, daughters and mother in law also love it. We call it “Cavity Cake” since it did feel weird calling it by the “original” name back when my kids were young. The name has stuck. :o)
Wow! I had no idea “sex” was not a G-rated word?
Hi Michelle, Thank you so much for this delicious recipe…I found the steps easy and the Ingredients were easily available in the market…So once I tried making the recipe It was not so perfect but was good…But it was just one try but I made it fine…It would be more better when I bake for 2nd time.I wish I could upload the picture and show you.Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m allergic to peanuts, so I think this would be good with plain chocolate bars or mini chips.
My sister is the one that came up with the Better Than Sex Cake back in 79-80.she started putting it in recipe books around 83 or 84,Awsome to see people everywhere loves the cake she has passed away.. I’ve always loved the cake
You cleaned up the title of your post to be G-rated, but after linking your recipe to my little girl, I realized the post url still is not G-rated! Oops.
This sound so delicious. Thaanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
I’d like to serve the cake on a cake platter instead of in the pan. Can I make the cake, poke it, pour condensed milk in and let it sit till next day. THEN, remove it from the pan before frosting it. Do you think this would work or would the cake break trying to remove it? Any ideas?
Hi Janet, I think it would be too soggy to remove from the pan if you do that. The only thing I can think of is using a 9×13-inch pan with a removable bottom so you can prepare it as directed, then remove the sides and place on a cake platter when you’re ready to serve. I’m only aware of one, made by Fat Daddio’s.
Browned eye Baker, the Better than Sex Cake goes back to the late 80s and early 90s. I was in retail sales and an assisted manger at a ladies plus size shop and I got the recipe from somewhere. I fixed it for a get together and we all got a nice laugh out of the recipe and everybody agreed, it was just like it said. I like yours, with the chocolate. But the one I fixed was made from yellow or white cake mix with the crushed pineapple, a strawberry Jello mix without letting it jell and cool whip on top, coconut was optional.