Chocolate Bundt Cake

This chocolate bundt cake is easily the best I’ve ever made. Whenever I make it, someone asks for the recipe, so, I better share it here.

I love this recipe as a dessert (just add whipped cream and fresh berries), a sweet afternoon treat, or an edible gift to wrap up and take to a friend.

I’m crazy about baking. If you are, too, don’t skip past without trying my chocolate mayonnaise cake (yup, also a winner), this cream cheese pound cake, or my strawberry yogurt cake.

Ingredients

Round you these baking basics to whip up your perfect chocolate bundt cake:

• All-purpose flour: Measure accurately for the perfect ratio for this cake – I like to sieve my flour to get it perfectly smooth.
• Salt: Brings out the chocolate flavor.
• Baking soda: Double check your batch is fresh!
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use high-quality cocoa for the best taste.
• Semi-sweet chocolate: Melted into the batter for extra decadence. A finely chopped bar melts more smoothly than chocolate chips.
• Espresso powder: Intensifies the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.
• Unsalted butter: Adds richness and moisture. Using softened butter helps with the creaming.
• Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and keeps the cake moist.
• Eggs: Adds structure and stability while adding richness. Room temperature eggs mix more evenly into the batter.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor.
• Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang, keeping the cake tender and moist.
• Heavy cream: Creates a luscious ganache when heated with chocolate.
• Semi-sweet chocolate: Forms a rich, glossy ganache that adds the perfect finishing touch to the cake.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Here are the exact steps I take to make this moreish cake:

1. Step 1: Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Step 2: In a stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium until fluffy (3-4 min). Add eggs one at a time, beating 30-40 sec each. Scrape down bowl.

3. Step 3: In a heatproof bowl, combine cocoa powder, 6 oz chocolate, and espresso powder. Add boiling water, whisk until smooth; set aside. Mix in chocolate mixture on medium-low (30-40 sec). Add half the flour mixture, mix on low (20-30 sec).

4. Step 4: Mix in sour cream on medium (30 sec). Add remaining flour mixture, mix on low, then on medium until fully incorporated (30-40 sec). Pour batter into bundt pan, smooth top. Bake 50 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min, then invert onto a wire rack. Cool 1 hour.

5. Step 5: For ganache, heat ½ cup cream in a saucepan until simmering. Pour over 4 oz chopped chocolate. Let sit 1 min, stir until smooth; cool.

6. Step 6: Place cake on a serving dish, top side down. Pour ganache over cake. If thickened, microwave 5-10 sec. Cool 1 hour before serving.

Hint: Grease you bundt tin REALLY well. Nothing drives me nuts like a cake stuck to its tin – grease, grease, and grease again.

Substitutions

Here are a few ingredient swaps I know work really well in this chocolate bundt cake recipe:

• Sour cream: You can also use plain Greek yogurt or buttermilk.
• Semi-sweet chocolate: Replace with dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa) for a richer taste or milk chocolate for a milder sweetness.
• Espresso powder (optional): Swap with instant coffee granules or leave it out if you prefer.

Variations

• Double chocolate chip: Fold in chocolate chips before baking for melty pockets of chocolate in every bite.
• Mocha lover’s cake: Replace boiling water with strong brewed coffee and increase the espresso powder for a bold mocha flavor.
• Orange chocolate: Add orange zest to the batter and a splash of orange liqueur for a citrusy twist.
• Salted caramel drizzle: Top with a homemade caramel sauce and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for a sweet-salty contrast.
• Raspberry chocolate: Add fresh raspberries to the batter or serve with raspberry sauce. This makes a really great chocolate summer dessert.

Equipment

Aside from measuring equipment, you’ll need these tools:

• Bundt pan: For shaping the cake into a classic ring.
• Mixing bowls: For combining dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and melted chocolate.
• Whisk:To mix dry ingredients and smooth out the chocolate mixture.
• Heatproof bowl: For melting chocolate with boiling water.
• Hand mixer: For creaming butter and sugar, and mixing the batter.
• Rubber spatula: For scraping down the bowl and folding ingredients.

Storage

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. If refrigerating, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to restore its texture.

To freeze, wrap the completely cooled cake in plastic wrap and foil, then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.

Thaw a whole cake at room temperature for 4-5 hours, or individual slices for 30-60 minutes. For best results, freeze the cake without ganache and add fresh ganache after thawing.

FAQ

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Recipe

Chocolate bundt cake

Moist and delicious, with a tender crumb, this chocolate bundt cake is layered with perfect, silky ganache

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Course: cake

Cuisine: American, german

Keyword: chocolate bundt cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

cooling time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 551kcal

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 210 grams
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon expresso powder optional
• 1 cup boiling water
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups light brown sugar lightly packed
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream

Ganache Icing

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place the oven rack on the lower middle level.  Spray a bundt pan with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray, set aside.

• In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, whisking until fully incorporated, set aside.

• In a small heat-proof bowl add the cocoa powder, 6 ounces of chocolate, and espresso powder.  Carefully add the boiling water, whisking until chocolate is melted and mixture is thoroughly incorporated, set aside.

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30-40 seconds after each addition.  Scrape down the bowl and the paddle.

• Add the chocolate mixture, mixing on medium low until combined, 30-40 seconds.  Add half of the flour mixture, mix on low until just incorporated, 20-30 seconds

• Add the sour cream, mixing on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds.  Add the second half of the flour mixture, mix on low until just combined.  Scrape down the bowl and paddle, mix on medium speed to fully incorporate batter, 30-40 seconds.

• Pour batter into prepared bundt pan, smoothing the surface into an even layer.  Bake cake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove cake from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert cake onto a second wire rack, place a room temperature to cool for 1 hour.

• While the cake is baking prepare the ganache.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the ½ cup of cream to a simmer, do not boil.  Pour cream over 4 ounces of chopped chocolate.  Allow to set for a minute then stir to incorporate and melt the chocolate, set aside to cool.

• Place the cooled cake on the desired serving dish, top side down.  Pour ganache evenly over the cake, allowing any excess to flow down the sides of the cake.  If the ganache firms up and does not pour, microwave for 5-10 seconds to loosen slightly.  Continue to cool cake for another hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 706IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg