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This Better Than Sex Cake is a rich chocolate poke cake filled with caramel and sweetened condensed milk, then topped with fluffy whipped topping and crunchy toffee pieces. It starts with a simple cake mix, but once that caramel filling sinks into the cake, it tastes like the kind of dessert everyone asks for again.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This cake makes a great dessert for any occasion and is always one of the first one to go! So yummy!” – Wilhelmina
“The title of this recipe couldn’t be more accurate! SO GOOD!!!” – Krissy
“Made this for my family Easter celebration this year and it was a HUGE success! Everyone had seconds!” – Suzanne
Why I Love This Cake
This cake has been a family favorite for years. My kids have requested it for their birthdays many times, and it quickly became one of those desserts I knew I could count on for parties, birthdays, and family dinners. I love that it starts with a basic cake mix but tastes like so much more once the caramel and sweetened condensed milk soak down into the cake.
The name is not exactly family friendly, so around kids we usually call it “Better Than You Know What Cake” or “Better Than Anything Cake”. No matter what you call it, the combination of chocolate cake, caramel filling, whipped topping, and crunchy Heath or Skor candy bars is always a hit.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Devil’s food cake mix – This gives the cake a rich chocolate base and keeps the recipe quick and easy.
- Sweetened condensed milk – This soaks into the cake and makes it extra moist and sweet.
- Caramel topping – Ice cream caramel topping works great, or you can use homemade caramel sauce.
- Whipped topping – Cool Whip is easy and holds up well, but homemade whipped cream also works.
- Heath or Skor candy bars – Chopped toffee bars add the best crunchy topping.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Cake mix: Devil’s food cake is my favorite, but German chocolate cake mix or regular chocolate cake mix also work well.
- Homemade cake mix: If you prefer to make the cake from scratch, use a Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix and bake it in a 9×13 pan.
- Candy topping: Try Butterfinger, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, mini M&M’s, crushed Oreos, mini Oreos, Fudge Stripe cookies, chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.
- Caramel sauce: Store-bought caramel ice cream topping is easiest, but homemade caramel sauce makes it extra good.
- Whipped topping: Use thawed Cool Whip for convenience, or make homemade whipped cream with heavy cream and sugar. Avoid canned whipped cream because it melts too quickly.
- Extra chocolate: Drizzle chocolate syrup or hot fudge over the top before serving.
- Nut allergy note: Check the labels on Heath and Skor bars if you are serving someone with a nut allergy, since toffee candies may contain almonds or be made around nuts.
How to Make Better Than Sex Cake
- Bake the cake. Prepare the Devil’s food cake mix according to the package directions for a 9×13-inch pan. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes.
- Poke and fill. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes evenly over the warm cake, about halfway down. Stir together the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, then slowly pour it over the cake so it sinks into the holes.
- Chill and spread. Cover and refrigerate the cake until completely cooled. This gives the caramel filling time to soak in and makes the cake easier to frost. Spread whipped topping over the chilled cake.
- Top and serve. Sprinkle chopped Heath or Skor candy bars on top. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t poke all the way through the cake. The filling should settle into the cake, not pool at the bottom of the pan.
- Pour slowly. Give the caramel mixture time to sink into the holes as you pour.
- Chill before topping. If the cake is still warm, the whipped topping can melt and slide around.
- Add the candy right before serving. This keeps the toffee pieces crunchy.
- Use a 9×13-inch pan. This size gives the right thickness and makes the cake easy to slice for a crowd.
- Make altitude adjustments if needed. Follow the high-altitude instructions on the cake mix box if you live at a higher elevation.
- Use toffee bits to save time. Heath bits from the baking aisle are easier than chopping candy bars.
- For a gooier cake, chill longer. This cake is even better once it has had time to soak in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Better Than Sex Cake is a chocolate poke cake made with caramel, sweetened condensed milk, whipped topping, and chopped toffee candy bars. The filling soaks into the cake and makes it extra moist, while the whipped topping and candy add a creamy, crunchy finish.
Yes! If you want a more family-friendly name, call it Better Than Anything Cake, Better Than You Know What Cake, or Chocolate Caramel Toffee Poke Cake.
