Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe (From Scratch)
This Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is perfect for any occasion. Made with rich chocolate and topped with a velvety smooth ganache, it’s sure to impress your family and friends.
Do you love chocolate cake as much as I do? If so, then next time you may want to give this Rocky Road Cake a try. It’s loaded down with chocolate and marshmallow flavor and it’s always a crowd-pleaser.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
While I tend to eat healthily most of the time, every once in a while I just need to enjoy a sweet treat. And, this chocolate cake always hits the spot. Plus, it’s versatile so you can serve it for birthdays, or just make it for yourself. I won’t judge!
- You only need a baking stocked simple ingredients to make this homemade chocolate pound cake. No cake mix is needed.
- The rich chocolate flavor paired with the semi-sweet ganache will please all the chocolate lovers in your family.
- It’s a great cake to make for holidays, special occasions, or just when you are craving a chocolate treat.
Ingredients Needed
You will need a few ingredients to help you make this easy chocolate bundt cake recipe. Gather these ingredients next time you are in the grocery store, so that you can enjoy this rich chocolate cake recipe.
Cake
- Cake Flour
- Dutch Cocoa Powder – I recommend Hershey’s 100% unsweetened cocoa powder or Ghiradelli’s unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Leavening agents – Baking Powder, baking soda and salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Sugars – Granulated Sugar and brown sugar
- Large Eggs – at room temperature. Eggs that are not right out of the refrigerator will whip up better adding to the light crumb texture.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk you can add 1 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then add milk to the 1 cup measurement. Stir and let sit for a few minutes while the acid begins to curdle the milk.
- Vegetable Oil
- Greek Yogurt – I was able to remove some of the fat and replace it with yogurt. I used full-fat, but you can use low-fat yogurt too.
- Espresso Instant Coffee Powder – this intensifies the chocolate without adding the flavor of coffee.
- Vanilla extract
- Mini Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- Heavy whipping Cream
- Dark Vanilla extract
How to Make This Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
Making this homemade chocolate cake is simple. Just follow these step-by-step instructions and you will have a rich chocolate cake that you can share with your loved ones in no time at all.
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare your baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350°F, and position a rack in the lower than center part of the oven. Grease a bundt pan with soft butter and coat with cocoa powder, or with flour. Set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients.
In a separate mixing bowl beat together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with the paddle attachment (if available) until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl to incorporate the butter. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg.
Step 4: Combine the buttermilk and yogurt.
In a separate medium size bowl whisk the buttermilk, oil, Greek yogurt, espresso powder, and vanilla together in a separate container, until creamy smooth. Set aside.
Step 5: Finish the batter.
With the mixer (Bowl Two) on low speed, add dry ingredients in thirds, scraping the bowl each time. Then add wet ingredients (Bowl Three) in thirds, and do not over mix. When incorporated, stir in mini chocolate chips.
Step 6: Add the batter to the pan.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and bump lightly on a wood surface to even and remove air bubbles.
Step 7: Bake and cool the cake.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs. Check early to ensure you don’t over bake. When done, remove from the oven and allow the bundt cake to cool in a pan on a wire baking rack for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan by inverting it onto a cake plate, and allow it to cool completely, for about an hour.
Step 8: Make the chocolate ganache and finish the cake.
Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl, and melt them in 20-second bursts, stirring well each time. When most of the chocolate has melted, stir until smooth. It should only require a minute or two. Add vanilla and stir until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool until it thickens somewhat, so it pours and runs slowly. Pour it over the bundt cake allowing it to drip down the sides slightly. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips if desired. Slice and serve at room temperature.
What To Serve With Bundt Cake
This delicious cake is great with a cup of your favorite hot coffee or tea. However, you can also pair it with your favorite meal. I like to serve my cake with this chicken rollatini recipe.
Substitutions and Additions
Here are a few substitutions that you can use to help you make this chocolate pound cake recipe.
- If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can use all purpose flour instead, but the texture will come out slightly different. To make your own cake flour (King Arthur Baking) suggests the following; whisk together 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- Out of Greek yogurt? Swap it out and use full-fat sour cream instead of yogurt to keep the cake moist.
