The first time I made the Best Chocolate Bundt Cake was back in 2012. I was a young married lady and an even younger blogger, slowly teaching myself how to cook and bake and living on the thrill of anything even halfway decent coming out of my oven.
Then this cake happened. For a fledgling baker, tackling a homemade chocolate bundt cake with a from-scratch chocolate glaze felt like an Olympic task. I remember how nervous I was when it was time to flip the cake out of the pan. Even years later, my palms get a little sweaty during this step.
But there was nothing to fear. The cake popped easily out of the pan and onto the plate. I did a little happy dance, then smothered the cake with the glaze and cut myself a slice.
Sweet heavens. I wanted someone to hand me a medal right then and there. This was the best chocolate cake I’d ever eaten, and by some miracle I had made it myself.
After devouring my slice, I stuck the cake on a garishly red kitchen towel, took some terribly lit photos of it, and posted it on my blog. Because that’s what you did when you were a newlywed with too much free time in 2012.
Six years later, this chocolate bundt cake recipe is one of my most popular and best reviewed posts of all time.
Looking back on those original photos (which I will include at the end), I still feel a giddy sense of pride bubbling up inside me. This cake has a way of making you feel like a rockstar. My sister-in-law, who has made it several times, said her co-workers didn’t believe she actually made it herself, thinking something this good could only come from a professional bakery.
To that I say, “Pshaw!” You can absolutely make something as good as the local bakery. And once you discover that fact, there’s really no turning back. You’ll start making Giant Bakery Style Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Sour Cream Cheesecake, and Two Layer Strawberry Cakes and feeling like a baking boss all the time.
Why This Is the Best Chocolate Bundt Cake of All Time
There are two key ingredients at play here that really make this cake special.
- The first is brewed coffee, which is like chocolate’s personal hair and makeup specialist, always behind the scenes making sure the chocolate shines.
- The second is buttermilk, which we can thank for giving this cake its tender crumb and subtle tangy flavor.
A Glorious Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Now let’s talk about this chocolate frosting. Oh my. Where to begin. The frosting is made with a base of unsweetened chocolate, butter, and sugar, but it gets its spectacular flavor from the addition of sour cream, coffee, and cream.
The frosting feels wonky when you’re first whisking it up. One moment it looks too thick and the next moment a bit too gloppy. You might find yourself questioning your newly discovered baking skills and wondering why in the world that Courtney girl steered you wrong.
But then the coffee and cream and your gentle but persistent whisking start bringing it all together, and the frosting begins to look like a rich mocha latte, and you’ll get all the good feelings back, because now you’re basically a master baker and barista in one.
This chocolate sour cream frosting lies somewhere between spreadable and pourable. It is quite thick, and quite easy to eat by the spoonful, but I suppose that’s beside the point. If you’d like it to be a little more pourable, you can add more milk or cream.
The frosting makes a substantial amount, more than you might think is necessary. I generally use about three fourths of it then save the rest, often adding the remainder on later. It really is the proverbial “icing on the cake,” so I find it’s never a bad thing to be generous.
Can You Make Chocolate Cake Ahead of Time?
Yes! This cake is an excellent candidate for making a day in advance, as I think it gets even better, richer, and moister on the second and third days. It is a rich cake, so technically you could probably squeeze 20 teeny slices out of it, but you’re more than likely going to want to stick with 12 or so thick, fat slices.
A Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe for Any Occasion
This moist chocolate bundt cake has become my go-to for neighborhood potlucks, family reunions, holidays, and birthday parties.
Normally I like to pair chocolate cake with ice cream or milk (like with this Chocolate Crazy Cake), but I actually believe this Chocolate Bundt Cake is best served all by itself, in all of its dark chocolatey glory.
If you’re looking for a show stopping dessert, the answer to an insatiable chocolate craving, or just a way to get your baking mojo back, I can’t recommend this chocolate cake recipe enough.
If it can survive my fumbling 2012 baking skills and pictures like this to become one of my most made and best reviewed recipes, it’s certainly worth a try.
If you’d like to see what other people are saying about this cake, you can check out the comments or read the reviews on this pin on Pinterest!
The Best Chocolate Bundt Cake Ever
A rich, super moist chocolate bundt cake covered in a dark chocolate glaze made with coffee and sour cream.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/3 cups brewed coffee
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour, sifted
For the glaze:
- 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 1/4 cup half and half or cream
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 in round bundt pan with butter or use Baker's Joy spray. Set aside.
2. For the cake: Place cocoa powder and coffee in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugar, salt, baking soda, eggs, and yolk. Beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat for another minute or so.
4. Add flour to sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the cooled cocoa/coffee mixture and beat on low speed for another minute.
5. Pour into the greased pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let the cake cool at least 15 minutes before inverting onto serving tray.
6. For the frosting: Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add it to a double boiler or heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Melt chocolate, stirring occasionally.
7. Melt butter in another pan or in the microwave.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and chocolate. Add half the powdered sugar and whisk again. The mixture will seem very thick.
9. Whisk in sour cream and the remaining powdered sugar. Don't worry! It will come together! And it will be magical.
10. Add coffee and cream and whisk together until smooth and glossy. This is a thick, spreadable frosting. If you'd like a more pourable glaze, simply add additional cream or half and half until you reach your desired consistency.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 448mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 3gSugar: 53gProtein: 5g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.
The cake itself was very good, easy to put together, and very moist. However, as someone who hates sour cream, I should have known better than to experiment with this sour cream frosting. You can most definitely taste and smell the sour cream. Even after thinning it down to a glaze, I could still smell and taste the sour cream. I didn’t tell any of my guests, so I don’t think they noticed. But if you’re like me and hate sour cream, make this cake with a different frosting!
I made this cake, but it was not a Bundt cake. It was not dense enough. It tasted the same as a box cake mix. I don’t even want to waste the calories on it. If you’re looking for something dense and bundty, this is not it.
Made this a while back and was so delicious, but just now I realized I do not have canola oil only vegetable oil. Could I use that instead.
Yes you can definitely swap vegetable for canola oil!
This cake was a huge hit! I made it for Christmas and had multiple people ask to take leftovers home with them! I ended up doing a peppermint glaze icing drizzled along the top. So good! Thank you for the recipe!
So glad it turned out well for you! The peppermint glaze sounds wonderful. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Wow, truly the best chocolate cake! We LOVED this, thank you for the recipe! Moist, chocolatey, not too sweet – divine! I got immediate requests to make it again the last time this was served.
One question for you, I’d love to make this for a friend but she’s allergic to eggs – is there any way to make this cake without eggs? Thank you!!
That’s a great question! I’ve never tried to make it without eggs before, but I think it could work well! I would try one of the substitutes listed here: https://www.thekitchn.com/best-egg-substitutes-baking-23003895. I think the applesauce, carbonated water, or water/oil/baking soda could all work.
Made this cake yesterday, it is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for this excellent recipe. One recipe note: cool cake before icing.
Thanks so much for coming back to let us know! So glad you loved it!
Great cake – my chocoholics loved it! My one change was to the oil: I used ¼c oil & the rest was unsweetened applesauce. Really cuts the amount of fat with no difference to the cake. I do this to everything I make with fantastic results for over 40 years. 🙂
Boy, that’s a lot of frosting! (not that I’m complaining). Excellent cake as advertised. Moist and a full dose of chocolate. This cake will not last long but will definitely make it into my regular baking rotation. No surprises in the recipe. Thanks!
With some good buttermilk at its “Best by” date, plus two people with an insatiable need for chocolate, I made this jewel of a cake yesterday. WOW! I’m 86, a guy, and what you would call an intermediate level home baker. So, it took most of the day to prep for and and produce this wonderful cake. I followed the recipe as closely as I could. The only mistake was using coconut oil shortening for the Bundt pan before flouring. The residue was ugly! Plus, LATER, I went on the internet to read about the downsides of coconut oil. OOPS, won’t use it again. We each ate our first piece just before bed…no problem sleeping after the caffeine jolt from decaf Hazelnut coffee and the chocolate. What a cake…and I’m an inveterate pie person. It’s a keeper!! Thanks…Denis
This is hands down the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! Making it again for my sons college graduation tomorrow. At the tender age of 5 he announced that “chocolate is my passion”! So chocolate it is! Making vanilla buttercream too, will do half and half for family members who aren’t fans of mocha. Can’t wait to dive into this baby!
This is the best chocolate cake you will ever make ! Followed recipe no changes absolutely amazing ! This is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need !
I would use hot chocolate to replace the coffee in the cake and frosting since I not a coffee drinker.I made another cake doing that
this cake looks good but the only thing I would change is the coffee for water, I drink do not drink coffee and I tried that in cupcakes way back and did not like them at all. I would not do that to anyone else,
I made this today, and it is great! I live at 7300’ elevation, so I did adjust for altitude. Still delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear it worked at high altitude too! Thanks for sharing!
This turned out absolutely AHMAZING!
First time making a Bundt cake, it truly came out so perfect.
Icing was a little liquidy but tasted good!! I dressed it with some chopped pecans as well.
the cake looks good but the one thing i would is replace the coffee with water cuz i don’t drink it and don’t like it in the cake. I had tried it and it was yucky to me so i don’t put it in anymore. I could tell the difference .
What volume of bundt pan (in cups) is this recipe for? The text mentions 10 inch bundt pan; the product link to Amazon goes to a 9-inch (perhaps taller?) pan. Either way, how many cups should the bundt pan hold? I have a non-standard size pan, and I’m trying to see if I’ll need to increase the recipe.
I use a bundt pan with 12 cup capacity. Hope that helps!
We have made this cake many times. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
I make this cake quite often. Its my go to when I can’t figure out what I want. We love it. Everyone I have shared it with loves it and tells me how moist it is. The frosting is delicious too. I would like to make a buttermilk bundt cake that isn’t chocolate. Do you have a recipe?
I’m so glad you love the chocolate bundt cake! I don’t have another plain buttermilk bundt cake, but I do have a couple other bundt cake recipes I love, including this Peach Bundt Cake https://neighborfoodblog.com/vanilla-peach-bundt-cake-with-bourbon/ and this Caramel Banana Bundt Cake- https://neighborfoodblog.com/caramel-banana-bundt-cake/ (the second one does use buttermilk).
love this recipe but i have a question, I want to add chocolate chips in batter will they wink or what can I do ?
They should be fine! You can toss them with a little flour first just to make sure.
Hi Courtney,
I made this cake twice already , it’s super moist and very tasty , I used regular coca powder and added a little extra dark , it gave more decadent flavor.
Frosting was delicious also.
Thank you so much for your recipe.
Do you good recipe for strawberry cake ?
Ania
Hi Ania! I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate bundt cake. This is my favorite strawberry cake recipe: https://neighborfoodblog.com/easy-strawberry-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
Hello Courtney! I would love to know if I can bake this cake recipe as regular sized cupcakes? I would love to use this recipe. The cake was astounding!!! I’m planning out a baby shower for this July 2021 and would love to make some cupcakes for the guests!
Hi Danielle! So glad you enjoyed the cake. It should work well for cupcakes as well, and you don’t need to change anything about the batter. Bake at the same temperature for around 18 minutes. I always recommend baking a test cupcake first. Fill the liner halfway full and bake, checking at the 16 minute mark and then every 1-2 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the test cupcake rose just to the top of the liner, great! If not, fill the remaining ones a bit fuller. Hope this helps!
Hi this is my first time making this cake. Does the dough is watery ? or it should be thick ?
The batter should be thick, but pourable. You can see the consistency best in the video.
I read the recipe through, measured all ingredients exactly and, with the computer on the counter in front of me, prepared the batter. I have a 12 cup bundt pan (11″ in diameter). After about 20 minutes I smelled something burning and, in the time it took me to get from one room to the other, the oven was smoking because so much of the batter had poured out over the side that it had reached the heating element! What a mess. Of course I had to shut off the oven, unplug it, remove the pan and start cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning). Cakes don’t like it when you interrupt their baking time for a 30 minute break so I can’t comment on the flavor. What in the world did I do wrong?? I have an oven thermometer so the temp was correct.
Oh wow! I’m so sorry you had an overflow. I’ve never had that happen before and am honestly a little flummoxed. Was your bundt pan a pretty standard pattern?
What healthier oil can i substitute in place of the canola oil? TY
Coconut oil would work well!
I made this sans glaze and it’s the best cake ever. I would like to try it with the glaze but it’s perfect without anything or just powdered sugar. Made it once with 2 eggs and then again with 2 eggs and the additional egg yolk but didn’t notice much. Took abt 50-55 minutes in my oven. It’s really that good and you don’t taste the coffee but can tell it brings out the best pets of the chocolate. It’s the only chocolate cake I will ever make. I used one part Wincrest black cocoa and 2 parts Hershey’s dark.
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Oh my goodness. I’m not a huge chocolate cake fan because it seems it’s hard to get intense chocolate flavor into cakes. However, I wanted to make a chocolate cake for a friend and I am SO glad I found this one. It was perfect. And I realized it really really reminds me of the chocolate cake from Portillo’s in Chicago. So so good. Thank you! Also please note, I never leave reviews but I had to tell you how good this was.
Made this for Christmas and it was absolutely delicious. I tried adding a few chocolate chips to it but they all sunk to the bottom of my bundt pan and then stuck to it. Fortunately didn’t hurt the cake which still managed to come out of the pan okay and my kids LOVED scraping up the chocolate that stuck to the pan. Really delicious cake! Definitely hanging on to this recipe. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed the chocolate bundt cake and that the kids got an extra treat to enjoy–happy accident! 🙂
Hi
I’m thinking about making this cake for Christmas day. I have two questions;
When i bake the cake I thought about putting half the mix in the tin, then adding a layer of black cherry jam, then remaining half and baking. Would this work?
Second question, can it be prepared a week or so in advance without the frosting and put in the freezer?
Thanks!
I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner! The cake should work fine with a thin layer of jam in the middle and it also freezes beautifully! Thaw it at room temperature overnight. Hope that helps!
I would like to add shredded zucchini in the recipe. Do you think I would have to add more flour?
You might. Zucchini is a very wet vegetable. If you do add it, try shredding and putting it in a strainer for 20 minutes then using a paper towel to soak up excess moisture.
I love love love reading your message about this awesome chocolate / coffee cake. I have made this cake so many times and as someone mentioned it is off the chart. I do not know where I got the recipe from but I’ve had it for years and years. It is absolutely the best chocolate cake anyone could buy anywhere. I will be making one soon even if I have to eat it all by myself. No problem whatsoever hahaha I made it often for just my husband and myself and it only lasted a couple of days. Thank God we didn’t have diabetes. Thank you for Reviving this recipe that I have lost and have been sick that I could not locate it lately.
Hi Vivian,
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so glad you found the recipe again. I hope you can enjoy it many more times!
Hi, I would like to make a lemon cake with the same density as the chocolate cake. Instead Of brewed coffee can I replace it with lemonade and for the cocoa powder can I replace it with lemon pudding mix not prepared. Or perhaps you might have another method for a very dense lemon cake. Thank you
Wanted you to know that this cake was off the charts!!!!! Definitely by far the most denced cake ever and delicious!! The only thing was the frosting.Hubby, and friends said they tasted too much cocoa powder but it didn’t call for cocoa powder. Do you think that it could have been the unsweetened baking bar along with the brewed coffee?? If so , can I use semisweet chocolate and instead of the coffee can I use hot chocolate?? We are also cream cheese lovers is there someway that I can incorporate the cream cheese into this frosting? And still have this beautiful shine ?
Hi! I’m so glad you liked the chocolate bundt! As far as the frosting goes, it is definitely a very rich and dark chocolate frosting. If you want to take some of the bitter edge off, you can absolutely substitute semi sweet chocolate and use chocolate milk for the liquid. I’m not sure about the cream cheese. You could try substituting the sour cream for cream cheese, or making a chocolate cream cheese frosting like this one: https://sugarspunrun.com/chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/, though it won’t have the same shine. Good luck and I hope the adjustments get you your dream cake!
Do not panic when you see how thin the batter will become during the mixing process. Trust me! This cake has magical powers! Absolutely the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I wish I had found this recipe years ago! Phenomenal!
It makes you feel like a magician too! 🙂 I’m so glad you loved the chocolate bundt cake. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
This bundt cake is out of this world! Bravo! I was looking for a bundt cake for my sweet tooth when I came across your recipe,being a chocoholic, it’s perfect. The frosting rocks! Thanks for a keeper recipe.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake!
Yep. You weren’t lying. This really is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I made it for my dad’s birthday when he requested a “chocolate on chocolate on chocolate” bundt cake. He raved it very well might be the best chocolate cake he’d ever had, and the rest of the family concurred. I decorated with a white chocolate drizzle, some gold sanding sugar, and a ring of toffee bits around the top. So good. Thank you for this recipe – I can’t wait for a reason to make it again!
This comment made my day! I’m so glad everyone loved the chocolate bundt cake. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. It’s always an honor to be a small part of your celebrations!
Oh my…this cake is dangerously delicious. I found your recipe by chance as I searched for a chocolate cake that didn’t require lots of eggs or butter. Cooking during the COVID-19 shortages has been quite a challenge but there is still a need for comfort food, right? I am a big fan of baking with buttermilk because of the exquisite texture it produces so I keep it on hand, fresh or frozen. This is such an easy recipe that no one should be scared off because it is made from scratch. Thank you so much. Glad I found you so I can follow you on Pinterest.
