A ridiculously moist, deeply chocolatey, glazed chocolate bundt cake from scratch that’s also super easy to make, all in one bowl? Sign me up!
This foolproof chocolate bundt cake is a guaranteed crowd favorite and a total showstopper! So versatile and make ahead friendly too.
This is one of my go-to chocolate cakes! That’s saying something because I do have quite a few chocolate cakes and cupcake recipes on the blog.
I DO love a classic layered chocolate cake and a fudgy chocolate sheet cake, but there’s just something a little more special about a glazed sour cream chocolate bundt cake. This is an ultra moist, super chocolatey cake with a light crumb.
It took me a while to perfect the texture and flavor to my liking, but even the test recipes were no less fantastic! So easy to make, you’ll be searching for excuses to make this bundt cake.
The classic bundt cake shape with the hole in the middle also brings so much nostalgia for me. It reminds me of the chocolate bundt cakes I used to eat as a kid, in both appearance and taste. BUT this recipe is even better because it’s made from scratch and not from a box mix.
Why this recipe rocks!
- This recipe yield a delicious, ultra moist, deeply chocolatey chocolate bundt cake.
- Super easy recipe to follow, and you can make it all in ONE BOWL! Easy peasy, not too messy.
- I provide substitutions to some of the ingredients so that the recipe is still adaptable even if you don’t have all of the same ingredients.
- You can easily add hot coffee to make a mocha bundt cake too!
- I give lots of tips to show how ingredients work and how to maximize flavor in this recipe.
- A simple chocolate ganache glaze is all you need to complete this bundt cake.
- You can make it ahead of time, and freeze any leftovers.
Is this a legit one bowl recipe?
YES, and that’s another reason why you’ll LOVE this chocolate bundt cake recipe! But you do have to follow the recipe steps properly for this to be a one bowl recipe.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. That way you can place the bowl on your scale and measure the ingredients as you go.
You can even sift and weigh the dry ingredients into the batter using a sifter directly over the mixing bowl.
Follow with some of the wet ingredients first, then the dry ingredients. The key is to end with the hot water or hot coffee. This is important.
If you’re using volume measurements, you can still make this in one bowl, but you will obviously have to measure ingredients separately and use more bowls and measuring cups.
Ingredients (and substitution notes)
Wet ingredients
- White Sugar – You can also use brown sugar. Sugar is considered a wet ingredient here because it does have some solubility in the wet ingredients, since sugar is hygroscopic. You may be tempted to reduce the sugar amount, but the sugar keeps this cake moist.
- Eggs – I use 2 large eggs in this recipe.
- Sour cream – This adds the acidity required for the baking soda to react and rise in the cake. This ingredient is important because without it, the cake will be too dense. Greek yogurt is a good substitution. Don’t use low fat or no fat versions, as the fat adds richness to the cake.
- Milk – Milk is added for flavor. You can also add buttermilk if you have some at home, but milk is more likely to be in your fridge (I assume).
- Hot water or hot coffee – The batter is a very wet batter that results in a moist cake. The hot water helps hydrate the cocoa powder to “bloom” the cocoa so that you get a deeper chocolate flavor. Coffee also helps bring out more chocolate flavor, but you can increase the coffee flavor to make a mocha bundt cake instead as well!
- Oil – This recipe uses oil instead of butter. You can use melted butter instead, but butter does give the cake some fudgy texture. Using oil gives the chocolate bundt cake a more even and light crumb.
- Vanilla – Also adds flavor, and balance to the sweetness.
- Salt – I use finely ground sea salt. Salt is absolutely necessary in any baking recipe. You can add just a small amount and it will mellow out the sweetness. It’ll transform your baked goods from being bleh to wowsa!
Dry ingredients
- All purpose flour – I use regular all purpose flour for this recipe.
- Natural cocoa powder – This recipe uses natural cocoa powder and NOT dutch cocoa powder. The reason is that natural cocoa powder is a little acidic. Since we are using baking soda, we need acid in the chocolate cake batter so that it rises as it bakes. You can read more about this in my detailed baking basics article on dutch process vs natural cocoa powder.
