Chocolate Bundt Cake

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This Chocolate Bundt Cake is the fudgiest, most chocolatey cake I’ve ever made. 

I’ll be honest. I basically live for chocolate, so I’ve tried a lot of chocolate cake recipes. Too many are dry, overly sweet, or just bland. But this one? It’s perfectly balanced, super moist, and has that melt-in-your-mouth fudginess.

I love that it’s simple, too. No stand mixer, fancy decorating, or stressful assembly. But you still achieve a showstopping cake that looks and tastes insanely impressive. If you’re a chocolate lover like me, this cake is for you!

What You’ll Need

While it looks pretty fancy, this moist chocolate Bundt cake uses familiar baking staples, plus a Bundt pan, of course.

• Bittersweet baking chocolate: Folded into the batter for a dense and fudgy texture that holds its shape.
• Dutch-process cocoa powder: This typically has a high cocoa fat content and therefore makes your cake more moist and fudgy. Natural cocoa powder can be substituted 1:1 if needed, but the color, texture, and flavor will be different.
• Instant espresso powder: When combined with boiling water, it enhances the chocolate flavor without being very perceptible. If you prefer, you can use strong hot coffee instead, or omit the espresso powder entirely and stick with hot water.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar is more hygroscopic than granulated sugar, which means it draws and attracts moisture more than granulated white sugar. Don’t reduce the sugar in this recipe.
• Sour cream: This creates a more tender and fudgy texture and activates the baking soda. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream at room temperature. Full-fat plain yogurt works as a substitute.
• Eggs: This cake contains 5 eggs for richness, fudginess, moisture, and structure. I do not recommend using egg substitutes here. Use room-temperature eggs to ensure they blend smoothly into the batter.
• Neutral oil: I tested this cake with vegetable oil, but any neutral oil that’s liquid at room temperature (like avocado oil or canola oil) should work. Avoid coconut oil. Learn more about oil vs. butter in baking. 
• Semisweet chocolate and heavy cream: I use these for the ganache topping. You can substitute milk or bittersweet chocolate, but keep in mind that this will change the overall sweetness. Learn more about chocolate in baking.
• Bundt pan: This recipe uses a 12-cup Bundt pan. If your pan is a little larger, that’s fine, but avoid using a smaller pan as the cake may overflow.

Sprinkle of Science

How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake

Making this chocolate Bundt cake is way easier than it looks. With a few simple steps and a little attention, you’ll get a moist, fudgy cake that comes out of the pan beautifully every time:

1. Bloom the chocolate. I start by combining chopped bittersweet chocolate, Dutch-process cocoa, and a pinch of espresso powder in a heatproof or microwave-safe bowl. Pour hot water over it, let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy. 
2. Prep the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Don’t overmeasure your flour. Adding too much flour will yield a dense, dry, or crumbly cake. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale, but if you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method to measure your dry ingredients.
3. Mix the batter. Stir the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate until silky. Then fold this wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Stop as soon as the batter is smooth and glossy to keep the cake tender.
4. Grease the pan. Brush every nook of a 12-cup Bundt pan with melted shortening before pouring in the batter, making sure the coating reaches all the crevices. Doing it too early can cause the grease to slide down the sides, leaving uneven spots. Baker’s Joy spray works well, too, but it can reduce the lifespan of your pan. Filling the pan about three-quarters full ensures the cake has room to rise without overflowing.
5. Bake. Pop it in a 350°F oven for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let the cake cool 10 minutes in the pan before carefully inverting it onto a cooling rack. Read more about keeping your Bundt cake from sticking.
6. Add the ganache. Heat the cream and corn syrup, whisk in the chocolate until smooth, and let it thicken just a bit. Then drizzle it over the top of the cake. If you’re like me and love a more fudgy slice, pop it in the fridge for a little while before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This chocolate Bundt cake recipe is fantastic topped with a chocolate ganache, but you can also dust it with powdered sugar for a classic look. If you like nuts, pecans could work well mixed into the batter. Serve slices with whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream.

This cake is perfect for holidays, birthdays, potlucks, or as a thoughtful homemade gift. Because it’s so fudgy and rich, smaller slices are just as satisfying! 

If you love to gift sweet treats, my Chocolate Truffles and Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies are always a hit, too.

Storing and Freezing

Store this cake covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or at room temperature for up to 3 days. This cake actually tastes even better chilled. The chocolate flavor intensifies, and the texture becomes even fudgier.

You can also freeze the cake. Freeze the uniced cake wrapped in plastic wrap and place it inside an airtight container. Defrost in the fridge overnight before icing with ganache and serving. I haven’t tried freezing it once iced, so I stick to icing after thawing.

How to Make

Chocolate Bundt Cake

By: Tessa Arias

5 from 7 votes

Yield: 12 slices

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 55 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Review Print

Fudgy, rich, and moist, this Chocolate Bundt Cake is a surefire hit with any chocolate-loving crowd. It’s also super easy, with no stand mixer or decorating skills required.

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Ingredients 

For the cake:

• ▢ 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 cup (85 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon instant espresso
• ▢ 1 cup boiling water
• ▢ 2 cups (400 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 cup (227 grams) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (112 grams) neutral oil
• ▢ 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon melted shortening or Baker’s Joy, for greasing pan

For the ganache²:

• ▢ ½ cup (119 grams) heavy cream
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• ▢ 4 ounces (113.5 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions 

Make the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium heatproof mixing bowl, add the chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder.
• Pour hot water over mixture. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Whisk the mixture gently until smooth, then set aside to cool until just warm (95-98°F).
• In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda, breaking up any clumps.
• Whisk the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.
• Making a well, pour the wet mixture into the center of the dry flour mixture and use a spatula to gently fold ingredients together until just combined and no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix.
• Spray a 12-cup Bundt cake pan generously with Baker’s Joy or brush with melted shortening, using a pastry brush to brush the spray or shortening into every nook and cranny of the pan. Immediately pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan.
• Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
• Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a platter and let it cool completely. If your cake doesn’t release, run a thin spatula around the inner tube to help.

Make the Ganache:

• In a small saucepan, heat the cream and corn syrup over medium heat until hot.
• Remove from heat and add the chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let cool until thickened.
• Drizzle over the cake. Allow to set at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. For an extra fudgy cake, serve chilled.

Show us!If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe Notes

This cake uses baking soda, not baking powder. The acidity from the sour cream activates the soda, giving the cake just enough lift while keeping it moist and fudgy. Adding baking powder isn’t necessary and could change the texture.

Melted shortening or Baker’s Joy are the best choices to grease a bundt pan, as aerosol nonstick sprays can harm the coating and leave a stubborn residue that’s hard to clean. Avoid using salted or unsalted butter, as its milk solids can also cause cakes to stick.

For a sweeter dark chocolate topping, try this alternate glaze recipe instead:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons (11 grams) cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa into a small bowl. 
2. Whisk in milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
3. Drizzle onto cooled cake and let set, 15-20 minutes.

Photos by Joanie Simon.