Chocolate Bundt Cake

This easy chocolate bundt cake recipe has step by step photos to teach you how to make this ultra, chocolatey, decadent cake. Made with key ingredients to ensure you have an intense chocolate flavor but a super moist, rich cake crumb!

Ingredients

For this cake recipe you will need:

• Dutch-process Cocoa Powder. I much prefer the taste of Dutch-process cocoa to natural cocoa powder. Dutch-process provides a much smoother, richer chocolate flavor. But most of the acidity has been stripped so for recipes that call for chemical leavening agents like this one, you should not just swap out natural cocoa.
• Hot Strong Coffee. Coffee does not make the cake taste like coffee, it instead blends with the chocolate to enhance the chocolate notes for an ultimate rich, chocolate cake. If I don't have any coffee in the house, I will use a teaspoon or two of espresso powder mixed with hot water. We will bloom the cocoa powder with the hot coffee, most people use hot water but since coffee compliments chocolate so well I skip straight to a strong coffee!
• Salted Butter. I like to use salted butter but you could use unsalted and just add a pinch more salt. Since we are cooking the butter, cocoa powder, and coffee together you can just grab the cold butter straight out of the fridge, no need to soften it!
• All-Purpose Flour. Make sure you measure your flour properly. Too much or too little flour can drastically affect the structure of the cake. AP flour is also known as plain flour in some parts of the world!  
• Granulated Sugar. The sugar plays two parts in the cake, the sweetness, and the structure! You can also use caster sugar.
• Baking Soda. For baking soda to activate you need acid and buttermilk plays that role in this recipe.
• Baking Powder. This chemical leavening agent is already active but you don't want too much of it because it could cause the cake to rise and fall drastically while baking or also create a metallic taste.
• Salt. Salt not only balances out the sweetness but also helps other ingredient's flavors shine bright!
• Vegetable Oil. I love the taste of butter-based cakes but butter does not retain as much moisture in a cake as oil does. So for that reason, I love to use a combination of both butter and oil.
• Buttermilk. Like I said earlier this is used to help activate the baking soda but buttermilk also provides extra moisture to the cake.
• Sour Cream. Sour cream also provides intense moisture and since sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products it also helps create a rich texture.
• Vanilla Extract. Pairing vanilla with chocolate just enhances the chocolate flavor. Use the good stuff, no imitation vanilla, please!
• Large Eggs. Eggs act as a binder but also provide richness and structure to the cake. Your eggs should be at room temperature. 

If desired you could add ½ cup - ¾ cup mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey treat!

Since we are baking this cake in a bundt pan you want to ensure that your bundt cake pan is fully greased and prepped so after baking the cake will release from the pan without ruining the design of the cake. My two favorites are Bakers Joy and Pam Baking. I make sure to spray each nook and cranny to ensure no problems!

Now you could leave the cake as is or you could sprinkle it with some confectioners sugar/ powdered sugar but I love a rich chocolate ganache. For that you will need:

• Heavy Whipping Cream. Also known as double cream, you will warm this up to pour on top of the chocolate which will melt the chocolate.
• Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate. In order for the chocolate to melt by just the heat of the cream, you need to ensure the chocolate is in small pieces. If I am using a chocolate bar I will finely chop the chocolate. Or I use Callebaut chocolate callets which are already small pieces. I do not suggest using chocolate chips as they have stabilizers in them, but at a push, you could.
• Light Corn Syrup. I like to use just a little bit to help get a gorgeous shine to the ganache.

Instructions

One of the most important parts to baking a cake is preheating your oven to the correct temperature, if the oven is not heated properly then the cake will not rise properly.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and heavily grease a 10-cup Bundt pan, make sure you get every nook and cranny so the cake will release from the pan properly.

The first cooking step is to bloom the cocoa powder in the hot coffee with the melted butter. This intensifies the chocolate flavor. In a small-medium saucepan over low-medium heat cook together the cocoa powder, hot coffee, and butter.

Make sure to stir frequently and let cook until all of the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and let cool for ten minutes or so, it may look separated like this, which is totally fine.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, make sure everything is evenly combined.

Once the cocoa mixture is cooled you can add the vegetable oil, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Mix to combine once fully incorporated add the eggs and whisk to combine. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure everything is evenly combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined, you'll want to make sure there are no flour streaks left behind but don't over mix the batter or you risk a tough cake. 

Pour cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 38-42 minutes, if you stick a knife in the center of the cake it should come out with no wet batter, moist crumbs are okay. You could do a toothpick inserted but I find the toothpicks aren't normally as long. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack then place a wire rack on top of the cake and flip over to invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely. 

Now make the chocolate ganache. In a small saucepan add the cream and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to warm it, you don't want to boil it though. 

In a large bowl add the chocolate and corn syrup then pour the warmed cream directly over it. Let it sit untouched for 5 minutes, this time allows the cream to melt the chocolate. Using a whisk mix well together until a shiny homogenous chocolate ganache is formed.

I use a similar glaze on top of my marble bundt cake recipe, too! Make sure to see the round-up of the best bundt cakes.

Store the ganache in the freezer for 20 minutes, I stir every 5 minutes or so, to chill the ganache and thicken it a bit.

When the ganache is thickened and ready to use I like to pour it into a measuring cup with a pour spout to easily drizzle it on the cake.

Store the cake in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you are in a very warm environment I would store it in the fridge but let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before serving.

How to freeze

To freeze the chocolate bundt cake let it cool completely then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, twice. Then wrap the cake in aluminum foil, the three layers help ensure no moisture or freezer burn happens to the cake. I personally do not like freezing the cake with the ganache, I prefer to add the ganache to the cake once it has thawed.

To thaw the cake place it in the fridge the night before you plan on serving, leave the cake wrapped and let it thaw for at least 8 hours.

More chocolate recipes

My thick and chewy brownies are absolute perfection, trust me when I say you will fall in love with them!

If you want something that is creamy and chocolatey then check out my chocolate cheesecake bar recipe, so so good!

And if you are watching your gluten intake then check out my flourless chocolate cake recipe!

My friend Sam makes a delicious chocolate banana cake, you've got to try it!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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