This easy homemade Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is heavenly, topped with chocolate ganache and mini chocolate chips.
This is the ultimate chocolate lovers dessert but if you love bundt cakes with cream cheese frosting, don't miss my Banana Cake or Red Velvet Bundt Cake.
I love making bundt cakes because they're easy to frost and make pretty, and also easy to cut and serve. This chocolate bundt cake is heaven, but if you're looking for an even simpler doctored-up cake mix version, this chocolate bundt cake is also great.
Properly greasing the Bundt Pan will make or break the recipe!
- Shortening. Spread a very thin layer of shortening all over the pan. I use a ziplock sandwich bag, stick my hand inside of it, and use my hand to smooth the shortening all over every bump and crevice in the pan. This way I can make sure the entire pan is covered evenly, in a thin layer, and my hands stay clean.
- Dust with flour. Take a little pinch of flour and dust it over the pan. then hold the pan over the sink and tap it hard, moving it in a circular motion so that the flour lightly covers the pan. Now you’re ready to add the cake batter!
If you do happen to have any parts of the cake stick to the pan, you could gently scoop them up and into the position they would have rested on the top of the cake. The chocolate ganache will cover any imperfections and no one will know!
How to make chocolate bundt cake:
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the oil, cocoa, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. Add hot butter/cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
4. Stir in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Add chocolate chips.
6. Pour into bundt pan. Be sure bundt pan is greased well greased. Bake for for 45-55 minutes.
Chocolate ganache icing:
It doesn't get much simpler or easier than this homemade ganache. Make the chocolate ganache by first heating the cream until simmering. Then pour your chocolate chips into the cream and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk it until smooth and drizzle it over your chocolate cake!
Use a spoon to drizzle it on top of top of the cake and you've got yourself a beautiful, simple, irresistible chocolate bundt cake!
Make ahead and Freezing Instructions:
The cake can be made and frosted up to 2 days before serving. The cake can be frozen frosted, or unfrosted. To freeze lightly cover it with plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
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Recipe
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips , plus more for sprinkling on top of cake (optional)
For the ganache:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
For the Chocolate Bundt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a standard size bundt pan (make sure to grease it really well so the cake doesn't stick! I spread a thin layer of shortening all over the inside of the pan, then sprinkle a little flour all around and pat and shake the pan until it is evenly coated.)
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, set aside.
- Add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir in oil, cocoa powder and water and bring mixture just to a boil, whisking constantly. Pour hot butter mixture into flour mixture and stir.
- Stir in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and whisk mixture until well combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour mixture into prepared bundt pan and bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Once cake has cooled, make ganache.
For the ganache:
- Place cream in a large microwave safe bowl and heat for about 2 minutes, or until the cream is simmering.
- Carefully pour chocolate morsels into cream and allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate and cream until shiny and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Use a large spoon to drizzle the ganache over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with remaining mini chocolate chips, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I originally shared this recipe July 2017. Updated March 2020 with process photos and freezing instructions.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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Hello! Thank you for sharing this absolutely wonderful recipe. I was wondering, have you ever used this recipe for layered cakes?
Yes, you could use this for a layered cake, or I would highly recommend this layered chocolate cake recipe (it’s my favorite and soo easy!). You could use the ganache from this bundt cake, instead of the chocolate frosting. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/hersheys-perfectly-chocolate-chocolate-cake/
The cake came turned out really well. Very moist and rich. I thought the ganache would have been too much, so I made half the amount and still had lots! Will definitely be keeping this recipe.
I’m really happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Looking forward to making the cake for my husbands birthday so the day came and what a disaster! Followed the directions to the tee and the cake fell after coming out of pan. Added the ganache and it turned into one big “mess”. We ate a piece of it and it was pretty good but awfully rich and not as good as I had hoped. Do hope that others have better luck than I did.
Hi Frankie,
I’m so sorry that the cake didn’t turn out! I wish I knew what caused it. When you say the cake “fell,” what exactly do you mean? Did it have a chance to cool in the pan first? I wonder if altitude could have played a role? So sorry it didn’t turn out the way that it should have.
This cake looks divine!!!! I have been wanting to make a chocolate bundt cake! I like making cakes from scratch, can any cake recipe be used to make a bundt cake or only if the recipe is called bundt? I have always wondered that. Thank you for a great blog!!!
Hi Lisa,
Bundt pans can be a little tricky if you have a recipe that is not meant for a bundt cake. Some cake recipes won’t fill a bundt pan full enough (depending on the size of the bundt pan), and most recipes will require significant differences in baking time. I hope you had the chance to make the cake!
I’d like to replace buttermilk with whole milk, do I need to adjust the amount of baking soda and/or substitute any baking powder? Looks delicious!
Hi Anna,
I think the cake will turn out fine if you substitute whole milk for buttermilk.
The cake was really good. Loved that hint of cinnamon. You can get away with half the ganache. No need to ever buy a box cake mix again.
Hi Lauren, what kind of chocolate chips do you use in the ganache? There’s so many now. Thanks Ana
Hi Ana, I personally love Ghirardelli brand best 🙂
unsalted or salted butter?
Unsalted butter. If you want to use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt called for 🙂
Twice as much ganache as needed, otherwise a good recipe!
Yes, half the amount of ganache would be perfect. I feel like I wasted a cup of chips
What size bundt pan are you using? My pan is 10 cup size. What can I do to extend recipe for a 10cup pan. This is my frist try at cake makin,so I don’t know very much and what todo. Thanks.