Yes, homemade whipped cream cream works well. Just don’t use canned whipped cream because it melts quickly and can make the top of the cake runny.
Yes. Homemade caramel sauce works beautifully in this cake. You can use it warm or cooled, as long as it is pourable enough to soak into the holes.
Heath and Skor bars are both chocolate-covered toffee bars and either one works for this recipe. Skor tends to have a slightly more buttery flavor, while Heath has a classic toffee flavor that is easy to find in most grocery stores.
Yes. Devil’s food cake gives the richest chocolate flavor, but German chocolate cake mix, regular chocolate cake mix, yellow cake mix, or white cake mix can also be used.
The cake can get soggy if the holes go all the way to the bottom, if too much filling pools in one spot, or if it sits too long after being fully assembled. Pour slowly, spread the filling evenly, and enjoy the cake within a couple of days for the best texture.
Yes, you can make Better Than Sex Cake gluten-free by using a gluten-free chocolate cake mix. Also check the labels on the caramel topping, sweetened condensed milk, whipped topping, and candy bars to make sure they are gluten-free. Toffee bars can vary by brand, so gluten-free toffee bits or another certified gluten-free candy topping may be a safer option.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: Bake the cake and add the caramel filling up to one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then add the whipped topping and chopped candy bars before serving.
Storing: Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator. It is best within 2 to 3 days because the topping and cake can get softer the longer it sits.
Freezing: Freeze the baked cake before adding the filling and topping. Wrap it tightly, freeze, then thaw completely before finishing the recipe.
Serving: This cake is best served chilled. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to slice and serve.
Pairing Ideas
This cake is rich, so I like serving it after a simple dinner or alongside lighter party foods. It goes well with recipes like Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Tomato Basil Pasta, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, or a big Chef Salad and Breadtwists.
More Poke Cake Recipes
Better Than Sex Cake is one of those easy desserts that always gets people talking. It is rich, chocolatey, creamy, crunchy, and so simple to make with a cake mix and a few extra ingredients. Make it for a birthday, potluck, holiday, or Sunday dinner and watch how fast it disappears.
If you make this Better Than Sex Cake, leave a comment and let us know what your family calls it! 💛
Better Than Sex Cake
Video
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.
Equipment
- 9×13 Cake Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Notes
- Poke the holes about halfway into the cake, not all the way through.
- Pour the caramel mixture slowly so it has time to soak in.
- Chill the cake before adding the whipped topping.
- Add the chopped candy bars close to serving time so they stay crunchy.
- Cool Whip works well, but homemade whipped cream can also be used.
- Store covered in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2 to 3 days for the best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Could you use real whip cream for the topping?
I haven’t tried that but I am sure it would work!
Don’t use real whip cream from the can because it melts quickly and makes a mess. You want to use tub whipped topping.
Cool Whip
Or put a little bit of gelatin into the fresh whip cream to stabilize it for a day.
I made this and it was amazing! I got it off Pinterest. I wanted to share on facebook, but I can’t seem to do it. Actually, this is one of the best desserts I have made. I am a pie lover, but this is over the top!
Love this, simple and tasty…I replaced the whipped topping with Whipped Cream instead…YUMMO!
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
I make this with other kinds of candy bars and it is great!!!! This is an easy cake to make and pretty hard to mess up. LOVE IT!!!!!
Making this for my dad’s birthday tomorrow! Can’t wait!
Boy, does this sound delicious! I am following your blog!
How do you do the coconut tres leche style cake? Big fan of coconut!
You should try the pinacalada cake. You use coconut milk in the holes then cover with a can of crushed pineapple drained and cover top with coconut.
Bake a yellow cake.
Yum! That sounds amazing. I will try it – I love pineapple and coconut. Thank you for the idea… it may be an upcoming post!
Pina colada cake also has a can of Eagle Brand, and coconut cream poured over cake, then the crushed pineapple, coconut ,cool whip and more coconut.
in LOVE this cake but i make it with butterfinger ITS TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!
That’s what i would use, too. maybe mix in some babyruths, too.
Wow – this is quite the cake! Definitely a treat…I treated myself to this cake to celebrate finishing grad school. It's super delicious and easy to make!
