My most decadent bundt cake yet, this chocolate bundt cake is dense, moist, rich, and covered in a luscious chocolate fudge frosting. Recipe includes a how-to video!
One Bowl Chocolate Bliss
There are few things I enjoy quite as much as taking a dessert I already love and transforming it into an even more decadent, chocolate version of itself. First was my chocolate cake, then my chocolate cheesecake and chocolate rolls, and today it’s this rich, decadent chocolate bundt cake.
It’s the evil twin to classic bundt cake, dark and mysterious, cloaked with a glossy fudge cape and pierced with melty pops of chocolate chips. It’s deliriously good, perfectly dense but still soft and moist.
And it’s made in one bowl (excluding the frosting, I hope that’s obvious 😉). I literally don’t know what more you could as for.
What You Need
- Flour. Make sure you use all-purpose (plain) flour and do not use self-rising flour or you’ll have quite a mess in your oven.
- Cocoa powder. I use and recommend using unsweetened natural cocoa powder. I have not tried this recipe with Dutch processed or dark cocoa.
- Baking powder & baking soda help give the cake some lift.
- Salt & vanilla extract enhance the flavors of the cake.
- Very hot coffee or hot water. A HOT liquid is essential to “bloom” the cocoa powder and give it a rich chocolatey flavor. Either will work well, but using coffee will enhance the chocolate flavor even more.
- Sugar. I use a blend of granulated and brown sugar (which adds flavor and moisture to the cake).
- Eggs. This recipe uses half the number of eggs that my classic bundt cake uses.
- Sour cream adds moisture, flavor, and tenderness to this cake.
- Butter & oil. A blend of butter and oil gives the cake the right balance of flavor and moisture, without making it dry! I use this technique in many of my cake recipes (like my red velvet cake!)
Tip: Instead of mini chocolate chips you can finely chop a 4 oz chocolate bar by mincing it as you would mince garlic. This leaves melty chocolate flecks throughout the whole cake.
As always, remember this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Low Maintenance Cake Batter
This batter for this cake is simple to make and can be made in a single bowl. It’s simple, and unlike many, many cake recipes it’s quite difficult to over-mix.
I’m not saying it’s impossible so don’t go crazy with your Kitchenaid and walk away with it on speed eight while you make a phone call to the IRS, but the batter is… durable. The cake is slightly more dense than your average cake by design (as a good bundt cake should be), made with melted butter and oil rather than creaming together the butter and sugar.
You need to mix thoroughly and can make the whole thing with an electric mixer (rather than worrying about folding together wet and dry ingredients by hand like you must with my vanilla cake).
Icing/Glaze
How could any chocolate bundt cake be complete without a fudgy crown of glossy chocolate icing? While I have my frosting of choice, I’m leaving you with a few options:
- Use the icing I include in the recipe, which is the same irresistible fudge glaze that I use on my hot milk cake.
- Use my chocolate ganache, which is a common bundt cake icing and is a bit darker in flavor.
- Or you can be vanilla and just dust the cake with powdered sugar, just don’t actually tell me that you skipped more chocolate for that it or I might just judge you (just a tiny bit).
I had a battle with my perfectionism while filming the icing portion of this in today’s video (in the recipe card). It was taking forever for it to cool to be thick enough to pour (the lights we use to film are hot!) so I set it aside to do something else and when I came back it had cooled too much and was thick like my chocolate frosting. If this happens to you, you can pop the icing in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until it returns to the proper consistency, but I tried to just roll with it (like I said, those lights are hot and I was tired!) so my icing in my video looks a little less than perfect!
Frequently Asked Questions
While cake flour could work when substituted properly, I don’t recommend experimenting with any other flour. Using self-rising flour is a big no-no and will cause your cake to overflow all over your oven.
Cornstarch helps to make the cake more tender. If you don’t have it you can leave it out.
Yes! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (sometimes I also wrap with foil for good measure) and then freeze for up to several months.
I recommend using my chocolate cake recipe instead for either of those sizes. However, this cake could be baked in those pans, just make sure not to fill the pan more than ⅔ of the way full (you may have to discard a little batter).
