Kiersten Eats

This Super Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake has been my birthday cake for the last three years in a row.

For a total chocoholic like me, it’s the perfect cake.

It’s rich, intensely chocolatey, ridiculously moist, and somehow it manages to be elegant enough for a dinner party, yet easy enough for a random weekday when your body simply REQUIRES chocolate.

The best part? No cutting into layers, no overly-sweet frosting, and no fancy decorating skills required. You don’t even need a mixer!

This deeply fudgy chocolate cake gets baked in a Bundt pan and topped with a silky-smooth chocolate ganache, for the ultimate decadence.

The texture is a little heavy in the best possible way – almost a little like a chewy brownie. It’s not so rich that you can’t finish a big slice (or two!).

Whether you’re making this Chocolate Bundt Cake for a birthday, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a dinner party, or simply because life has just been a lot lately, this cake is guaranteed to make chocolate lovers very, very happy.

Why You’ll Love This Super Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake

• Ultra fudgy, tender texture that stays moist for days
• Easier than a layer cake but just as impressive
• Simple chocolate ganache topping
• No decorating skills required
• The closest thing to a giant chocolate truffle disguised as cake

Serve with some lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for utter heaven on a plate.

Science of Baking: How to Make a Crazy Moist, Ultra-Fudgy Chocolate Cake

• Fat Creates Tenderness: Fat coats flour proteins and limits gluten development, so the eggs, oil, and sour cream do the heavy lifting for a heavenly texture.
• Cocoa Powder Loves Moisture: Cocoa powder absorbs liquid like a sponge, so you need balance with enough moisture to hydrate the cocoa while keeping the crumb rich and fudgy.
• The Right Amount of Sugar: I know it may seem like a lot, but the sugar is providing moisture as well as balancing out the sweetness in this cake. I promise, it’s not an overly sweet cake!
• Measure Correctly: Measure ingredients, especially flour and cocoa, correctly using a digital kitchen scale. It’s the simplest and best way to improve your baking forever!

The Chocolate Ganache Topping

I love that this cake is topped with ganache. Some frostings are just too sweet, and all I really want is more chocolate indulgence. That’s where the ganache comes in. It adds more rich pure chocolate flavor without making everything too sweet or too heavy.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Chocolate Bundt Cake:

• Chopped bittersweet baking chocolate – I typically use Ghirardelli. I don’t recommend using chocolate chips here
• Dutch processed cocoa powder – don’t sub natural cocoa
• Hot coffee OR hot water + espresso powder
• Sour cream – provides moisture and richness (plain yogurt works instead, if needed)
• Eggs + an extra yolk – learn why in my Eggs in Baking post
• Oil – I use vegetable oil, but any flavorless oil should be fine
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt – I prefer to use fine sea salt in baking

For the Chocolate Ganache

• Heavy cream
• Semi-sweet chocolate – chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate work fine here
• Corn syrup – just a little, to keep the ganache shiny and sliceable

Why Add Coffee to Chocolate Cake?

Before you panic, no, the cake doesn’t taste like coffee. Coffee acts as a flavor enhancer for chocolate, deepening and intensifying the chocolate flavor. You won’t taste it whatsoever, promise.

How to Prevent a Bundt Cake from Sticking

Nothing is more heartbreaking than creating a beautiful cake only to watch half of it remain welded to the pan. To prevent your cake from sticking, here are my best tips:

• Use a high-quality nonstick spray like Baker’s Joy or simply use melted shortening. I find shortening is easiest and doesn’t degrade the pan’s nonstick lining over time like spray can.
• Grease every nook and cranny of the pan thoroughly right before pouring your batter into the pan. Don’t do it before you prep the cake, and don’t forget to grease the middle column of the Bundt pan.
• Allow the cake to cool for about 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack – don’t let it cool completely in the pan!
• If you invert the pan and notice it’s not releasing easily, turn it back over and use the thinnest flexible spatula you have and gently run it around the middle tube and the outer edge of the pan. Then try inverting again!

How to Know When Chocolate Bundt Cake Is Done

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. A completely clean toothpick can actually mean the cake is overbaked! Remember: fudgy crumbs are your friend.

How to Serve Chocolate Bundt Cake

This cake is perfect all by itself, but if you’re feeling extra, serve with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, and fresh raspberries or strawberries, if desired.

Kiersten’s Serving Tip: I know this might sound weird, but I highly encourage you to try this cake served cold, straight from the fridge. It’s the way I like it best! It’s fudgiest when cold!

Storage & Freezing

Store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze individually-wrapped slices, stored inside an airtight container, for up to a month.

More Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love:

• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
• Chocolate Upside Down Cake
• French Chocolate Mousse
• Rich French Silk Pie

Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake

Kiersten K

This Chocolate Bundt Cake is the birthday cake I make myself every year! It's crazy moist, insanely fudgy, perfectly decadent without being overly rich, and wonderfully chocolatey. It's simple to make, doesn't even require a mixer, and perfect to satisfy my chocoholic heart.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 slices (approximately)

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 227 grams (8 ounces) bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 85 grams (1 cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 240 grams (1 cup) hot coffee, OR 240 grams (1 cup) boiling water and 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 5 large eggs + an extra egg yolk, separated when cold then brought to room temp
• 227 grams (1 cup) sour cream, full fat, at room temp
• 112 grams (½ cup) flavorless oil, I use vegetable oil
• 12 grams (1 Tablespoon) vanilla extract
• 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
• 195 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon shortening, for greasing the pan

For the Ganache:

• 120 grams (½ cup) heavy cream
• 113 grams (4 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 20 grams (1 Tablespoon) light corn syrup, or golden syrup

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Set aside a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Make the Cake:

• In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, place the chopped baking chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot coffee (or hot water and espresso powder). Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside for 5 minutes. Carefully whisk together until completely smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, place the eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
• Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine well.
• Add the granulated sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a spatula until combined, being sure to incorporate the bottom and sides of the bowl. Do not overmix.

Prepare the Bundt Pan:

• Place the shortening in a small heatproof bowl and microwave until melted. Using a pastry brush, thoroughly brush all over the Bundt pan, ensuring you get into every nook and cranny of the pan, including all the way up the middle tube.
• Immediately after preparing the pan, pour the cake batter in.

Bake the Cake:

• Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake.
• Place the cake on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the cooling rack or a serving platter. Set aside to cool completely.

Make the Ganache:

• Place the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a medium-sized heatproof bowl or a medium-sized heatproof measuring cup (like a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, for easiest pouring).
• Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat until the cream begins to simmer (do NOT let it boil). Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and corn syrup. Allow to sit for a few minutes to soften the chocolate, then carefully whisk until combined, smooth, and glossy. If it's very hot, set aside to cool slightly, until thickened but still pourable.

Ice the Cake:

• Pour the thickened ganache evenly over the completely cooled cake. Place in the fridge to allow the ganache to set before slicing and serving.
• Store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

Greasing the Pan: If you have a high-quality nonstick baking spray like Baker’s Joy, feel free to spray that all over the Bundt pan instead – just be sure to do this right before pouring the batter in, and be certain you’re covering every nook and cranny of the pan, including the middle tube. I don’t recommend using a regular nonstick baking spray or butter; the melted shortening brushed on it much more effective at preventing sticking. 

Serving: I really love this cake served cold, for maximum fudginess. Feel free to serve at room temp if you prefer a softer cake, but try it cold too! Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and fresh berries, if desired. 

Recipe inspired by the team at Handle the Heat.

Keyword birthday, chocolate, cocoa, dessert, dinner party, double chocolate, fudgy, ganache, rich, valentine’s day