- Baking soda – The chemical leavener that causes the chocolate bundt cake batter to rise as it bakes (along with the acid component). Baking soda does NOT have an acid added to it (unlike baking powder), so the recipe requires other acidic ingredients to properly activate it. You can also read more about chemical leaveners in my baking basics article on baking soda vs baking powder.
Chocolate glaze ingredients
You can honestly use any type of frosting for this bundt cake. Out of all the frostings and glazes that I’ve tried, I’ve got two favorites. One is this chocolate ganache glaze.
- Dark chocolate – I like to use chocolate that has between 60 – 70% cocoa. That’s because I want the glaze to not be too sweet so that it complements the sweet chocolate bundt cake. But you can use any type of chocolate you like instead. Even white chocolate if you prefer. You can use bar chocolate or chocolate chips.
- Heavy cream – Absolutely necessary to make a rich ganache! But you can also use coconut cream.
- Butter – Butter adds a little more flavor to your glaze, and a little shine too. But you can leave it out if you want to as well.
- Salt – Chocolate and salt are a match made in flavor heaven. Salt makes the flavors of the chocolate ganache glaze pop even more, so don’t forget to add it!
How to make glazed chocolate bundt cake (step by step overview)
Making this glazed chocolate bundt cake could honestly not be any easier.
Step 1 – Prepare the bundt cake pan
For this recipe, you will need a 12 cup capacity bundt cake pan.
Butter the inside of the bundt pan, making sure to get every nook and cranny. This is very important because you don’t want your cake to stick to the pan. I like to use a pastry brush to butter the pan. Some also use nonstick spray, but I prefer butter over nonstick spray.
Add the cocoa powder and dust the whole inside of the pan as well. Discard the excess cocoa powder and set aside. Also preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C (conventional).
Step 2 – Get the wet ingredients ready
First, just add the sugar, salt, oil, sour cream, eggs, milk and vanilla in a large enough bowl, to accommodate the whole amount of batter.
Whisk all the ingredients together until you have a nice smooth mix. If all the ingredients are at room temperature, they should mix beautifully!
Step 3 – Get the dry ingredients ready
Next, sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together to make sure there are no lumps. This is especially important for cocoa powder because natural cocoa powder has a tendency to clump up in storage.
Add the salt and whisk together to mix it all up. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold to combine.
For the one bowl method – Place a sifter over the large mixing bowl (with the egg mix). Place this on the scale and tare the value. Add the flour to the sifter. Tare the value and add the cocoa powder next.
Add the baking soda and sift all three ingredients into the mixing bowl. Follow with salt, and fold to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
The batter will be a little stiff at this stage, but that’s OK!
Step 4 – Add hot water
Add the hot water to the batter and stir until it’s mixed in and smooth. You will see the cake batter changing color into a darker brown at this point. THIS IS GOOD!
The hot water is blooming the cocoa powder, making the bundt cake more chocolatey.
Step 5 – Bake the cake
As soon as the cake batter is stirred and is smooth, transfer the batter into the bundt pan and bake the cake in the preheated oven for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the cake is baked through.
The cake is done when a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Step 6 – Make the chocolate glaze
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream and salt together in a small saucepan until it just starts to simmer.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and stir to melt all of the chocolate. While still warm, add the butter and stir to dissolve.
If your ganache looks curdled, DO NOT worry! Use the stick blender to blend the ganache and emulsify it again.
The fat in chocolate and cream can split if the mixture is too hot or agitated too much. So to make it smooth again, use a stick blender to emulsify the chocolate.
When the ganache is smooth, cover it and let it cool down. It should be almost at room temperature (slightly warm) and thick with a pourable consistency before it can be poured over the cake.
How to glaze the chocolate bundt cake
Once the chocolate cake is baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down slightly, about 5 – 10 minutes. While the pan is still warm (but easy to handle), flip the cake over onto a cooling rack.
