This moist and tender Chocolate Bundt Cake is full of chocolate flavor and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. Serve with whipped cream, fresh berries or a scoop of your favorite ice cream for an easy, heavenly chocolate lover's dessert.
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Homemade Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Guaranteed to please any chocolate lovers in your household, our Chocolate Bundt Cake is made with both cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a double dose of chocolate flavor. The batter is also made with sour cream, which gives it a little bit of tang and keeps it super moist.
Our family likes this topped with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. But, you could easily substitute chocolate ganache frosting or cream cheese frosting and have all of the flavor of a layered chocolate cake without the effort!
Difference Between A Bundt Cake and A Regular Cake
A bundt cake is defined by the pan that is used to bake it, which is a round fluted pan with a hole through the center. This allows for more surface area of the batter to touch the pan, therefore cooking much faster than it would in a regular pan.
This style of cake pan is great for more moist and dense cake recipes so that they don’t have to bake nearly as long and are able to stay nice and tender.
Ingredients in Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Flour - you want to use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Cocoa Powder - try and find a higher quality natural cocoa powder if you can, as opposed to the Dutch process.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda - these both help give the muffins their rise while the batter bakes.
- Salt - we like to use sea salt.
- Sour Cream - you can use full fat or lite. Or, you could substitute Greek yogurt for a slightly different flavor.
- Eggs - any type of large eggs will work.
- Butter - melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, or in the microwave, and let it cool slightly before using.
- Chocolate Chips - you can use regular, mini, chocolate chunks or even an assortment. Also, you can experiment with different flavors of chocolate chips. Milk chocolate or peanut butter would taste delicious!
- Powdered Sugar - it’s best to sift your powdered sugar before using it to remove any clumps that have formed in the bag.
- Milk - any type of milk will work.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best, or you can use almond extract.
How to Make this Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Mix batter. Grease and flour a 9 or 10 cup bundt cake pan and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and eggs and whisk to break up the eggs, then add the melted butter and whisk again. Add the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until almost completely mixed, then carefully fold in the chocolate chips until mixed completely, then scrape cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread evenly. (Note: The batter will be stiff)
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Invert cake. Once baked, remove from the oven and let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, then put a plate or serving dish on the top of the bundt cake pan and flip the cake onto the serving plate.
How to Make Icing for Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Mix ingredients together. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract.
- Adjust. Add a bit more milk or powdered sugar if necessary to reach your desired consistency.
How to Frost a Bundt Cake
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let it cool completely before slicing.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries. Enjoy!
Variations
- Chocolate Ganache Frosting - use our Chocolate Fondue recipe to make an amazing chocolate ganache frosting, then pour over your completely cooled Chocolate Bundt Cake.
- Mocha Bundt Cake - add a couple tablespoons of espresso powder into your dry ingredients and voila!
- Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake - mix about a cup of chopped maraschino cherries into the cake batter.
- Coconut Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake - this super simple coconut and chocolate bundt cake is made with a cake mix and filled with a delicious coconut and white chocolate filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Keep a Cake From Sticking to a Bundt Pan?
The trick here is two parts. First, you need to properly prepare your bundt pan. It’s important to grease and flour, patting out any extra flour that doesn’t stick to the butter/oil. Second, let your cake cool for about 5-10 minutes before flipping it over and inverting onto your serving plate to cool completely.
If you are still having a hard time, you can use a knife and gently pull the cake away from the pan.
How should I store leftover bundt cake?
Wrap any unfinished cake in aluminum foil, or a cake carrier with an airtight lid, and your Chocolate Bundt Cake can be stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze a bundt cake?
To freeze, wrap the unglazed bundt cake well with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. You can store it frozen for up to a month, defrosting in the fridge or at room temperature overnight once you want to serve. Glaze and serve as directed.
Do I have to use a bundt pan to make this cake?
Nope - you can substitute any of the following (keeping in mind that the baking time will vary):
- Two 8”x4”x2 ½” loaf pans
- One 9”x3” angel food cake pan
- One 9”x3” regular springform pan
Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 3 large Eggs
- ½ Cup Butter melted
- 2 cups Chocolate Chips
Icing for Bundt Cake
- ⅔ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons Milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract can substitute almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a 9 or 10 cup bundt cake pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and eggs and whisk to break up the eggs, then add the melted butter and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until almost completely mixed, then carefully fold in the chocolate chips until mixed completely, then scrape cake batter into the prepared bundt cake pan and spread evenly. (Note: The batter will be stiff)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, then put a plate or serving dish on the top of the bundt cake pan and flip the cake onto the serving plate.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let it set up before slicing to serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries. Enjoy!
Icing for Bundt Cake
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Add more milk if necessary to reach your desired consistency.
Nutrition
Here are some more of the best bundt cake recipes!
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Funfetti Bundt Cake
- Lime Bundt Cake
- Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Coconut Filled Chocolate Bundt Cake
- More Cake Recipes
- More Dessert Recipes
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This Chocolate Bundt Cake is made with both cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a double dose of chocolate flavor. It's super simple and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze.
Marsha
So moist and delicious! This bundt cake is a fast favourite.
Amanda Finks
Love how moist the sour cream makes this cake and how easy and good the icing is!