A Nothing Bundt Cake recipe that is a perfect copycat of the chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake at Nothing Bundt Cakes.  Serve this for birthdays, baby showers, weddings, or any occasion!
Bundt cakes are one of my favorite dessert recipes to bring to a party or shower.  I love how easy they are to make and that I can make them ahead of time. Check out my popular Red Velvet Bundt Cake, Poppy Seed Cake, and  Rum Cake.
Nothing Bundt Cake copycat cat frosted with cream cheese frosting.
Nothing Bundt Cake

Have you ever heard of or tried Nothing Bundt Cakes cake before? They have several bakeries across the nation and they are basically just delicious bundt cakes that are frosted similar to this. A few years ago my Aunt introduced me to a “copycat” recipe of the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake that she originally found the recipe on Fav Family recipes. This recipe makes a perfect moist, rich and chocolate bundt cake. This recipe does use a cake mix, so if you'd like to make

A ten-inch bundt cake from the Nothing Bundt Cakes store costs more than $40! This homemade Nothing Bundt Cake takes just a few minutes to whip together, is super cheap, and the end result if both beautiful and delicious.

You'll notice the ingredients in this cake use both a cake mix and a box of instant pudding. This cake is one of the “from scratch” exceptions I make because I think it tastes every bit as delicious as a homemade cake. However, you can use my homemade chocolate bundt cake recipe to make a chocolate bundt cake from scratch. You can add chocolate chips to it and use the same cream cheese frosting.

Overhead photo of the ingredients to make a chocolate nothing bundt cake, including cake mix, eggs, oil, chocolate pudding mix, sour cream and a bowl of chocolate chips.

HOW TO GET THE CAKE OUT OF THE BUNDT PAN:
I've tried so many methods for getting bundt cakes to come out of the pan without sticking, and the one method that works for me EVERY time, is greasing the pan appropriately with shortening and flour.
Start by spreading 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.
Next I get a little pinch of flour and dust it over the pan. Hold the pan over the sink and tap it hard, in a circular motion, all around the edges so that the flour lightly covers the pan. Now you're ready to add the cake batter, and rest assured the cake will come out of the pan without sticking!
Overhead photo of a bundt pan greased with shortening and flour.
How to make a Bundt Cake:
  • Mix together the cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, water and oil. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Grease the bundt pan with shortening and flour (see my tips for this, below). Add the cake batter.
  • Bake at 350 for 45-50 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a wire cooling rack.

Four process photos for making a chocolate bundt cake in a mixing bowl, the batter ready to bake in a bundt pan, and a the baked cake being frosted.

  • Once the cake has cooled, prepare the frosting. I use a pastry bag with a coupler inside, (and no piping tip), to pipe the frosting. If you don't have a pastry bag, add the frosting to a ziplock bag and cut a hole in the corner.
  • Start at the outside edge of the cake and drag a line of frosting up and over the top of the cake, into the center hole.

Nothing bundt cakes stay fresh in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. I also love these cakes because they're very freezer friendly! To freeze the cake, put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes, uncovered, to set the frosting. Cover it really well with plastic wrap and then tinfoil and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove the cake from the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature for about 1 ½ to 2 hours before serving.

A slice of chocolate bundt cake frosted with cream cheese frosting, served on a white plate with a fork.

Nothing Bundt Cakes are also popular for having a cute flour or tissue paper ball in the center of them for decoration. I've included instructions to make a tissue paper pom pom ball, at the bottom of the post.

A chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting and a tissue paper pom pom in the center of the cake.

Consider trying these bundt cake recipes:

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

Recipe

Nothing Bundt Cake copycat cat frosted with cream cheese frosting.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 55 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package devils food cake mix (or homemade)
  • 3.9 ounce box instant chocolate pudding
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease and flour your bundt cake pan. (See my tips for properly greasing a bundt pan, above in the post.)
  • Mix the first six cake ingredients together. Stir in the chocolate chips. 
  • Pour batter into your greased bunt cake pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 min. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a wire cooling rack. I also like to run a butter knife gently around the edges of the pan to make sure the cake isn't sticking, before I turn it out.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Beat together the cream cheese and butter until light fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, mixing for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add more powdered sugar, to taste, if needed.