Comfort food is definitely needed right now! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake–I hope you find several other recipes to enjoy!
I was going to make this this morning, but I am out of sour cream! Can I substitute Greek yogurt or anything else for it?
Is there an adjustment for high altitude? I live in Colorado.
Am Bak bg this for my grand daughter for her birthday.
frosting is very loose – no matter what I try. i just hope the cake taste good.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Amateur baker here. I made this today and everybody loved it.
I was looking for a recipe for my leftover eggyolks when I stumbled upon this gem. The cake turned out great, better than some of the chocolate cakes I’ve bought online. It was fluffy, not too sweet but definitely chocolatey. I made 2/3 of the glaze recipe but I still ended up with some leftover glaze. Maybe because I used yoghurt instead of sour cream (some ingredients are hard to find during a citywide lockdown). Will be making this again for some of my friends after this CoVid lockdown.
Has anyone made this with chocolate chips in the icing instead of unsweetened chocolate? Trying to decide how much to adjust sugar to compensate or if I should simply do another glaze. I don’t want to have to go to the store, so I’m trying to use what I have on hand.
I definitely think you could use semi sweet chocolate chips! Reduce the powdered sugar by about 1/2 cup and use just enough coffee and half and half to thin. (You may only need 2 Tablespoons of each).
All I can say is Omg! Tis cake really is the best!
Oh my gosh! This cake is sooooo good!! I made it for my family for Easter, and it was gone before it was time for desert. It’s definitely a keeper. Thank you!
I was wondering if I could bake this in a 9×13 pan?
Thanks
I made the cake by the directions. It turned out great. I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate on hand so I made mine with cocoa powder and butter. I only had enough to make half of the frosting. It has a cook favor as well. I would have loved it even more if I could have made the whole frosting recipe. I will still try it with chocolate chips. I give this recipe a thumbs up!!! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you.
Most of the chocolate bundt cakes I have made I add Semi Sweet Chocolate chips to the mix. . Since I have never made this cake what would your opinion be on adding them in the mix. After all the reviews I will definitely try this recipe as is. Maybe adding in Chocolate chips next time around. Thanks for sharing.
You could add chocolate chips to this, but it is very rich already, especially with the frosting. I would say without the frosting, the chocolate chips would be perfect! I hope you love the cake either way!
This is the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made. The frosting didn’t turn out very good but I’m sure it was something I did wrong. I cut the recipe in half so I’m assuming my math was definitely wrong. But the cake didn’t need anything, my husband and I ate it all in 2 days, it was amazing and will be the ONLY chocolate cake I will make. Thank you so much!!!
I’m so glad you loved the chocolate bundt cake! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know. It always makes my day!
I have made a lot of chocolate cakes, and this one is my new all-time favorite!!! It is ABSOLUTELY amazing! So, so moist and the coffee adds the perfect flavor!!!!
I didn’t have buttermilk, so I used 1 cup of milk with a teaspoon of vinegar and 1/3 cup sour cream (I actually used crème fraîche because I live in France and that’s what we have). It was amazing!
Thank you for sharing this!!!
I am so glad you loved the chocolate bundt cake! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and share!
My new favorite chocolate cake recipe! I’ve made it so many times and it turns out great everytime! Sooooooo good!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoy it! Thanks for coming back to share!
I would frost the cake and refrigerate it. The frosting will keep the cake really moist. If you do the ganache, I would probably still refrigerate it, though I haven’t tried that myself.
Do I need to refrigerate this cake if I put the frosting on a day or two before serving? Would you recommend waiting until serving to put the frosting on? And if I were to go with the ganache would it need to be refrigerated? Thank you!
I’m making this right now and nervous as heck. That’s a TON of liquid for 2 1/2 cups flour. My batter is super runny!!!
Hi! Im wondering if there’s a reason you recommend waiting until the cake cools completely before inverting it? Most recipes I see tell you to let it cool for 10-20 minutes before inverting it, so the cake doesn’t stick the bundt pan. Just curious, cause I’m always paranoid about this step!
You know, I think it’s just because that’s what I’ve always done. 🙂 I don’t think it needs to be cooled completely though. If it’s still a little warm it should still invert just fine.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I am currently snowed in during a massive blizzard and needed something remarkable to make to pass the time – and THIS WAS IT! I used milk with lemon juice instead of buttermilk, and didn’t have unsweetened chocolate for the frosting, but did have some dark chocolate dove pieces… so that worked – they melted beautifully! It is just as beautiful as it is tasty, this is now my go-to chocolate cake forever 🙂
Where has the recipe gone? . I baked the cake and now I need to make the glaze. I cannot see the recipe only comments.