- Looking for a beautiful way to decorate this cake? If so, add some chocolate shavings or fresh berries on top of the cake for a beautiful look.
- Want to make this cake even more decadent? Try topping it with your favorite cream cheese frosting instead of the chocolate glaze.
How To Store
Store your chocolate bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze individual cake slices by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then storing them in a freezer bag for up to three months. Thaw on the counter for a couple of hours before enjoying.
Sandra’s Pro Tips
Here are a few tips that you can use to ensure that this chocolate cake recipe turns out perfectly for you when you make it.
- Make sure that you use room temperature ingredients so that you get a nice and smooth cake batter.
- Greasing and flouring your baking pan is the best way to ensure that your bundt cake doesn’t stick. You can use baking spray, but sometimes cakes will still stick with baking spray.
- Once you add the dry ingredients to the cake batter, make sure that you do not overmix. Overmixing can cause you to have a dense or dry cake.
- Instead of microwaving the chocolate for the chocolate ganache, you can also use a double boiler to melt it. Just make sure to stir it constantly so that it doesn’t scorch.
- Make sure that you remove the cake from the pan before it cools completely. Waiting until it’s completely cool puts your cake a more risk of sticking.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this decadent chocolate bundt cake? If so, here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
Cake flour has a lower protein content, which results in a lighter and softer texture for cakes. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content, making it better suited for recipes that require more structure like breads or pastries.
Yes, you can substitute regular cocoa powder for Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Just keep in mind that the Dutch-processed variety has been alkalized, giving it a milder flavor and darker color compared to regular cocoa powder.
You can use a toothpick or cake tester to insert it into the center of the bundt cake. If it comes out clean, without any batter sticking to it, or just a few moist crumbs then the cake is done baking. Another way to tell is by lightly pressing on the top of the cake, if it springs back, then it’s most likely finished baking.
Other Delicious Bundt Cake Recipes You May Enjoy
- Carrot Bundt Cake with cream cheese frosting
- Spice Bundt Cake with browned butter icing
- Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
I hope that you enjoyed this homemade chocolate cake recipe. I would love for you to leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite cake recipe is to make it.
Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe (From Scratch)
Equipment
- bundt cake pan 9 1/2 – 10" pan
- medium bowls
- Large bowl
- electric mixer
- toothpick or cake tester
- wire rack
- microwave-safe bowl
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups Cake Flour or all-purpose Flour
- 1 1/3 cups Dutch Cocoa Powder or regular
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated Sugar
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Greek Yogurt full-fat
- 1 tablespoon Espresso Instant Coffee Powder
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup mini Chocolate Chips plus more to garnish
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F, and position a rack in the lower than center part of the oven. Grease a bundt pan with soft butter and coat with cocoa powder, or with flour. Set aside.
- Bowl One: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium size bowl.
- Mixer Bowl Two: In a separate mixing bowl beat together the butter, sugar and brown sugar with the paddle attachment (if available) until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl to incorporate the butter.
- Add in the room temperature eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg.
- Bowl Three: In a separate medium size bowl whisk the buttermilk, oil, Greek yogurt,
- instant coffee powder and vanilla together in a separate container, until creamy smooth.
- Set aside.
- With the mixer (Bowl Two) on low speed, add dry ingredients in thirds, scraping the bowl each time.
- Add wet ingredients (Bowl Three) in thirds, and do not over mix. When incorporated, stir in mini chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into prepared bundt pan, and bump lightly on a wood surface to even the batter and remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs. Check at 45 minutes to ensure you don’t over bake.
- When done, remove from oven and allow the bundt cake to cool in pan on a wire baking rack for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan by inverting it onto a cake plate, and allow to cool completely, about an hour.
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl, and melt them in 20 second bursts, stirring well each time. When most of the chocolate has melted, stir until smooth. It should only require a minute or two. Add vanilla and stir until smooth.
- Allow the glaze to cool until it thickens somewhat, so it pours and runs slowly. Pour it over the bundt cake allowing it to drip down the sides slightly. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips if desired.
- Slice and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
