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If you love chocolate cake, you’ll love this Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe! It’s the best chocolate bundt cake you’ll ever taste, and it’s made from scratch with simple baking ingredients. It’s moist, chocolatey, and absolutely delicious for special occasions or any time of the year!
Bundt cakes are a type of cake baked in a decorative pan with a rounded yet structured shape. The design makes the cake look like it has a hole in the middle and gives you an ornate pattern on top of the cake when you turn it out onto a plate.
One of the best characteristics of bundt cakes is the melt-in-your-mouth texture. These cakes are super moist, dense, but also light and fluffy at the same time. This is why I always make a red velvet bundt cake, or banana bundt cake when someone needs a special treat. If you want a cake to impress then you’ll want to try this marble bundt cake! Its surprisingly easy to make!
This recipe for a chocolate bundt cake is perfect for any chocolate lover in your life. It’s made with cocoa powder and a hint of coffee to enhance the delicious flavor. The best part is that it’s so easy to make – you only need a few simple ingredients like sugar, eggs, milk, flour, baking powder!
As a trained pastry chef, I know a good cake when I make one, so dont skip out on this recipe! It is also super impressive when you bake it into a pretty bundt pan. If you ever have trouble getting a bundt cake out in one piece make sure to read my tips on how to get a bundt cake out of a pan!
WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE
- This bundt cake recipe is made with simple ingredients you can find anywhere.
- It can all be prepared in one bowl saving you time on dishes and cleanup.
- Chocolate cake is great for any holiday or special occasion.
- It can be customized with a variety of toppings including fresh fruit, powdered sugar, or icing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Sugar – Give this cake its classic sweet flavor when dissolved into the cake batter.
- All-Purpose Flour – The main dry ingredient, flour gives the bundt cake its structure when baked.
- Cocoa Powder – Adds chocolate flavor and deepens the chocolate color of the cake.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder – Leavening agents that create a light and fluffy cake.
- Salt – Helps activate the baking soda and baking powder and also balances out the sweetness in the cake.
- Eggs – Binds all of the ingredients together and helps it set when baking and cooling.
- Buttermilk – This makes the cake super moist!
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a hint of warming vanilla flavor to the cake batter.
- Black Coffee – This chocolate bundt cake recipe has a hint of coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. Instant espresso works great, but you can also use instant coffee granules or leftover black coffee from this morning.
- Oil – Creates a moist chocolate bundt cake that doesn’t dry out in the oven.
- Garnish – Fresh fruit, confectioners sugar, chocolate shavings, or icing make a great topping to this decadent treat.
The best BUNDT CAKE PANs to use
While in culinary school, we learned how important it was to choose the right pan when preparing a bunt cake. Each pan ranges in size depending on how many cups it holds. Below are my favorites:
NOTE: If using the 12 cup pan, make sure you check on the cake 5-6 minutes early as it will cook a bit faster.
Make sure to buy a non stick bundt pan too.
HOW TO MAKE A MOIST CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
This bundt cake recipe can be made with a stand mixer or by using a hand mixer:
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Get out the bundt cake pan and set it aside.
Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and tsp salt. Mix at a low speed until fully combined.
Add the wet ingredients: While the mixer is on low, add each egg and mix until fully incorporated. Then, slowly pour in the milk, vanilla, coffee, and oil. Bring speed to medium and mix for about one minute or until all of the batter is combined.
Prepare the bundt cake pan: Generously spray the bundt cake pan with a cooking spray that contains flour.
Pour and bake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and evenly distribute. Bake for 55 minutes or until the cake is fully set.
Cool and garnish: Remove the bundt cake from the pan according to the instructions below 15-20 minutes after it is removed from the oven. Turn over onto a plate and let it cool completely before garnishing and serving.
HOW TO REMOVE A BUNDT CAKE FROM THE PAN
After making tons of bundt cakes, I have found there are a few steps on how to get a bundt cake out of a pan perfectly. Make sure to read the tips on how to prepare the pan for baking too!
How to frost and decorate a bundt cake
You can frost, garnish, and decorate a bundt cake so many ways:
- Dust with confectioners sugar
- Top with fresh fruit
- Drizzle with melted chocolate
- Garnish with streusel
TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS
- Make sure to heavily spray the pan with a baking spray that has flour.
- When mixing the cake batter ingredients, it’s important to make sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature. This will help the chocolate bundt cake hold its structure and rise up properly. Otherwise the batter will be too cold and wont bake the way it should.
- When baking, place your pan on the middle rack of the oven to ensure even cooking throughout.
- Make sure you let chocolate bundt cake cool completely before adding any garnish or icing so it doesn’t melt off during removal from the pan.
- Do not over mix the batter as this will result in a tough chocolate bundt cake.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Storing: To store a cooked and cooled chocolate bundt cake, place it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. It will last for up to four days stored at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.
Freezing: To freeze a chocolate bundt cake, place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to two months. Let the cake thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Recipe FAQ
A bundt cake is so moist because of the sugar that gets caramelized around the edges of the pan and then gets soaked into the chocolate bundt cake. This chocolate bundt cake recipe uses coffee and oil which also contributes to its moistness as well.
What if my cake isn’t coming out of the pan? If chocolate bundt cake is not coming out of the pan, it’s important to go around the edges with a knife or off set spatula. Then invert it onto a cooling rack.
Yes, chocolate bundt cake recipes differ from other chocolate cakes because of their shape and the way chocolate bunt cakes bake in a bundt pan. The batter for chocolate bundt cake also has to be able to hold its structure well in order to come out of the pan properly.
More bundt cakes to enjoy
Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggs at room temp
- 1 cup buttermilk room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup black coffee cooled
- ⅓ cup oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the 2 ½ cup sugar, 2 ½ cup flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Mix on low speed or whisk lightly to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed add in room temp eggs one at a time until fully combined.
- Slowly pour in the 1 cup milk, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 cup coffee, and ⅓ cup oil. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute until combined.
- Heavily spray a 10 cup bundt pan with baking spray that contains flour.
- Pour the batter in evenly and bake for 55 mins.
- Follow the steps on how to get a bundt cake out of a pan.
- Serve with fresh fruit and confectioners sugar or ½ cup chocolate chips melted and drizzled over the cake.
This looks amazing and I really want to try it out. Can I omit the coffee or add something else
Totally! You can just use water instead and then up the vanilla extract to 1 tbsp. Let me know how it comes out!
wonderfully delicious
wondering if this recipe be made into muffins?
Hi Maria!! Thank you SO much for the 5 star rating, it makes my day! I havent tried making these into muffins- I think the texture is more cupcake than muffin but if you want to try, go for it! I would bake for 18-19 minutes in the oven in a muffin tin.