Thanks!
I’m so sorry about that. The recipe cards were temporarily down. Everything is back up and working now! Please let me know if you have any other issues!
HI, CAN I USE DUTCHED COCOA??? THANK YOU!!
I actually would t recommend subbing Dutch cocoa in this recipe.
I mad this cake yesterday and everyone thought it was delicious – it was even better today! It stays very moist. This recipe is a keeper. Next time I will make it in layers with a buttercream frosting for a change. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This has been my go to chocolate cake recipe! It always comes out perfect and delicious. I would like to make this into a 18 x13 birthday cake. Any suggestions?? Would it be safe to double the recipe? I’m a bit worried about it baking completely in the middle. I’d appreciate your thoughts.
Hmm…that’s a great question. I’ve never tried to bake this in a rectangular pan. I think the standard batter would probably fill a 9 x 13 inch pan perfectly. You could certainly try doubling the recipe to fill a larger pan. I’m guessing you would need a longer bake time to get it to cook through. I would just advise keeping a close eye on it! Sorry I can’t give more specifics, but I hope it turns out wonderfully!
If buttermilk is not on hand, is it okay to use sweet milk? Or should I make buttermilk with sweet milk and vinegar?
I would use regular cow’s milk with vinegar as a substitute!
I tried out this cake recipe today. The cake turned out moist, but is pretty dense and jiggly.
After cutting a few slices of cake (fresh from the oven), I returned about half an hour later to find that the cake had shrunk about half an inch!
What did I do wrong? Please advise.
Thank you for a lovely recipe. I made it today, we ate some tonight (yum!), so good. The icing was such a “magical” experience, gloppy transformed into sleekness, amazing. The cake is so rich & moist, I love the texture. It will definitely become a favorite recipe.
I actually usually just store it at room temperature, but if your house is warm or you’re transporting it, I would probably refrigerate. The frosting will be pretty stiff if refrigerated so you might want to leave time for it to come to room temp before serving.
Just trying this for the first time, it’s in the oven 😁 just wondering how you’d store it overnight? In the fridge?
Courtney
I bake a lot and this chocolate bundt cake is terrific. Stays moist and is a 5 star in my book.
My question is: the frosting/glaze, though delicious, does not harden and makes it difficult to cut and give to friends because you can’t cover it with foil, etc. Do you think that cutting back on the butter would correct this issue or maybe it would be the liquid? I used cream not 1/2 1/2 and I even added additional powdered sugar to try and get a stiffer texture. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.
I’m so glad you like the cake! This frosting is definitely a softer/fluffier frosting. My advice if you’re looking for something that will harden is to go with a chocolate ganache. It won’t be as fluffy, but it will still be very rich and it will harden. My friend Melanie has a great microwave ganache recipe- https://melaniemakes.com/blog/2017/02/microwave-chocolate-ganache.html. You can even sub in a little coffee for the cream if you’d like to keep that flavor. With ganache, you can also always adjust thickness (and hardening) by adjusting the chip to cream ratio. More chips will give you a harder glaze. Hope that helps!
This looks so delicious and wonderful, I can’t wait to bake it. Thanks for sharing…
I just made this today and I’m really impressed. I’m a pastry chef trained in Paris and this chocolate cake is one of the best things I’ve baked in my life. Thank you for sharing with us.
What a compliment! I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for coming back to share!
This can be made GF and DF successfully with simple substitutes. I’ve made this cake twice now using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and “buttermilk” made from almond milk with a teaspoon of white vinegar. The results were fantastic!! I even used the same batter for cupcakes—so good! The cupcakes baked for 22 minutes at 350. The texture and flavor of this cake is fantastic. For the ganache, I needed DF so I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips, canned full fat coconut milk, and Earth Balance Vegan Butter. I am thrilled that this recipe converts for our needs so easily. That’s not always the case. 🙂
This is great to know! Thanks for sharing the GF and DF conversions.
Made this for a holiday party. Little did I know a celebrity chef from the Napa Valley his wife made a chocolate cake but not a bunt. Anyway there they were two chocolate cakes side by side. Having never made this recipe before had little to no hope of being the crowd pleasing winner. This cake not only came out perfectly it dusted the the celebrity chef’s wife’s cake in all areas. Flavor, moisture, looks. Anyway I have been asked for this recipe several times. I am not a baker so if I can pull this off anyone with a bunt pan can! I did use high quality coco from Whole Foods, Valrhona and fresh brewed espresso has the coffee in both the cake & frosting. Thank you for sharing your recipe this is a keeper! I usually do not eat my own baking as I give it away. Stood there slicing slivers from both cakes just to make certain my mind was not playing tricks that my cake indeed did TAKE the CAKE!!!! Happy Holidays from the Napa Valley!
