Super Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake That Won’t Let You Down

This chocolate bundt cake is deeply chocolatey, incredibly moist, and finished with a silky chocolate ganache that drips over every curve of the cake. Cocoa powder is bloomed with hot coffee and butter to intensify the chocolate flavor, while sour cream and buttermilk create a soft, rich crumb that stays tender for days. Baked in a Bundt pan and topped with a smooth ganache, it's an easy yet impressive dessert perfect for any occasion.

A simple chocolate bundt cake is my dad's favorite dessert. Nine times out of ten he will request it for any special occasion. Growing up Sam's Club and Costco sold a chocolate bundt cake my mom would often get come a weekend. So there's definitely some nostalgia when it comes to a delicious chocolate bundt cake.

The truth is I have been making some version of this cake for years, but it was never quite right. Luckily I have learned along the way and finally perfected what I think is the best chocolate bundt cake ever.

The chocolate flavor is superb and I sometimes find a chocolate bundt cake to be dry. Not this recipe, so moist and delicious! This cake is super easy you use one small saucepan and one large bowl to make the cake batter. No need for your stand mixer! I hope you love it as much as we do!

Gather Your Chocolate Bundt Cake Essentials

Some of the key players that create this moist chocolate cake:

• 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!
• 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.

If desired you could add ½ cup - ¾ cup mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolatey treat! Snack, dessert, or breakfast this chocolate bread is perfect any time of the day.

Key to The Cake Coming Out

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!

Let's Bake This Bundt-y Beauty!

The first cooking step is to bloom the cocoa powder in the hot coffee with the melted butter. This intensifies the chocolate flavor.

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 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.

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

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Super Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake That Won't Let You Down

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5 from 2 reviews

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This chocolate bundt cake is deeply chocolatey, incredibly moist, and finished with a silky chocolate ganache that drips over every curve of the cake. Cocoa powder is bloomed with hot coffee and butter to intensify the chocolate flavor, while sour cream and buttermilk create a soft, rich crumb that stays tender for days. Baked in a Bundt pan and topped with a smooth ganache, it's an easy yet impressive dessert perfect for any occasion.

• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 12-15 Slicess 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Chocolate Bundt Cake

• 90 grams (¾ Cup) Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
• 4 oz (½ Cup) Hot Strong Coffee
• 4 oz (½ Cup) Salted Butter, cold
• 250 grams (2 Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
• 400 grams (2 Cups) Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 2 oz (¼ Cup) Vegetable Oil
• 4 oz (½ Cup) Buttermilk
• 4 oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

• 8 oz (1 Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream/ Double Cream
• 175 grams (1 Cup) Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

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Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10-cup Bundt pan heavily, make sure you get every nook and cranny so the cake will release from the pan properly.
2. In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat cook together the cocoa powder, hot coffee, and butter. Stir frequently and let cook until all of the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and let cool for ten minutes or so. 
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Once the cocoa mixture is cooled add the vegetable oil, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix to combine once fully combined add the eggs and whisk to combine.
5. Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined, make sure there are no flour streaks left behind but don't over mix the batter or you risk a tough cake. 
6. Pour into the prepared 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. Let 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. 

Frosting

1. 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. 
2. 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 then using a whisk mix well together until a shiny homogenous chocolate ganache is formed. Store in the freezer for 20 minutes, I stir every 5 minutes or so, to chill the ganache and thicken it a bit.
3. When 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.

Equipment

Bundt Pan

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Cordless Hand Mixer

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OXO Kitchen Scale

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Notes

• 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.

• Author: Elizabeth Waterson
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 40
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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