It’s important to flip the cake over while the pan is still warm, so that the cake comes out easily.
Flip it too early, and the cake might break because it’s still too hot and too soft.
Flip it too late (when cold), and the cake might get stuck in the pan, or be soggy because of condensation.
Let the cake cool down to room temperature. Then transfer the cake with the wire rack onto a baking sheet. Once cooled, you can pour the cooled down ganache over the cake. I sometimes like to chill the chocolate bundt cake in the fridge (for about 30 – 60 minutes), and then pour slightly warm ganache glaze.
The sheet pan underneath will catch any excess chocolate glaze. This way I get a really nice thin coating of chocolate glaze that immediately sets on the chilled cake. But you can make your glaze layer as thick as you like.
Serve just as is, or you can shower the cake with some chocolate shavings too. After all, as the best ever chocolate bundt cake, that decadent chocolate glaze deserves all the love it can get as well!
My best recipe tips
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature (except for the hot water), so that it all mixes easily.
- Make sure the bundt cake pan is well greased to prevent the cake from sticking.
- Use a kitchen scale for best results! Cocoa powder is hard to measure correctly with cups.
- Check if the cake is done halfway through the baking time. Oven temperatures can vary and as a result bake times can vary too.
- Use natural cocoa powder for best results. You can use dutch cocoa powder too, but the texture will be slightly different.
- Be sure not to overheat the cream and chocolate for the glaze as it can cause it to split.
Serving suggestions
This chocolate bundt cake is nothing if not delicious, light, and moist! It’s just as delicious without a glaze, but you have to admit, the glaze obviously makes it that much better, and also balances the sweetness well (i.e. if you use dark chocolate for the cake).
You can serve the cake just as is, OR
- Top it with chocolate shavings or sprinkles or nuts.
- Instead of a chocolate glaze, you could different frostings like American chocolate buttercream frosting, Swiss meringue chocolate buttercream, cheat’s Swiss meringue chocolate buttercream, or even chocolate whipped cream frosting.
- Substitute the hot water with hot coffee as mentioned in the recipe to make a mocha bundt cake!
- The unglazed cake can be served with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.
- Easy chantilly cream or stabilized whipped cream and fresh berries are also a great way to serve this cake.
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce with a slice of the chocolate cake!
- For an ever more decadent dessert, pair this chocolate bundt cake with a browned butter butterscotch sauce or caramel sauce.
Storage and make-ahead tips
Fridge
Bake the cake and let it cool completely before wrapping it in plastic wrap. You can store the cake in the fridge for up to 3 days.
So you can make the cake up to 3 days ahead of time.
Freezer
This cake is easy to freeze. But it must be done without the glaze. Once the cake is baked and cooled, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and then a layer of foil. This is to prevent freezer burn. Then freeze the cake for up to 3 months.
To defrost, move the cake from the freezer to the fridge or to your kitchen counter. Let it defrost completely. This process will take longer in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make mini bundt cakes in a smaller bundt cake pan?
Yes! But you will need to add less batter to the cake pan. If your cake pan is about 17 – 20 % smaller (10 cup bundt pan), then only add 80 – 83 % of the cake batter into that pan.
Why is my bundt cake dry?
If your bundt cake comes out dry, it could be one of these reasons.
Overbaked – If the cake was baked too long, or baked in an oven that runs hotter than the set temperature (not calibrated properly), this can lead to the cake drying out.
The other reason is if the ingredients were measured wrong or forgotten. For example, if you measured flour by cup measurements, there’s a chance you may have added up to 25% extra if you scooped the flour into the cup, rather than spooning and leveling it. Extra flour or extra cocoa powder will result in dry cake.
Also make sure that you remembered to add all of the liquid ingredients.
Is it possible to make this dairy free or vegan?
I haven’t made this cake without eggs, but you can certainly make it dairy free. You can use plant based milk and yogurt for the cake batter. But since vegan yogurt is not as sour, I would add 2 tsp of white vinegar to the batter as well.
