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With a few extra ingredients, this Better Than Sex Cake recipe turns a basic cake mix into a decadent dessert. The rich, caramel filled cake is complemented by a creamy whipped topping and crunchy toffee candy on top.
Featured With This Recipe
Looking for a dessert to impress without spending a lot of time or money? This Better Than Sex Cake is for you! My daughter requested this cake for her birthday for many years, and it became a family favorite. I love the flavors and textures in this cake. I also love it because it is so easy to make. It’s a great dessert when I’m having company over for dinner. We’ve had rave reviews since sharing it here on our website.
What is Better Than Sex Cake?
Better Than Sex Cake is a decadent chocolate poke cake that combines layers of moist chocolate cake, creamy whipped cream, rich caramel sauce, and a sprinkle of toffee bits. The result is a heavenly dessert with a combination of flavors and textures that will have you craving more.
Of course, the name of this cake is not exactly family friendly. In front of the kids we call it “Better Than You Know What Cake.” We have had many of our readers share with us what they call this dessert. Some people say they call it “Better Than Sex,” while others say they call it “Better Than Anything You Can Think Of.” Still others have told us they simply refer to it as their “secret weapon.” Whatever you want to call this delicious dessert, one thing is for sure: It’s easy to make, tastes incredible, and will leave everyone satisfied and smiling!
How to Make Better Than Sex Cake
You won’t believe that this sinfully delicious Better Than Sex Cake recipe starts out with just a regular box cake mix. In addition, you will need sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping, frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip) or homemade whipped cream, and Heath candy bars.
- Bake the cake according to the package directions. Make adjustments for altitude according to where you live. Once the cake has cooled for about 15 minutes, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes evenly on the top of the cake. Poke the holes about half way into the cake, not all the way to the bottom.
- Stir the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping together in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Pour the mixture evenly over the cake and into the holes. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to add the topping and serve.
- Just before serving, spread Cool Whip (thawed) or homemade whipped topping over the cake.
- Chop the Heath bars into pieces using a knife. Another option is to keep the Heath bars in the candy wrapper and pound it gently with a mallet to break it up into pieces. Place the Heath pieces evenly on the cake as pictured below.
- Keep leftover cake covered and refrigerated. It’s best to eat it within a couple of days, after that it tends to get soggy.
Make Your Own Chocolate Cake Mix
Prefer to make your cake mix from scratch? We’ve got you covered! Make any kind of cake mix using our simple Homemade Cake Mix Recipe and make it a chocolate cake. After making the cake mix, just add eggs, butter, cocoa, and milk to make the perfect cake batter.
Better Than Sex Cake Variations
We have made this several different ways, we have even had a reader report that it is delicious with a white cake mix or yellow cake mix in place of the chocolate mix. If you can’t find Devil’s Food Cake mix, you can use a German chocolate cake mix or a regular chocolate cake mix instead.
You can also add any kind of chopped up candy bars on the top, but we prefer Skor candy bars or Heath bars. The crunchy toffee candy is so good! Here are some more great topping ideas: Butterfinger Bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&M’s Minis, Reese’s Pieces, Snickers Bars, crushed Oreo cookies or mini Oreos, Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heath and Skor Candy Bars are English toffee bars covered in milk chocolate. They are nearly identical in appearance, made with much of the same ingredients, and are even manufactured by the same company. The Hershey Company makes Heath Bars and also sells Heath Toffee Bits which are great for baking in cookies and as a topping on this cake. The Hershey Company also makes Skor Bars, which are marketed as “buttery toffee enrobed in milk chocolate.” There are no nuts in either bar, but Skor Bars have a more buttery flavor while Heath Bars taste a bit nuttier. They can both be found in most grocery stores.
Yes! You can make this cake a day before serving if needed, but add the whipped topping and Heath bar pieces just before serving. Store the pre-made cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
Absolutely! However, don’t use the whipped cream that comes in a can. It melts quickly and becomes runny, and won’t work for this recipe. You can make your own whipped cream with heavy cream and sugar, and it will taste amazing!
More Poke Cake Recipes
What makes this Better Than Sex Cake so moist and delicious is poking holes in the cake and pouring a caramel sauce over the holes. We call this a “Poke Cake”. Try some of our other delicious poke cake recipes!
Raspberry Lemon Poke Cake – Raspberry Lemon Jello Poke Cake is a cold, refreshing treat! You’ll love this moist, tangy lemon and raspberry flavor with light pudding frosting.
Piña Colada Poke Cake – This Piña Colada Cake is bursting with coconut and pineapple. The topping on this cake is simple, yet so delicious. It is the perfect summer dessert!
Pumpkin Poke Cake – This Pumpkin Poke Cake is a deliciously rich and ultra moist cake with a creamy, crunchy topping. Every bite tastes like fall!
4th of July Poke Cake – This 4th of July Cake is the perfect chilled dessert for your Independence Day celebrations. It is so fun with the red, white, and blue colors inside.
Better Than Sex Cake Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 Cake Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 12.25 ounces caramel flavored topping
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping thawed
- 4 Heath or Skor candy bars chopped
Instructions
- Bake cake according to package directions for a 9×13 inch pan. Cool for about 15 minutes. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake.
- In a small bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping. Slowly pour caramel mixture over the cake, letting it sink into the holes.
