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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Cake

    Chocolate Bundt Cake (With Video!)

    Published: Nov 2, 2020 by Sam Merritt ยท 110 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    collage of chocolate bundt cake, top image of slice of cake on white plate with pink flower, bottom image of full cake with chocolate drizzled on top

    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!

    chocolate bundt cake with chocolate glaze

    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

    ingredients
    • 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!

    overhead of bundt cake with chocolate glaze

    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).

    Pouring chocolate glaze over bundt 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:

    1. Use the icing I include in the recipe, which is the same irresistible fudge glaze that I use on my hot milk cake.
    2. Use my chocolate ganache, which is a common bundt cake icing and is a bit darker in flavor.
    3. 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!

    Slice of chocolate bundt cake on white plate

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I use a different kind of flour?

    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.

    Why do you use cornstarch?

    Cornstarch helps to make the cake more tender. If you don’t have it you can leave it out.

    Can I freeze this cake?

    Yes! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (sometimes I also wrap with foil for good measure) and then freeze for up to several months.

    Can I make this into a two-layer or 9×13″ chocolate cake?

    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 โ…” of the way full (you may have to discard a little batter).

    More Recipes You Might Like

    • German Chocolate Cake
    • Tres Leches Cake
    • Chocolate Cheesecake
    • Chocolate Cupcakes

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card! 

    chocolate bundt cake with chocolate glaze

    Chocolate Bundt Cake

    A decadent chocolate bundt cake with a rich chocolate fudge glaze.
    Be sure to check out the how-to video!
    4.97 from 31 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 slices
    Calories: 656kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    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

    • 12 cup bundt pan
    • Mixing bowls

    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

    ¹Using a hot liquid is imperative to making the cake as richly chocolatey as possible. The hotter the better. Hot water works great, but coffee will enhance the chocolate flavor even more.
    ²I love this fudge frosting, but you can skip it or use the vanilla glaze that I use on my classic bundt cake or classic chocolate ganache instead, if you prefer.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice with glaze | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 575IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 3mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
    « Reese’s Stuffed Cookies (With Video!)
    Sweet Bread (Braided Bread) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janice

      December 18, 2021 at 11:24 am

      Can I use greek yogurt instead of sour cream ? I always have that on hand.

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 18, 2021 at 9:28 pm

        Hi Janice! Full fat greek yogurt will work. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Christina

      November 29, 2021 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      This is BY FAR the most amazing chocolate Bundt cake Iโ€™ve ever had and was a total crowd pleaser. It was so moist and the frosting was incredible! 100% recommend! It was also super easy!

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 30, 2021 at 9:26 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Christina! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. Sรกra

      November 14, 2021 at 3:04 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam!
      I made this bundt cake for the second time. It tastes heavenly. Sadly it didn’t come out of the pan right for me either time. This time I wanted to save it with some glaze. I already planned on using vanilla instead of chocolate because white on dark brown looks very elegant. Sadly it came out looking like an an*l creampie. Still delicious tho.

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 16, 2021 at 11:43 am

        I’m sorry it keeps sticking Sara! My best advice is to use a baking spray that has flour in it and make sure to get all of the cracks and crevices really well. I’m glad you still enjoyed it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Jen

      August 16, 2021 at 9:37 am

      4 stars
      Good recipe, but way too sweet. More than 2 cups of sugar for 2 cups of flour! I had to cut the sugar quite a bit. Also, I forgot to sift the powdered sugar for the icing so I had clumps (but that was my bad!).
      The cake tastes good though. Thanks!

      Reply
    5. Sandra

      June 04, 2021 at 12:00 am

      5 stars
      Hi Sam ,Your chocolate Bundt cake was so good Thank you so much for the recipe Everyone loved it Can’t wait to make another one ๐Ÿ˜‹

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 05, 2021 at 2:07 pm

        I’m so happy to hear this, Sandra! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for letting me know how it turned out, I really appreciate it! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Cris

      March 23, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Hi,

      I’m so ready to try this recipe. It looks delicious. The recipe says 3/4 cup of hot coffee. I’m going to be using instant coffee. How many scoops should i use (Teaspoon, Tablespoon)? And then will I add 3/4 cup of water to the coffee?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 23, 2021 at 3:52 pm

        Hi Cris! I usually go by what the instant coffee says in the instructions, but I’d mix a teaspoon of instant coffee with the hot water (and yes you would use 3/4 cup). I hope that helps, and I hope you love the cake! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    7. Lisa

      March 22, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Hi Sam! Love, love all your recipes. For this one, do you think it would work for mini bundt cakes?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 22, 2021 at 6:23 pm

        Thank you Lisa! This should work as mini bundt cakes but I’m not sure of a bake time here. Enjoy! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Fernanda Clemente

      March 16, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      5 stars
      Just the best cake ever!!! It was me and my 3 kids and my daughter in law and the cake was gone at the spot!!!! Doing it again today….