This is the best story! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so glad you and everyone else enjoyed it!
This is an amazing chocolate cake. I’ve made it twice with rave reviews from everyone. So moist and rich. Can you use this recipe for cupcakes?
I’m so glad you like it! I’ve never used this recipe for cupcakes, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I think it would make A LOT of cupcakes though!
I tried it and it made 3 dozen lushy chocolate cupcakes. I baked them for 17 minutes at 350 degrees.
I made this recipe in cupcakes today after seeing you tried it. I cut the recipe in half and made 15 delicious cupcakes! This is now my go-to recipe for them. Thanks for sharing!!
2 1/2 teaspoons Baking soda? The moistness and texture of the cake was great but the taste was terrible, and seemed to be from the baking soda. Was it a misprint and should have been baking powder? I was skeptical about the baking soda when I read the ingredient list, but thought i’ld give it a try anyway.
So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the cake, Lynne. It’s not a misprint, and myself and many other people have made it and love the taste. I wonder if perhaps a dutch process cocoa or extra dark cocoa could have made it taste bitter?
I have made this cake at least 10 times! It is truly the best!!!!
Yay! So glad you enjoy it. Thanks for letting me know!
I plan on baking the cake and serving it the next day. My question is can I make the frosting the day bake the cake or does it have to made right before serving?
I can’t wait to try it!
You can definitely make the frosting a day ahead. If it gets too thick to pour, just stir in a little milk or cream or warm it up. Hope you love it!
Thanks for your answer Courtney. Will definitely let you know how it turns out.
made this and it was excellent. instead of making the frosting, I used store-bought butter cream icing . will make this again . best chocolate cake i have had in many years.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This is truly the best chocolate cake. It’s become my go-to cake. I just received a new Nordic Ware Bundt pan…the Blossom one…and I didn’t want to hide the shape of the cake, so I just sprinkled icing sugar over the cooled cake…beautiful and still just as amazing. This is the best cake. I’d add a photo, but I’m not sure how to.
I am so glad you love the cake so much! It makes me ridiculously happy to spread the joy of awesome chocolate cake. 🙂
hey
thanks for the wonderful and easy to make recipe. just wondering about the egg part before baking— is it 2 full eggs plus 1 yellow? and can it be substituted with any other ingredients for my Vegetarian friends.
That’s correct. It’s 2 full eggs plus 1 yellow. Eggs are actually vegetarian, so they should be fine for any vegetarian friends. If you have vegan friends, you may need to look at other substitutions. I’ve never tried any before though, so I can’t say for sure they’d work!
What kind of frosting was used in the photographs? The recipe for the glaze is a very light color when made compared to the dark-silky frosting in the pictures.
Thanks!
It’s the same frosting as what is in the recipe. I hope you enjoyed it even if the color seemed lighter.
help! i just realized i only have 2 eggs and no yolk… what can i put instead? (i already started with the cocoa mixture and i’m too lazy to go to the store). I must say that i made this cake before and it is hands down the best cake in the world.
Hi Leah! I’m so sorry I didn’t get to your post sooner. I hope the cake turned out ok for you. I’ve never substituted for the extra egg yolk before, but if that happens again I’m guessing you could add a few extra Tablespoons of sour cream with good results. I know how frustrating it is to be short on ingredients midway through. I’ve definitely been there before. I’m so glad you like the cake! I hope it turned out wonderful for you!
Hi @NeighborFood:disqus! Better late than never 😉 So i tried googling substitutions and mayo was one of the options, but i knew my family would KILL me if i tried that! So i ended up using 2 eggs (they were XL) and skipped the yolk. Put in in the oven and hoped for the best! Cake was absolutely AMAZING! not a crumb left! This is our new favorite cake!! Will be making this again and again
Wonderful! I’ll have to remember that in case I’m ever short.
I would like to make today to take tomorrow will it taste like its fresh ??
I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to respond to this in time. I hope you went ahead and made the cake. 🙂 I think it is even better the second day!
Best bundt cake ever – this is my husband’s favorite cake of all time. It have made it more than five times over the last several months (since I came across the recipe on Pinterest.)
