Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Content… Coffee in Chocolate Cake? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Decadent Chocolate Cake Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

Coffee in Chocolate Bundt Cake?

Why, yes, please! Coffee is the secret ingredient here, my friend. It adds just enough bitterness to keep the cake from becoming cloyingly sweet.

Coffee also pairs beautifully with chocolate (as I’m sure you already know). Of course, if you can’t have the caffeine, leave it out, but coffee intensifies the complex layers of already rich flavors. 🤤

Recipe Ingredients

1. Basic Cake Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract should all be in your essential homemade cake starter pack.
2. Sour Cream – For extra moisture and density, you’ll use sour cream instead of milk for this cake.
3. Coffee – Coffee brings out the best in chocolate and balances the sweetness as well. The heat also hydrates your cocoa powder better, intensifying the chocolateiness even more.
4. Cocoa Powder – Go with a high-quality cocoa powder for the richest, most delicious chocolate flavor possible.  
5. Chocolate Ganache – Melt semi-sweet or milk chocolate with hot, heavy cream for super easy and super delicious frosting. 🍫

How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake

Make the Cake Batter

• Preheat your oven to 325℉ (160℃). 
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. (Photos 1-2)
• Cream Butter – Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. It takes 5-6 minutes. (Photo 3)
• Beat the eggs in, one at a time. Beat well after each addition and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as you go. In a small bowl, combine the vanilla, sour cream, and oil. (Photos 4-5) 
• Make Batter – Add your dry ingredients into the mixture in the three additions. Alternate with the sour cream mixture in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. (Photos 6-8)
• Coffee – Pour in the hot coffee and gently fold it into the cake batter until just combined. 

Bake the Bundt Cake

• Bake – Pour the batter into a well-greased bundt pan and gently hit the pan to eliminate large bubbles. Bake in your 325℉ (160℃) oven for 65-75 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. (Photo 9)
• Cool the chocolate bundt cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. Then, invert the pan onto the rack, gently remove it, and let the cake cool completely (about an hour). (Photo 10)

Make the Chocolate Ganache 

• Chocolate – Finely chop the chocolate with a sharp knife and place it in a heatproof bowl. (Or use a grater to chop the chocolate.) (Photo 11)
• Cream – Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat it to a slight simmer. You could also heat the cream in a dish in the microwave. Don’t let it boil, or your ganache may become grainy.
• Combine – Pour hot cream evenly over the chocolate, and let it sit for a minute. (Photo 12)
• Stir – Then, using a rubber spatula, stir until it is silky smooth.
• Serve – Let it cool for several minutes before pouring over your cooled cake. Serve and smile big. (Photos 13-14)

Recipe Variations

1. Add fruit. Swirl in raspberry preserves or fresh raspberries into the batter to create a delightful chocolate-raspberry combination.
2. Chocolate chip bundt cake. Add half a cup of dark mini chocolate chips to the batter for extra decadence. Or go straight to my chocolate chip bundt cake recipe.
3. White chocolate coconut bundt cake seems to have gone viral, thanks to Tom Cruise. Try my coconut cake recipe and add 4 ounces (114 grams) of melted white chocolate to the batter. Pour the coconut cake batter into the well-greased bundt pan and bake as usual. Frost the finished cake with the cream cheese frosting (feel free to add a few drops of coconut essence) and garnish with toasted coconut.
4. Bring on the heat. Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dry ingredients for a warm and spicy undertone to the chocolate. 

Tips and Tricks

1. Use high-quality chocolate, cocoa powder, and butter for a more decadent and flavorful cake.
2. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing them so they combine evenly for a smoother batter. 
3. Mix until everything is just combined because mixing the batter too long can lead to a tough cake. 💔

Make-Ahead Instructions

Store your chocolate bundt cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You could also freeze it for up to 3 months, making it ideal for baking ahead of time.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve individual slices of chocolate bundt cake at room temperature or chilled.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for no more than 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week. 

What Goes With Chocolate Bundt Cake

This beautiful homemade chocolate cake is the perfect finish for smoked lobster tails. Dress up your dessert table further by adding chocolate-covered strawberries and candied pecans to the menu. Serve your cake with hot coffee or a cup of ginger tea.

More Decadent Chocolate Cake Recipes to Try

1. Chocolate Guinness Cake
2. Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
3. German Chocolate Cake
4. Black Forest Cake
5. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Watch How to Make It