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 16, 2021 at 3:59 pm

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Fernanda! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • maria

        July 14, 2021 at 11:14 am

        Hello, bought by mistake can I use salted butter,?

        Reply
        • Sam

          July 14, 2021 at 2:03 pm

          Hi Maria! That will be fine. I would just reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon in the cake and cut the salt in half in the icing. ๐Ÿ™‚

    9. Elle

      February 26, 2021 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      This is an amazing chocolate cake recipe!! I can’t believe how easy this was to make. There had to be some sort of crazy magic that happened here. It was too easy to be as incredible as it was. I am still thinking about this cake! Thank you so much for the recipe! This is one that I will make again and again!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 28, 2021 at 9:52 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Elle! I hope you enjoy it for many years to come. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Destiny

          March 03, 2021 at 8:16 pm

          Your recipes are truly the best. I’m making this bundt cake as I write and the batter was amazing. Can’t wait for the final product!

        • Sam

          March 03, 2021 at 10:01 pm

          Thank you so much, Destiny! I hope you love this one too. ๐Ÿ™‚

    10. Lynne Ham

      January 21, 2021 at 5:53 pm

      Sam,
      I have made this wonderful recipe twice now. It is my go-to chocolate cake. It is fabulous! I highly recommend this recipe.

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 21, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lynne! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    11. Martha DeCastro

      January 16, 2021 at 11:11 am

      5 stars
      My new favorite chocolate cake!!! The cake has a lot of ingredients but is super easy and goes from start to oven very fast. The chocolate glaze is devine! On this cold day my kitchen was on the cool side so it was ready for the cake in just a few minutes. Delicious chocolatey moist cake with amazing fudge icing. Doesn’t get much better than this. Sam, your instructions are great and easy to follow. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 16, 2021 at 6:31 pm

        Thank YOU so much for trying my recipe and for commenting and letting me know how it turned out for you, Martha! I’m so happy to hear that it was such a hit! ๐Ÿ™‚ <3

        Reply
    12. Sarah

      January 13, 2021 at 8:22 am

      Hello! If Iโ€™m gonna use a 6 cup Bundt pan, do I halve the recipe?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 13, 2021 at 8:29 am

        Yup. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Sarah

          January 29, 2021 at 7:36 am

          This was one of the best chocolate cakes Iโ€™ve ever had!

    13. Jackie

      January 12, 2021 at 8:58 am

      Hi
      I hit the jump to video and no video.

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 12, 2021 at 10:53 am

        Hmm it appears to be working for me. Do you have an ad blocker enabled? That will stop the video from showing up.

        Reply
    14. Yana

      January 09, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      Hi Sam,

      Would semi-sweet chocolate chips work instead of unsweetened chocolate for the glaze? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 09, 2021 at 10:31 pm

        Hi Yana! The semi-sweet chips will work here. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Yana

          January 10, 2021 at 6:02 pm

          5 stars
          I halved the fudge frosting as I only wanted frosting on top and some dripping on the sides instead of having the whole bundt covered because I didn’t want too much chocolate. I regret that now. The fudge frosting is so good. Thanks Sam for an easy but wonderful recipe!

        • Sam

          January 10, 2021 at 9:49 pm

          I’m glad you still enjoyed it! When it comes to frosting I always make excess for “sampling”. ๐Ÿคฃ

    15. Patsy

      January 04, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      I do not enjoy the taste of coffee. Since you recommend coffee over water, does using coffee leave a coffee taste or just enhance the flavor of the chocolate? I’ve not made this but plan to do so as soon as possible.

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 04, 2021 at 8:44 pm

        Hi Patsy! I am also not a coffee fan. You won’t taste it here. The coffee just really enhances the flavor of the chocolate. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
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