More Recipes You Might Like
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (68 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup (118 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk lightly beaten (room temperature preferred)
- 1 ¼ cup (318 g) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177 ml) hot coffee or hot water¹
- ½ cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Glaze²
- 3 oz (85 g) unsweetened chocolate chopped into small pieces
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and thoroughly and generously grease and flour a bundt pan (tap out excess flour) or spray generously with baking spray (not cooking spray, it must contain flour or the cake will stick). Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) whisk together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, ⅔ cup (68 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add butter and oil and stir well until completely combined (mixture will be thick).½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (118 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil
- Add eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and well-combined.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, 1 ¼ cup (318 g) sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gradually add hot coffee or hot water and stir until combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips.¾ cup (177 ml) hot coffee or hot water¹, ½ cup (85 g) mini chocolate chips
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake on the center rack for 50-55 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out with a few fudgy crumbs or clean. Allow to cool for ten minutes then carefully invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely before covering with chocolate glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
- Combine chocolate, butter, and milk in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments (stirring well in between) until chocolate and butter are completely melted (mixture may look slightly separated, this is fine).3 oz (85 g) unsweetened chocolate, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- Stir in vanilla and salt.¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool until mixture is still fluid but no longer runny (about 15 minutes) then drizzle over the top of the chocolate bundt cake. Allow glaze to harden before slicing and serving.2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Emma
How long does this recipe take to make?
Sam
Hi Emma! You can see prep times and bake times right above the video. 🙂
Sade
Today was my dad’s last day of work (forever!!) so I made this recipe for his retirement cake. It came out absolutely amazing!!! This was my first attempt at a Bundt cake and I am so pleased with how it turned out. Mom and dad loved it. I loved it. Another great and successful recipe, thank you so much Sam!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Sade! Happy retirement to your dad! That’s so exciting. 🙂
Antoinette J.
You didn’t respond to comment that the recipe stated mini chocolate chips not “mint chocolate chip”. Which should be used? I’d like to try this recipe as soon as possible!
Sam
Hi Antoinette. You should use the mini chocolate chips like the recipe states. 🙂
Corinne
Do you think I can sub coconut oil for the canola?
Sam
While I haven’t tried it myself I think that should work just fine. If you try it would you let me know how it works out for you?
Brenda
Sam, I am resubmitting my comment because I did not proofread! I just made this tonight with plain yogurt (2% fat is what I had) and it was deliciously moist and chocolatey! I just sprinkled powdered sugar over the entire cake because I couldn’t wait to eat it! Thank you for the recipe, Sam! Your recipes never disappoint!
Sam
Thank you so much, Brenda! I am so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Carolyn
Yum! Absolutely the best chocolate cake. I baked it in two 8”x 4” pans for 55 minutes. One for my family and one for a get well present for a friend.
Looked beautiful and tasted great.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you and your friend enjoyed it, Carolyn! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Debbie
Had to make this TODAY! This is amazing and the smell of rich chocolate as it bakes is phenomenal! It tops our other chocolate cake recipes. Try it – you won’t be disappointed. The hardest part is waiting until the cake is completely cool before putting on the glaze…the full waiting time may or may not have happened! Thank you for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Debbie! Waiting is sooo hard! 🙂
Maisha
What if I used hot chocolate milk instead of coffee or water?
Sam
Hi Maisha! Interesting idea. While it could work I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure I would recommend it.
Angela
Can I use regular chocolate chips instead of the mint chocolate chips?
Sam
Hi Angela! They may sink but it will still work. 🙂
Patricia Dilley
Recipe says mini chocolate chips, not mint.
Marsha M Sturgill
Sour cream comes in an 8-ounce container. Would it be an issue if only 1 cup instead of 1 1/4 was used? I really don’t want to buy 2 containers. The cake looks and sounds delish.
Sam
Hi Marsha! Unfortunately for best results I would really recommend using the 1 1/4 cup of the sour cream. It really helps make the cake moist and tender.
Mavery
Looks amazing!
Do you have a recipe for Macaroons?
Sam
Hi Mavery! I do have a recipe for macaroons. 🙂
Rashmi Devaprasath
Can’t wait to try this one 🤩 Can I dust the pan with a combination of flour and cocoa?
Sam
Hi Rashmi! That should work just fine. I hope you love it! 🙂
Lauri
I REALLY miss the coconut in the Chocolate Macaroon bundt cake that I had as a kid. Any recipes for the coconut filling for the chocolate bundt cake?
Sam
Hi Lauri! Unfortunately I do not have a coconut filling for it. 🙁
Maureen
OMG I remember that cake mix! I miss it too!!
Lorena Latorre
Chocolate to perfection. Im in love.
Sam
You can never have enough chocolate! 🙂
Deb Fenn
Can I substitute the sour cream with something?
Sam
Plain Greek yogurt would work!