To frost the cake:

  • Spoon frosting into a pastry bag with no tip attached, or into a ziplock bag, with the corner cut. Starting at the outer edge of the bundt cake squeeze and pull a line of frosting up and over the cake, into the center hole.
  • Repeat this process all around the cake. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze, covered well, for up to 3 months. 

Notes

Adapted from Fav Family Recipes

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 429mgPotassium: 162mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 395IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 1.8mg
How to Make a Tissue Paper Pom-Pom
  • Cut 8 pieces of regular sized tissue paper in half, long ways.
  • Stack tissue paper. Make 1 ½ inch accordion folds.

Stacked sheets of tissue paper being folded into a 1 inch strip

  • Fold a piece of floral wire in half, and slip over center of folded tissue; twist. 

Folded tissue paper with wire being twisted around the center.

  • Use scissors to trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

Hands holding tissue paper and scissors and making a cut into the tissue paper.

  • Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time, until your pom pom ball is formed.

A tissue paper pom pom ball

  • Place ball on top of cake!

*I originally shared this recipe May 2011. Updated April 2019.

This post contains affiliate links. I love sharing my favorite products with you!

This post contains affiliate links.

Related Posts

Share Recipe

About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

4 46 votes
Recipe Rating
4.96 from 1046 votes (942 ratings without comment)
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

344 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Cee Cee
4 years ago

5 stars
Had this tonight at our Small Group gathering to celebrate birthdays of two members. Wow! One of the best copycat recipes ever. So moist and rich. And the icing?! I honestly thought it came from the popular namesake bakery. Thanks for sharing! The gift keeps on giving because our friend was happy to share with us. I was going to make it next Sunday but my husband insists we get the ingredients and make it tomorrow instead!

Sherri
4 years ago

This looks wonderful! My son is a Type 1 diabetic and loves Nothing Bundt Cakes. Thank you so much for including the carb counts in your recipe but is the carb count for the whole cake or a single slice of it? Thanks!

Beth Howell
4 years ago

5 stars
I’ve made it just as the recipe is written. Perfectly cooked at 45 minutes in a teflon covered bundt pan. I’ve used the white shortening and flour, which was messy, but have found that Pam makes a baking spray which brings the cake out so easily and I don’t have to deal with the flour. Because this cake needs to be refrigerated, I make this a “sharing” cake, cutting slices onto a large paper plate and covering with Glad wrap and sharing the love with neighbors and friends. I can’t possibly eat an entire cake on my own. Everyone loves it and I always offer to bring this to parties.

Amy
4 years ago

5 stars
This was such an amazing recipe! Everyone loved it.

Susan Ogle
4 years ago

5 stars
This cake is delicious! I’ve made it as a Bundt cake and as buntinis for a party. Tastes exactly like a Nothing Bundt cake for a fraction of the cost.

Barbara
4 years ago

This recipe sounds AMAZING!! Do you think it would work with a Gluten Free Cake Mix and if so, what adjustments do you think would need to be made in order for it to work? Thanks in advance for your help.

Trish
4 years ago

5 stars
This recipe is amazing! I made cupcakes. I can’t stop eating them!

Stacey
4 years ago
Reply to  Trish

How many cupcakes are you able to get from this recipe?

Grace
4 years ago
Reply to  Trish

how many cupcakes did it make?

Kathryn
4 years ago

This sounds delicious, I plan to make this very soon, but I was wondering if you would know how to make the lemon Bundt cake?

Ressel
4 years ago

What temp and cook time should we use when making mini bundts?

Rjane
4 years ago

May I know what you use for the butter,
is it salted or unsalted? Thank you!

1 9 10 11 12 13 22