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Chocolate Bundt Cake
How to make chocolate bundt cake:
Start by combine all of the cake ingredients with an electric mixer. Then use a spatula to fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Grease and flour your bundt pan and pour the cake mixture into it. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes and cool completely before frosting!
I've found the easiest way to frost a chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting is to use a pastry bag and coupler, with no piping tip. The round hole in the coupler is the perfect size for a rounded lined of frosting to drape down the sides of the cake, just like how they frost them cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
If you'd like to put a fun pom-pom ball in the center of the cake, check out this tutorial!
What is the difference between a bundt cake and a regular cake?
Obviously, if you bake a cake in a bundt pan, the cake will be called a bundt cake. The real difference between the two lies in the thickness and size of the bundt pan vs. a regular cake pan.
A typical bundt pan recipe uses a 10×3 inch bundt pan that has a volume of about 12 cups. This is close to double the volume of a typical cake recipe. For many cake recipes if you want to use a typical cake recipe but make it in a bundt pan, you may need to double the recipe (and it may make a little extra) and increase the cook time significantly.
How to get the cake out of the bundt pan:
Consider trying these bundt cake recipes:
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Recipe
Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix ** See note for homemade. (devils food cake or German chocolate cake mixes work well).
- 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)
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract optional
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup butter , softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 candy canes crushed
Instructions
- Mix cake ingredients together with an electric mixer. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a well-greased bunt cake pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50mins or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow to cool in the pan for 15-20mins. Remove from pan.
- At this point you can frost it and serve it, or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight in the fridge before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Pipe onto cake. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe December 2013. Updated November 2018.
What adjustments would I need to make for high altitude (Alta, Utah)?
Hi Ann, I would add a spoonful of flour to the batter 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this for a church Christmas party and it was a big hit–everyone wanted the recipe. Thank you!
This looks amazing! Is it possible to make it without the instant pudding?
Hi Alex. You can omit the pudding and it should still taste great.
Hi! What size bundt pan do I need for this recipe?
Hi Olivia, a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan will work!
This looks like an amazing recipe. I have mini bundt pans, will this recipe work for the pans? I’m planning on putting them with my goody box for my friends at Christmas.
Michela, they would be fantastic in mini bundt pans! You just need to shorten the cook time significantly depending on how small they are. I would love to know how they turn out.
They turned out really well, they were one of the mini bundt pans like mini muffins. It’s about 15 min and fill them only half way, they expand.
Where can I buy an icing tube for bundt cakes?
Hi Ll,
I use a regular pastry bag, the same you would use for any cake. Here are some on amazon- http://amzn.to/2Bpi0PE
Should this be stored in the refrigerator or is counter top alright between serving consumption?
Hi Jean. I would store it in the fridge!
I recently made this cake in May and instead of peppermint topping, I used a ganache icing with fresh strawberries garnish.
I had been looking for a good chocolate bundt cake and this one was a winner!
Hey,
This question might be silly but do you make the instant pudding first then add it to the cake? Or you just add the dried pudding mix to it?
Thanks in advanced
Hi Nicole, add the dried pudding mix to the batter 🙂
I would like to serve the chocolate peppermint bundt cake on Christmas afternoon. If I make it on Thursday or Friday should I wrap it up tight (before frosting) and put it in the fridge OR freezer? Which would be best? Can I take it out Saturday morning and frost it?
Hi Michelle, I would bake it AND frost it (without adding the crushed candy canes), and then wrap it well and FREEZE it (frosting and all!) until Christmas. Take it out of the freezer about 2 1/2 – 3 hours or so before eating it. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top once the frosting comes to room temperature. I just made 7 of these for a group Christmas party and froze all of them, frosted, and they turned out wonderfully. Hopefully that will make your life really easy! 🙂