This homemade chocolate Bundt cake gets its intensely knee-wobblingly dark chocolate smack from bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. And its chocolate glaze is so marvelous it should be illegal. Caution: We recommend you sit down when you experience this.–Renee Schettler

A partially eaten slice of chocolate bundt cake on a plate with a fork resting beside the cake.
Chocolate ganache being poured over a chocolate Bundt cake that is on a wire stand

Chocolate Bundt Cake

5 / 2 votes
This chocolate Bundt cake is so tender and intensely chocolatey that you'll swoon–and so will everyone that you share it with. And don't even think about skipping that glaze, it's probably the very best part.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings12 to 14 servings
Calories577 kcal
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time2 hours

Ingredients 

For the chocolate Bundt cake

  • 14 tablespoons (7 oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup very strongly brewed coffee or espresso
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature

For the chocolate glaze

  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

Make the chocolate Bundt cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven. Generously butter a 10-cup (2.4 l) Bundt pan.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If your Bundt pan has an intricate design, it’s best to use a pastry brush to reach all the nooks and crannies.

  • In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
  • In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the coffee and cream to a boil, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Take the pan off the heat, pour the coffee mixture over the chocolate mixture, and whisk until the chocolate melts and the cocoa powder dissolves. Let cool completely, about 10 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining chocolate mixture. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, reaching down to the bottom to incorporate any unmixed dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  • Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Invert the cake onto the rack and carefully remove the pan. Place the rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let the cake cool completely.

Make the chocolate glaze

  • Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, and vanilla to just below a boil, stirring frequently. Take the pan off the heat and pour about 1/2 of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Stir gently with a spatula until blended. Add the rest of the hot cream mixture, stirring gently until the chocolate melts completely, about 5 minutes.
  • Immediately scrape the glaze into a small heatproof pitcher and pour it over the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
  • Carefully transfer the cake to a cake stand or serving plate and serve. (The cake will keep under a cake dome at room temperature for up to 2 days, that is, in the unlikely event that it'll last that long.

Adapted From

The Artful Baker

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 577 kcalCarbohydrates: 63 gProtein: 7 gFat: 34 gSaturated Fat: 21 gMonounsaturated Fat: 9 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 129 mgSodium: 181 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 41 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2020 Cenk Sonmezsoy. Photo © 2020 Cenk Sonmezsoy. All rights reserved.

[recipe-testers-choice]




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

An impressive dessert, created by David himself, gets an autumnal lilt from pumpkin purée in the batter and maple syrup in the frosting. One of our most popular cakes.

1 hr 15 mins

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake

Layers of vanilla cake take turns with oodles of coconut filling and the whole shebang is slathered with fluffy white icing. Uh, yes please!

1 hr 15 mins

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

Say goodbye to fussy cheesecake recipes. This easy skillet version comes together with only a handful of dishes and ingredients and less than 30 minutes of effort.

3 hrs


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Make. This. Cake.

    It may be an homage to the bundts of yesteryear, but is has a dark chocolate punch that the 70s never knew! Fabulous texture, deep, deep chocolate flavor, looks incredible – what more could you ask for??

    I made mine gluten-free and it came out perfectly (swapped a gf, gum-free flour blend and a little xanthan gum in for the regular flour). My one caution is that it was a bit fragile. I had no problem getting it into a serving board but any more handling than that would be a problem, especially if it hadn’t been refrigerated first.

    1. Thanks, Brooke. Gorgeous cake! We’re delighted that this was such a success for you and thrilled to hear that it can be made successfully with GF flour.