Loaded with cocoa powder, butter, oil, and sour cream, this chocolate bundt cake is luxuriously moist and flavorful. The bundt pan makes the cake look fancy when in reality, it’s incredibly simple to make! All you need are a few everyday ingredients, and in a few simple steps, you’ll have this effortlessly delicious chocolate cake. You don’t even need a mixer, and it comes out perfectly every time!
A total crowd-pleaser, serve this cake after dinner, at a birthday, or during a celebration. Everyone will be reaching for a second slice! You can even make it ahead of time for easy entertaining. It’s totally worth buying a bundt pan just to make this fudgy bundt cake. Want another cake to bake in your pan? Try my vanilla bundt cake recipe, sock it to me cake, or my sour cream pound cake recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cocoa powder — I used natural unsweetened cocoa powder, not to be confused with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. While you can use Dutch-processed in a pinch, it contains less acid than regular cocoa powder and will react with the baking soda differently. The density or texture of your cake may change slightly, but it should still be chocolatey and delicious!
Butter — different brands of salted butter vary in the amount of salt added, so it’s best to use unsalted butter and then add salt to the batter to keep things consistent.
Sour cream — the sour cream gives the chocolate-flavored bundt cake a tender and moist crumb. If you don’t have sour cream, you can make your own by following my post on how to make sour cream.
Oil — adding oil to the cake makes for a more even crumb that stays moist longer.
Chocolate chips — if you do not have high-quality chocolate chips, I recommend chopping high-quality pure chocolate baking bars. Low-quality chocolate chips have stabilizers that help them keep their shape as the chips bake, so they do not melt as smoothly for a ganache.
Heavy cream — you must use heavy cream to make the chocolate ganache. Using low-fat dairy will cause the ganache to not be set once cooled, and you’ll end up with a runny chocolate sauce over the bundt cake instead.
How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake
1. Whisk together the hot water and cocoa powder until well combined. Let cool for 10 minutes.
2. To the cocoa mixture, add the melted butter, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt, then combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stir together just until no streaks of flour remain.
4. Pour the bundt cake batter into a prepared 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan. Bake for 55 minutes and then let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
5. Make the ganache by microwaving cream until boiling and immediately pouring it over a bowl of chocolate. Drop in the butter but do not stir. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. Place the cake on a serving plate and pour the ganache over the top.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Do not skip blooming the cocoa powder in hot water. Blooming the cocoa gives the chocolate bundt cake a richer chocolate flavor.
- As we are working with many eggs, I recommend cracking them into a bowl instead of directly into the batter. This way, you decrease the odds of accidentally getting eggshells in the batter.
- Even if you have a non-stick pan, I recommend still dusting the pan. Doing so helps the cake slide out smoothly and lowers the risk of the tops of the cake being stuck and ripping when turned out.
- Always check that the baking soda is fresh. Expired baking soda will cause the cake not to rise properly.
- Not sure what size bundt pan you have? Use a liquid measuring cup and pour water one cup at a time into the pan, keeping tally as you go, and see how many cups the pan fits.
- If you need more help with it, then see my complete post on how to make chocolate ganache.
- There’s no need to use a mixer to make the cake batter. You only want to mix the batter until everything is just combined. Overmixing the batter will make the cake dry and tough.
- If you are not using a scale to measure the flour, be sure to fluff the flour with a spoon and then sprinkle it into the measuring cups before leveling it off with a knife. While a scale is preferred, fluffing the flour is the best way to measure flour without overpacking your measuring cup.
- Use a small spatula or spoon to force the batter into the crevices of the bundt pan. Lightly tap it on the counter after filling to remove air bubbles at the base, which could mar the surface of your cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this bundt cake ahead of time. Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze this?
If you plan to freeze this cake whole, skip the chocolate ganache. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in a layer of tin foil before freezing for up to 3 months. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and glaze with the ganache before serving.
Do I need to use chocolate ganache?
If you want to skip it, you can try using my caramel recipe, vanilla buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting recipe, or chocolate buttercream frosting.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Video
Equipment
- Bundt cake pan
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups hot water (360ml)
- 1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (125g)
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour (420g)
- 2½ cups granulated sugar (500g)
- 2½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (213g)
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature, (220g)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (120ml)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Ganache Topping:
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bars (113g)
- 7 tablespoons heavy cream (105ml)
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour or cocoa powder.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the hot water and cocoa powder until well combined. Let cool for 10 minutes
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- To the cocoa mixture, add the melted butter sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Pour into the flour mixture and stir together just until no streaks of flour remain. Pour into the prepared Bundt pan.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Carefully invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the Ganache Topping:
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl
- Microwave the cream until boiling, about 30 seconds on high. Immediately pour over the chocolate. Drop in the butter but do not stir. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth and silky.
- Place the cake on a serving plate and pour the ganache over the top. Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Do not skip blooming the cocoa powder in hot water. Blooming the cocoa gives the chocolate bundt cake a richer chocolate flavor.
- As we are working with many eggs, I recommend cracking them into a bowl instead of directly into the batter. This way, you decrease the odds of accidentally getting eggshells in the batter.
- Even if you have a non-stick pan, I recommend still dusting the pan. Doing so helps the cake slide out smoothly and lowers the risk of the tops of the cake being stuck and ripping when turned out.
- Always check that the baking soda is fresh. Expired baking soda will cause the cake not to rise properly.
- Not sure what size bundt pan you have? Use a liquid measuring cup and pour water one cup at a time into the pan, keeping tally as you go, and see how many cups the pan fits.
- There’s no need to use a mixer to make the cake batter. You only want to mix the batter until everything is just combined. Overmixing the batter will make the cake dry and tough.
- If you are not using a scale to measure the flour, be sure to fluff the flour with a spoon and then sprinkle it into the measuring cups before leveling it off with a knife. While a scale is preferred, fluffing the flour is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the cup.
- Use a small spatula or spoon to force the batter into the crevices of the bundt pan. Lightly tap it on the counter after filling to remove air bubbles at the base, which could mar the surface of your cake.
