If you love chocolate, this easy chocolate bundt cake recipe is for you! Similar to chocolate pound cake, it’s moist, dense, and has rich chocolate flavor. Covered in decadent chocolate ganache and shaved chocolate curls… this homemade cake is definitely for chocolate lovers only.
Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake
Love chocolate cake? But don’t love assembling and decorating layers cakes? Or fussing with greasing tons of cake pans? You’ll love this easy chocolate bundt cake recipe!
Baked in a bundt pan, it’s super easy to bake, assemble, and serve. But don’t let this “easy” recipe fool you, because it’s moist, loaded with chocolate flavor, and topped with chocolate ganache. A showstopper and a total crowd-pleaser, this chocolate bundt cake is always a hit.
Chocolate Bundt Cake Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: I don’t suggest using any other variety of flour! Always weigh your flour or lightly scoop it into the measuring cup. This is the most important of the dry ingredients to measure correctly!
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: In a pinch, regular unsweetened cocoa powder will also work. But it won’t give this cake the deep rich chocolate flavor Dutch-process provides.
- Baking Powder: Helps the chocolate bundt cake rise in the oven. Make sure the baking powder is fresh before use.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cake batter evenly spread in the prepared pan while baking. Make sure the baking soda is fresh before use.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and helps enhance the chocolate flavors in this chocolate cake.
- Espresso Powder: Enhances the chocolate flavor in this chocolate bundt cake, but you can omit it if desired. If you don’t like coffee at all, I suggest leaving this ingredient out.
- Oil: Using oil as the fat in our cake batter gives this chocolate bundt cake an incredibly moist crumb. Vegetable oil or canola oil won’t add flavor, while olive oil or coconut oil add subtle flavor.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar and brown sugar add moisture and sweetness to the cake batter. I don’t suggest reducing the amount of sugar called for.
- Eggs: Adds structure and moisture to the chocolate cake batter. This helps the cake rise in the cake pan. Use large eggs and bring them to room temperature before use.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds rich flavor and enhances the other flavors in the cake. Use pure vanilla for the best flavor.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture and a delicious tangy flavor. Use full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead if need be.
- Hot Water: Brings the bundt cake batter together and adds moisture. If you like using hot coffee in chocolate cake recipes, use hot coffee instead. Hot coffee will do the same thing as hot water, but also enhances the chocolate flavor.
How to Make a Chocolate Bundt Cake: Make the Bundt Cake Batter
Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (F). This lower temperature allows the chocolate bundt cake to bake for a longer amount of time without burning or drying out.- Cake Pan Prep: You’ll need a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan. Grease every nook and cranny of the pan before pouring your bundt cake batter into the prepared pan. A good spray of nonstick baking spray works wonders!
- Dry Ingredients: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, and use your hands to break up any large clumps of sugar, if needed.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and vanilla, sour cream, and oil, completely combined.
- Combine: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, then add in the hot water or hot coffee. Make sure you DON’T over mix the cake batter. Over mixing the cake batter causes dry cakes.
- Bake the Cake: It’ll take 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean!
This chocolate bundt cake post may contain affiliate links!
Let the Cake Cool
- Be sure to cool this chocolate cake in the bundt pan for exactly 15 minutes. If you try to remove the cake too soon, it’ll stick to the pan.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes. Then place a cooling rack on top of the pan and carefully flip the pan over, inverting the cake onto the cooling rack.
- Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely. This will take about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- For the chocolate glaze you’ll need dark chocolate and heavy cream.
- I like to use 60% or 70% cocoa, but no higher than that because I’ve found super dark chocolate gets grainy.
- If you don’t have a chocolate bar, you can use chocolate chips! Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips work.
- Feel free to skip the chocolate ganache and shake a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar on top of the cake! But if you’re a chocoholic like me… that probably isn’t going to happen.
You’ll heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then pour the hot cream over your chocolate and let it sit for a minute or so and whisk smooth! Be sure to do this right before you want to pour it on top of your cake. Otherwise the chocolate ganache will firm up too much and be impossible to pour.
This cake is dense, rich, moist, and loaded with delicious chocolate flavor! Similar to a chocolate pound cake, a small slice goes a long way! This is a great chocolate bundt cake for brunch, breakfast, or dessert! Any leftovers can we wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days.
More Chocolate Cakes Recipes for Chocolate Lovers:
