Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Luxurious Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Topping

Who doesn’t have a weakness for chocolate? Especially when it comes in cake form and is covered with a melted chocolate ganache glaze? This cake is what chocolate cake dreams are made of! And I’d have to say it’s definitely better than what you’ll get at the infamous Nothing Bundt Cakes. It’s loaded with a trio of rich cocoa, butter, and sour cream. So you are getting three layers of decadence all intertwined together to create a perfect slice of cake! You’ll find it has a nice medium density and so much moisture in every bite, not a dry crumb to be found. And soon to be your favorite things about it – the topping is exceptionally easy, it only needs 2 ingredients, and you don’t have to wait hours for the cake to cool to ice it and dive in!

Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe Ingredients

All-purpose flour: I use unbleached all-purpose flour. Cake doesn’t rise quite as high as with bleached all-purpose flour so the option is up to you. Granulated sugar: I know it’s a huge amount here, but this is cake after all. You could maybe reduce a little but not by much or the cocoa will be to strong and cake won’t be as tender. Baking soda: One of the ingredients needed to give the cake lift. Salt: Careful not to forget it or the cake will taste totally flat. A fair amount is needed since there’s lots of sugar and chocolate. Unsalted butter: Salted butter works fine too, just omit the 1/2 tsp salt from the recipe as there is generally about 1/4 tsp salt per stick of salted butter. Water: Water should be very hot to help bloom the flavors of the chocolate. Unsweetened cocoa powder: I use regular cocoa powder here. There’s no baking powder here so don’t use Dutch process. Sour cream: In a pinch, whole Greek yogurt should work fine too. Eggs: These are a key ingredient to bind ingredients so cake doesn’t crumble into pieces and they also help the cake rise nicely. Vanilla extract: If possible, stick with real vanilla extract for best results. Bittersweet chocolate: Semi-sweet chocolate also works well if you want it a little less intense in flavor. Heavy cream: This is needed for a better consistency and to keep that chocolate from re-hardening. It offers a luscious finish.

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Tools Needed

Bundt Pan. I’ve got a few different ones but this one here is my favorite and has a great non-stick coating. Electric hand mixer. This Kitchen Aid is my go-to. It works well and seems to be quieter than the cheaper brands I’ve had.

How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake Batter

How to Bake and Glaze Chocolate Bundt Cake

Can you freeze bundt cake?

Yes, bundt cakes freeze incredibly well. You may choose to hold the topping for better appearance though. Let cake cool before storing. Store in an airtight container up to 3 months. I like to wrap in foil then store in the container. Thaw on the counter or in the fridge.

Variations

Finish with a different topping of choice such as a chocolate buttercream frosting or chocolate cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle bundt cake with chopped walnuts or pecans. Leave off ganache and pair with caramel sauce and ice cream. Bake as mini pound cakes instead of one large. Bake time will be around 20 minutes.

Helpful Bundt Cake Tips

If possible use a kitchen scale to measure dry ingredients for the most accurate results. I have two but this one is my favorite. Essential to a bundt cake is a good non-stick bundt pan. I’ve had too many bundt cakes stick to bad pans in the past, it’s worth the investment into a decent one. Coat inside of pan with non-stick cooking spray and a little butter and flour. This is the insurance to make sure your cake doesn’t stick and break. If possible, use room temperature ingredients so the blend together nicely and cake rises a little better. Be careful not to over-bake the cake or, as always, they start to dry out. Don’t invert bundt cake too soon, or too late! If you try to remove too early the cake can break, if you remove too late it will have steamed and the moisture will make it stick to the pan. Serve cake at room temperature. While you can store in the fridge for a longer shelf life the texture is best at room temperature. Chop the chocolate finely for the ganache topping so it will melt through. If you find that it hasn’t after resting and stirring you can heat over a double boiler while stirring to melt.