Thanks so much for coming back to let me know Lynne! I’m so glad the cake is a hit with your family!
QUERO ESSA RECEITA EM PORTUGUES POR FAVOR ME ENVIE
This is definitely the best bundt I have ever had. I’ve made it several times since finding this recipe and it never disappoints! The only bad part is that I eat half the cake each time ?
Thank you for coming here to let me know! That just made my day!
Is there a way to make it without the coffee? I bf so I can’t have caffeine /:
I think you could substitute an equal amount of water, but the flavor will not be as rich. Also, chocolate has a small amount of caffeine in it as well, so the recipe will still have caffeine even without the coffee.
Maybe just try decaf coffee!
Please can you let me know if I have to use 1 1/4 cup of water and 1 tbsp. coffee powder mixed together or 1 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee….need to make this cake for our Thanksgiving and my birthday this weekend.
It’s 1 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon strong brewed coffee. No coffee powder. I looked back at the recipe and could see how it could be confusing, so I’ve changed it now!
Hi there I really love the look of this chocolate cake and I really want to try it. But as it’s just my husband and I at home can I make half the recipe for a small cake? Thank you so much.. the cake looks great .. can’t wait to try it !!
Hi there! I’m so sorry for the delayed response. I’ve never tried halving this, but it might work! You could also freeze half of the baked cake unfrosted and save it for another day!
1 1/2 cups of what with the coffee??
I’m sorry Laura, I don’t understand the question. Where do you see 1 1/2 cups with the coffee?
HI I AM MAKING PUSH POP CAKE FOR MY FRIENDS DAUGHTER CAN I POUR THE BATTER IN A REGULAR CUP CAKE PAN AND BAKE THEM?
Best chocolate bundt cake I’ve ever had! I made it with a salted caramel glaze & it is delicious! I made a couple of substitutions (I used coconut oil and some applesauce in place of the canola oil), but I doubt that changed the cake too much. So moist & perfect. This is definitely the recipe I will use from now on. Thanks!
Oh the salted caramel glaze sounds FABULOUS! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’ll have to try it with coconut oil and applesauce next time. Thanks for coming back to let me know how it worked!
does it have a coffee flavor?
I didn’t think so – really all the coffee does is enhance the chocolate flavor. I use coffee all the time when I make brownies and chocolate cake. Hope that helps!
Yep what Robin said! There’s not a strong coffee flavor.
I just made this in 2 small cake pans instead of the bundt pan and put chocolate frosting in between them. Made a 2 layer cake. It turned out wonderful! Thanks for such a delicious recipe!
So glad it was a success! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment. I may have to try this as a layer cake next time too!
Did you change the baking time or anything? Also, did you used 8 in or 9 in round baking pans?
Is it really dense? I just pulled it out of the oven about 20 minutes ago and it started shrinking… So I don’t know if I got something wrong or if it should shrink down to a little more than half of the pan. Trying to decide if I should try it again or just go with it. I made it to freeze and use next weekend…
Hey Amanda, Mine usually doesn’t sink that much when it’s finished. Without being in the kitchen with you it’s hard for me to tell what might have gone wrong. You may want to check and make sure your baking soda isn’t expired. I would cut a slice and try it…it might still be perfectly delicious! I’m sorry I can’t help more!
I made this without the frosting and it was very good! We served it as a birthday cake drizzled with chocolate ganache, and everyone loved it! Not too sweet, moist and chocolatey. Thank you!! This one is a keeper and will make again, Oh and it was easy! One bowl!
Thanks for trying it! I’m so glad you liked it.
Anyway I could use a vanilla frosting? I just start learning to bake this cake looks so good, but I love Ho plate cake with vanilla frosting. Does anyone have a vanilla frosting recipe I could use?
This was seriously the best chocolate cake ever… EVER!! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
hungryhungryhighness.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for trying it and for coming back here to comment! I’m glad it lived up to its name. 🙂
Made this for a birthday party at work. Co-workers raved about the frosting. Not overly sweet like some frostings, just right. Cake itself was very moist. Don’t start making this cake in the evening though. There are 2 cooling times required. The cake in the pan took about 1 1/2-2 hours to completely cool. Wonder if it would be OK to put the pan in the fridge to cool? I got worried after adding the sour cream and powdered sugar in step 9 because the frosting looked kind of globby, but you were right, when the coffee and cream were added it all smoothed out beautifully. This recipe took time but it wasn’t hard and it was definitely worth it for the compliments I got at work!
Mom R