- Let cake cool completely (I usually cover it and put it in the fridge until I'm ready to serve it). Top cooled cake with whipped topping.
- Decorate the top of the cake with chopped candy bars. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
So left over cake should be stored in the fridge or room temperature?
Definitely in the fridge.
I would like to make this Thursday to serve on Saturday?
Any problem?
The cake will be fine to make on Thursday and serve on Saturday. Keep it covered and in the refrigerator. Add the cool whip and toppings just before serving. It will be great!
OMG..this is sooooo delicious.
I plan to make this for a picnic. Sounds fantastic! I was wondering how it is to cut. Maybe should just spoon it out? I think that would work ok. What’s you’re opinion?
You should be able to cut it with a knife and serve it up, but spooning it out would work fine too!
If I don’t have sweeten condense milk. Can I substitute with evaporated milk? Or just not add milk, since I don’t have any?
Sorry, you need to use sweetened condensed milk for it to turn out properly.
U can puncture the lid of the evaporated milk and simmer it in water level halfway up the can for 1hour and it will make caramel sauce similar to sweetened condensed milk. Pour it over the cake Uncooked Evap
milk would make a soggy cake.
I used Butter Pecan Cake Mix (because I was out of chocolate). It was delicious too!!! It is a favorite at my house.
This cake is a huge hit with my family & friends. Every time we have get together’s I already know what I’m supposed to bring. I have also used this with yellow cake mix & butterfingers. It is good as well. It’s hard to find Heath Bars around here for some reason so if I can’t find them I have used Snicker bars & Recces Bits as well.
Ever tried it with butterscotch instead of carmel…mmmmmmmmm that was a hit also
Do you think that I could use strawberry (raspberry?) syrup instead of the caramel and omit the crushed candy bar on top??? I am thinking of making this for my friends birthday party and she isn’t fond of chocolate candy of caramel… any tips???
Honestly, you can use whatever you would like! I have never done it before but it sounds like it could be good!
It is good but I have a similiar receipe that is much better. Use a butter pecan cake mix instead of the chocolate, omit the whipped cream and add chopped skor bars to the top after you pour the sweetened milk on it. The bars melt on the top of the cake. Toooo DIE for!!!! MUCH better than this receipe. I wouldn’t make this again.
Thanks for all the replys. I could not find skor candy bars. Glad to know I can use reeses peanut butter cups or health. Thanks again
I am from Cushig, OK
Lois
Does it have to stay refrigerated after you make it? I want to make this for a staff get together at work but there won’t be a refrigerator there.
I like it best refrigerated but room temp isn’t bad. The cake is more moist at room temp so that’s a plus I guess!
love love love this cake! We are making it for my birthday tomorrow (as we have for every other birthday!!) My mom always called it “better than tom selleck cake” growing up… : )
I just made this tonight and LOVE it! I folded the cool whip into a little bit of instant vanilla pudding (just like with jello cake) to give it a little extra creaminess and flavor. DELICIOUS! 🙂
Will you please email me the jello cake recipe? It sounds great! Email: 4mystical10@bellsouth.net
Hello,
I’m Australian and I tried this recipe last night with Tim Tams (chocolate covered biscuits very popular here) and it was fanbloodytastic. Have a good week!
Regards,
Sharon Ann
Ok just put the cake in the oven..I got this from pintrest…looking for a fun bday cake for my Husband tonight,I hope it comes out as good as it looks!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much
I am trying to find a healthier recipe for Easter for my inlaws..They told me to bring a dessert but it cannot be healthy. So just to prove them wrong I want to make something “healthier”. Do you think there is a way to tweak this to make it “Healthier?
Becky– I don’t know what to tell you! I don’t know how to make this healthy without taking away from the taste! Maybe use light whipped topping and applesauce instead of oil in the cake mix? That is all I can come up with off the top of my head. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!
You can use light or sugar-free whipped topping, caramel, sweetened condensed milk. They even have low-sugar chocolate cake. It doesn’t make it “healthy,” but healthier.
If you are a coconut fan, I would pour coconut milk over the cake instead of sweetened condensed milk. use sugar free caramel syrup, melt down dark dark chocolate bars and drizzle over, use berries instead of candy bars (rasberries, blueberries, chopped strawberries). You can stick with cool whip, but I would whip up my own heavy whipping cream (it is considered a “healthy” fat 🙂
I have to stay away from sugar and starch so to make this recipe I’m making my own chocolate cake w/coconut flour and unsweetened cocoa powder sweetened with xylitol. Haven’t tried it yet but I’m excited to!
This is has been a long time family favorite…. in the old days it was also known as the Robert Redford cake…
When my daughter went off to college, she called home for the recipe and I couldn’t, in good concious pass it along to her with its “sinful” name to make for her college roommates…. and since she was too young to know Robert Redford movies, I quickly called it the Tom Selleck Cake and it’s been known by that ever since…
Ha ha ha
Everyone who eats this loves it and who doesn’t love Tom Selleck!!!
We make this cake but call it PMS cake. It is delish!!!!!!
Has anyone done this in a cupcake? Does it work or make the papers soggy? TIA!
My sister in law first introduced me to this cake and its now my absolute favorite! I love this cake 😀 I don’t think I have met anyone thats tried it that did not like it!
I’ve made this hundreds of times and call it Better Than Sex Cake. It’s always a hit and so simple to make. Yum yum!