Can I use dutch cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa powder?
You can. But you will need to add some extra acid to the recipe. About 2 tsp of white vinegar or 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. The cake might not rise to the same height, and the chocolate bundt cake might be a little more dense. But still delicious!
How do you get the bundt cake out cleanly?
With nooks and crannies in the bundt pan, there can be some issues with cleanly taking out the cake. This is especially true if you have a bundt pan with sharp edged corners, rather than curved edges.
Take extra time to prep the bundt cake pan. Do not use non-stick spray in the bundt pan. These sprays don’t really coat the pan evenly, and can lead to dry edges that make the cake stick.
Use softened butter (not melted), to brush the inside of the pan. Make sure every nook and cranny is coated in a thin even layer of the butter. Then dust the pan with cocoa powder. The cocoa powder will blend in with the chocolate cake, whereas flour will leave white streaks.
The cocoa powder will also show you where you have buttered the pan, and any areas without cocoa powder will actually indicate areas that you missed when rubbing the butter.
What if my glaze curdles?
Don’t worry, just use a stick blender and blend the ganache, while it’s still warm. The ganache glaze will emulsify right before your eyes!
Recipe
Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Chocolate cake
- 400 g white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 180 g sour cream
- 80 g milk
- 105 g vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 250 g AP flour spooned and leveled for cup measurements
- 90 g natural cocoa powder spooned and leveled for cup measurements
- 15 g baking soda
- 240 g hot water or hot coffee
Chocolate glaze
- 340 g dark chocolate chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
- 240 g heavy cream
- 40 g unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp sea salt or ½ tsp for a salty sweet chocolate glaze
Instructions:
Chocolate cake
- Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature (except for the water).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (conventional oven). Grease a 12 cup bundt pan, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies. Dust the inside of the pan with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the white sugar, large eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla, salt and vegetable oil. Whisk until smooth.400 g white sugar, 2 large eggs, 180 g sour cream, 80 g milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp sea salt, 105 g vegetable oil
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You can sift all the dry ingredients directly into the wet ingredients as well.250 g AP flour, 90 g natural cocoa powder, 15 g baking soda
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until mixed through.
- Add the hot water or hot coffee and whisk until the water is mixed well into the batter. Do not over mix the batter.240 g hot water or hot coffee
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Keep the pan on a baking tray to make it easier to move the pan around.
- Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 50 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Flip the cake out onto a cooling rack. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
- Once the cake is cooled, cover the cake with plastic wrap / cloth napkin / or the bundt cake pan, until you're ready to pour the glaze.
- Place the cake on the wire rack, and then place the wire rack on a baking tray. When the ganache and cake have cooled, you can pour the ganache carefully over the cake.
- Allow the glaze to set, then move the cake onto a platter.
- Serve the cake just as is, or with whipped cream.
Chocolate glaze (make this while the cake is baking)
- If you’re using chocolate bars or larger chocolate chips, chop the chocolate into smaller pieces and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Cut the butter into smaller pieces and set aside as well.340 g dark chocolate, 40 g unsalted butter
- Place the heavy cream and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium high heat and stir to dissolve the salt.240 g heavy cream, ¼ tsp sea salt
- Heat until the cream is starting to simmer.
- Remove from the heat and pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for about 30 seconds and whisk to create a smooth ganache.
- While the ganache is still warm, add the butter and whisk until the butter is melted and mixed through the ganache well.
- If the ganache looks “curdled” or split, use a stick blender to blend the ganache until it’s smooth and shiny again.
- Let the ganache cool to room temperature (about 72 – 76°F). While the ganache is cooling, periodically whisk it to make sure that the ganache is not lumpy.
- The warmer the ganache, the thinner the glaze will be (and the cooler the ganache, the thicker the glaze). Depending on how thick or thin you want the glaze to be, you may have some glaze leftover.
- You can store any leftover ganache to make hot chocolate or chocolate milkshake later!
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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