Double Fudge Fancifill Cake is an old recipe from the '70s. My mother made it once when I was little, and it stuck in my memory. It was a chocolate cake mix cake with a big ribbon or streak of cream cheese filling running through the center. I'd never tasted actual cheesecake, so the flavor must have been quite intriguing for a kid who couldn't stand sour cream.
Years later the recipe resurfaced in one of our old recipe clippings books. The "fancifill" is for the fancy streak of cheesecake.
It really does look kind of fancy the way it swirls through, especially in my most recent pictures. The old one doesn't look so fancy, but back when I took this I thought it was a good picture.
How to Make Double Fudge Fancifill Cake
The Double Fudge Fancifill recipe was originally put out by Pillsbury, but you can make this simple cake mix cake with any brand. To make it the cream cheese filled cake, you mix together the cream cheese filling ingredients and set aside. You then prepare the chocolate cake using the directions on the box, but pour the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the batter. Bake, cool and frost with your favorite chocolate icing. I used the old Hershey's One Bowl frosting recipe for this one, but you can use any.
A Few More Notes
The cake layer tastes just like your usual cake mix chocolate cake, but the cream cheese filling adds extra moisture so it is not at all dry. This might vary by brand. The filling is also not super sweet, so if you want to make it sweeter you can add an extra tablespoon of sugar. We like it with the ¼ cup. Plus the cake and frosting are both sweet. Here are a few more notes.
- I used a 13.25 oz box of Betty Crocker for this last cake and attempted to squash it all in a 9-inch square pan. This made the cake thicker, and it took longer to bake. I recommend sticking the the 13x9 inch size pan so you get a higher ratio of cream cheese filling per piece.
- The recipe says to make the cream cheese filling first, but you can prepare things in any order you like. Having a stand mixer with two bowls is super helpful!
- The store brand cream cheese seems lumpier these days. Make sure to soften it very well and use room a temperature egg and soft butter.
- Again, use your favorite frosting. If you are going to use canned frosting, give the Betty Crocker brand milk chocolate a try. I used some the other day making the Portillo's copycat and it seems like they've improved the flavor. But scratch frosting is almost always better.
- This cake can be served cold or at cool room temperature. It also freezes well.
Recipe
Fudge “Fancifill” Cake
Ingredients
Filling:
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Cake:
- 1 13.25 or 15.25 oz box chocolate cake mix plus eggs oil and water as directed on the box
Frosting:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (you can use more if needed)
- ½ cup natural style cocoa powder, sift out any lumps
- ⅛ teaspoon salt (not necessary if using salted butter)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup whole milk or half & half or a little of each plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
- Make the white filling first. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, cornstarch, milk and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Add the egg and beat just until mixed. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake mix using the directions on the side of the cake mix box. Pour a little over half of the cake mix into the pan, spoon the white mixture as evenly as possible over the top, then pour the rest of the cake batter over the white. Bake on center rack for 30 to 33 minutes (or time given on the box).
- Let cool, then cover with chocolate frosting.
One Bowl Chocolate Frosting
- Make the chocolate frosting. In a large mixing bowl, mix the softened butter, sugar, cocoa, salt, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk as well as you can, then beat with an electric mixer until pasty and thick. Continue adding milk until consistency is smooth and spreadable. Spread over the cake and chill.
Anna says
Thank you for the details! I've only made it once or twice, but want to make it again soon. I'd like to try making a mini version with half a box of cake mix.
Kathryn Dawkins says
I have made this since the 1970’s. Put 2/3 of the cake mix in the pan, then the cream cheese filling, and the rest of the cake mix on top. The cream cheese is heavier and should end up in the middle of the cake when done. My favorite cake recipe.
Anna says
Glad you remember the cake, Lisa!
Lisa says
Thanks so much for posting this! I've been looking for it. I have the original Pillsbury Plus Golden Fudge Fancifill recipe...yellow cake, with chocolatey cream cheese filling and chocolate fudge (canned) frosting. But the black and white version was always my favourite and I used to know it by heart! The filling for the golden version is the same with the addition of 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted, and changing the milk to 1/4 cup.
Anna says
Hi Jean,
Hmm, it's possible it could be the new cake mix size, but I think you should still have enough batter to cover the filling. The next time you make it, try using a very, very, thin bottom layer. It will puff up anyway, so even if it seems thinner than it should be, it will probably be fine.
Jean Moreau says
I love this cake and want to know if you can double the filling.
Will it still bake same amount of time?
Just baked last month and almost ran out of batter to cover the filling, is this due to new size of boxes as mentioned in one of the above comments.
Appreciate your answer as want to bring for Easter dinner
Thanks
Katrina says
Sue--I thought of those filled Hostess cakes, too. Looks like a whole cake would be nice and less work than individual cakes/cupcakes.
Looks like a great cake I've never seen or heard of before, Anna.
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
yum!!! that sounds ((and looks)) so delicious! cheesecake is just luscious! uh ohhh....midnight chocolate craving!! haha thanks for sharing! love your blog!
Gloria says
I am craving chocolate now!!! The cake looks almost like a delicious brownie!
Sue says
The looks of this cake make think of Hostess Suzy Q's but with frosting. I know it's just me. 🙂 Looks YUMMY!
Anna says
Hi Martha,
I didn't think of lemon. That would be great! Or red velvet, or banana. I was thinking red velvet might be fun because you could have a cheesecake stripe and add the traditional boiled fluffy frosting.
Martha in KS says
Thanks for sharing! I love brownies with a cream cheese swirl (actually anything with cream cheese), so I bet this cake is delicious. It's going in my "to-try" file. I'm thinking that you could use the same idea with other flavors of cake, such as lemon.
Anna says
Lisa, if you plan on doctoring the mix, try 2 T. cocoa powder, 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 3 large eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla added to an 18.25 oz of cake mix. Those are the additions to CMD's Old Fashioned Devil's Food Cake. Bake time might change a bit, but you'd definitely get a richer base. My worry was that might make the cake too rich, but now that I've sampled the original, I think a slightly richer base cake would be fine and that it probably wouldn't mess up the stripe. And make sure to check the weight on the cake mix box because some brands are now 16.25 ounces instead of the usual 18.25 ounces.
Lisa Ernst says
This immediately caught my eye! I don't think it would tempt me without the chocolate frosting though -- that adds that extra chocolate hit I always seem to crave. The recipe for doctoring the chocolate cake also looks good, making it richer and chocolatier. (I've gotten to where cakes made from regular mixes without any changes aren't worth the calories or sugar grams for me any more, they need to be doctored. ;-))