I always refrigerate mine over night. It is much better that way. And it doesn't get soggy…just gooey! Yum!
Do you think this cake would do ok in the fridge overnight or would it get too soggy? Should I hold off on toppings until closer to serving it?
I put the last one in over night and put the cool whip and topping on before I went to outing.
We couldn't find any Skor bars at our grocery store in Maryland so we used heath bars and a few cinnamon covered pecan toffee pieces. Everyone just loved this!! It reminds me of a coconut tres leche style cake that I make with the condensed milk being poured into holes in the cake. I used to not like cake because they can be try, with the milk poured into the cake holes I am a cake fan again!
Yep!
Can I use homemade whipping cream or should I use cool whip?
You can use homemade… cool whip is just easiest!
Looks AMAZING! I've been meaning to try and make this one. Thanks for the recipe! I always trust your recipes!! 🙂 So by whipped topping do you mean 'Cool Whip'?
Is the cake soggy at all? It looks amazing!
It is amazing! No is the answer if cake gets soggy….When you put it back in the fridge, it hardens back up…It is soooo good! Im making it right now! You must try 🙂
much better to put fork holes in the cake instead of giant holes… this is also how you make jello cake (minus the chocolate and carmal and candy bars) but so devine in it’s own right … yummmmmmm
I tried it with fork holes, but it didn’t adsorb as well. Probably because Jello is thinner. That said, I use a chop stick instead of al thick wooden spoon handle and space them fairly evenly.
One thing that I do differently is that I add Hot Fudge AS WELL as the Caramel! It makes it so so good :)!
This cake is a family favorite in both mine and my husband's families, the only difference is that his family has always called it "Better Than Sex Cake" while my family calls it "ALMOST better than sex cake." I've always gotten a kick out of that comparison.
Love this cake too..but my husband calls it “better after sex” cake..haha…
Thats what ive always heard it called except they call it better then anything cake on the back of German chocolate cake mix! So delicious!
You have to try forking up the whole cake (instead of holes)and then drizzling-it makes it more uniform and awesome. Also freezing this cake takes it to a whole new level. I also like to put the heath bars on the cake before and after the whipped cream. It is a hit every time. One of my favorites-can you tell? 🙂
Christi and Clifton ~ You said that freezing it takes it to a whole new level. Did you eat it frozen then or did you let it start to thaw? I thought about making this and freezing it, due to time. Then the morning I was going to use it, pull it out of the freezer and let it thaw till lunch time. I didn’t know how the cake would thaw. I didn’t want it to ruin the yumminess of the cake. Thanks.
Sounds terribly SWEET!
People that have baked it…..is it?
Yes it does, yummy
I love this cake so much, but sometimes I make it with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups instead of Skor bars and it is AMAZING!!
I do too! And I have a recipe where you put I believe 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips into the cake mix after it’s mixed well and then once you poke the holes put 1 jar hot fudge sauce and 1 jar caramel sauce (I heat them up just a bit) and then the whipped cream on top once cooled and top with reese cups! its wonderful!
Would like this recipe sounds great
i I love this recipe. Can’t wait to make it.
This recipe is amazing I love it !!!!
Like your recipe better than the sweetened condensed milk.
Thanks 😀
I made this with a yellow cake and topped it with hersey gold bsrs and pretzel broke up. My friend is alergic to chocolate so we call this the better than naked sex cake.
Hahaha I love that!!!!
Me too
Are you using the hot fudge in place of the condensed milk?
I love this cake. Does anyone think that this recipe could be altered for Valentine’s Day? Maybe use a Red Velvet Cake with choc. chips, cream cheese icing (heated) melted into the holes, and maybe some pink tinted cool whip with a cherry pie filling topping and maybe some chopped walnuts??
Of course , use a hot fudge drizzle also.
I think that would be delicious! Great idea!
This in replace of the condensed milk? Hot fudge and caramel?
I use Butterfinger candy bars. Amazing!
id love to have that receipe plz sounds devine
Just made this cake using the original recipe and absolutely love it! I will also try the different toppings that have been said in the comment. I think this recipe has endless possibilities !! Thank you