Chocolate Bundt Cake
This Chocolate Bundt Cake will make you a rock star with your friends and family. An incredibly moist cake topped with decadent chocolate glaze. This dessert is easy and impressive.
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CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
Here’s the deal. I’ve made tons of cakes from scratch and THIS cake is much easier and even better in my opinion.
Literally when people eat this they say, “THIS IS SO GOOD!” So all my friends who say they can’t cook, you can do this! And it will make you the most popular lady in town.
This sinfully delicious and easy Chocolate Bundt Cake comes from my sister Shelly who is one of the best cooks I know. She has the talent of making everything beautiful and homey.
I even bribed Shelly to help decorate my house thousands of miles away. Her best friend Denise is equally talented. Between the two of them, they have 12 kids.
They happen to live in the same cul-de-sac and their kids even ended up marrying each other. Isn’t that two best friends’ dream? They’re both amazing cooks and I’m always trying to get my hands on their recipes.
Here’s the line up of ingredients:
The batter will be thick. Spoon it into the well greased Bundt pan and bake until it looks like this. The beauty of this cake is its incredibly moist center.
Yep. I said moist. Moist, moist, moist, moist. Why does that word freak people out?
After the cake has cooled, pour the chocolate glaze on top.
And if you want to get extra fancy, sprinkle with some chocolate shavings. You can make them by taking a vegetable peeler to a bar of chocolate.
To add some color and freshness, raspberries are great on this. Strawberries would be good too!
OTHER CAKE RECIPES:
- Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Pumpkin Cake
- Lemon Sheet Cake
- Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
- White Texas Sheet Cake
- Moist Carrot Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Cake
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (15.25-oz) box Devil's Food cake mix or chocolate cake mix
- 1 (5.9-oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup canola oil, (or vegetable)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, (you can replace this with all semi-sweet chips)
- 3 cups Cool Whip topping, (see Note for substitution)
- (optional) chocolate shavings and raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a Bundt pan well with non-stick spray.
- For the cake: In a large bowl, stir the cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, eggs, and sour cream until combined well. You can also do this with a mixer. Fold in the 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into the Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. My oven cooks fast and it was done after 50 minutes so make sure you start checking it then. Let cake cool 5-10 minutes in the pan and then invert on a plate. Cool completely.
- For the Glaze: In a microwave safe bowl, heat both chocolate chips and the Cool Whip for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. The mixture will be a little thin but will thicken a bit as it sets. If you like a thicker glaze add about 1/2 cup or more of powdered sugar and stir until smooth before glazing the cake.
- Pour over the cooled chocolate cake. Top with chocolate shavings and raspberries if desired. Top with additional whipped cream if you like.
Notes
I have been making this cake for YEARS. I call it the Everything is Gonna Be Ok cake. I always try to have the ingredients on hand because this is the perfect cake to bring someone if they have a tragedy. Or even if your kid is sad. Have made for birthdays, so many funerals. And have never once did the glaze and it is STILL a DELIGHT. Have passed this along to many a baker!
Thank you!
Looks great want to make
Can you replace everything chocolate and do a vanilla version?
Absolutely!
What size of bundt pan did you use? I only have 10 cup size.
That will work
What can you substitute for the sour cream? I’m making this for guests that can’t eat dairy.
Shoot. That’s what gives it the moistness. You could leave it out.
I added some peanut butter chips to the drizzle and cake. I just love the combination of all the chips
Can it be frozen?
Yes, absolutely!
Can you substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream?
Yes. It never tastes exactly the same to me but you can sub it.
I use Hershey Extra Dark chips and heavy whipping cream to make a glaze ~ very rich!
Yum!
I’ve been using this recipe for quite some time. Always turns out delicious. Today I realized it called for the bigger box of pudding, funny – I’ve always used the small one. I have one in the oven now. Most Bundt recipes I use always use the smaller box. Now I’m anxious to try it next time with the 5 oz box. Always moist and rich. I make this often. I always use heavy cream in the glaze, as I don’t use cool whip. I also add powdered sugar. Always perfect! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve used both and I haven’t noticed a huge difference.
So delicious and easy to make. Love the icing! My bundt pan won’t be lonely anymore.
HAHA!
Yum Yum Yum!!!! I’ve made this recipe twice now….in a big bundt cake and a medium sized where I split the recipe in half and cooked the cakes for 20-25 minutes. The last smaller cakes, I just sprinkled some chocolate chips at the top and pushed them into the bottom of the cake with a spoon. Delicious . Not quite as rich as the original….but still plenty rich once the chocolate frosting gets poured on top. Thank you for this recipe. Super easy, fun, and delicious
So happy you love it!
My family loved this. I added peanut butter chips because that is what I have on hand.
Sounds delicious!
Will try this. Sound great
I also added peanut butter chips because my 3 year old daughter loves peanut butter!
Thank you!
My Bundt is in the oven. Excited to see how it comes out. I used Godiva choc. Pudding.
Yum! Sounds delicious!
Hi I love your recipes!!! I have a question regarding the chocolate Bundt cake. For the cake mix, do we buy just the vanilla, or are we to buy the chocolate one? Thank you!
Definitely buy the chocolate one.
It would be impossible to say how many times this cake has been made in my home kitchen and at school. I teach gourmet cooking classes, this is always a favorite dessert choice! When keeping it milk chocolate, I use powdered sugar for dusting….simple and delicious. Not too heavy. It is easily converted to a white chocolate cake for pairing with fresh fruit and a sprig of mint or lends itself to a pretty little birthday cake when food coloring is added and a light whipped icing is used.
This cake can be transformed into a gluten free recipe as well…no one will know the difference – I promise!
Thanks Amy!
Rarely do I rate recipes, I have made this hundreds of times since finding this recipe. I used to buy the ones in the grocery bakery, now they’re a let down. I use the small box of pudding if I have it on hand and sometimes canned frosting, either way it comes out perfectly every time. My husband and sons love it, eat the whole thing within a few hours! Thank you so much for sharing!
So happy to hear that!
I started this recipe thinking I had everything in my pantry to make it. I only had the small instant puddings, so I used my food scale to measure out the 5.9 oz from 2 separate puddings. Then did not have sour cream so I sub’d mayo. I know, I know! But it was delicious, nonetheless. Will try it again when I have my act together – definitely a good recipe.
I mean they do make mayo cakes so I bet it was delicious!
I accidentally found this VERY easy recipe while standing in Target Googling something to make for a last minute NYE dessert. All I can say is WOW. I substituted a Gluten Free King Arthurs Chocolate cake mix but followed all other directions ( except only used 2 cups of cool whip, which made perfect consistency for the glaze) and it was AMAZING, moist and not too sweet. No one could tell it was GF and it disappeared quickly. This will be my go-to dessert from now on.
Oh my gosh. Amazing!
What if the instant pudding mix is sugar free? Will it change the texture of the cake?
No but maybe the flavor.
Absolu6ely GREAT! The glaze is pure genius. I used the regular size brand X coolwhip and 1 cup choc. chips, came out wonderful. I am 81 and a good baker, but this recipe beats them all.
Awesome!
This looks fabulous and it was easy to make. I cant wait to see how it tastes. So clever to use cool whip for the glaze! Thanks for a quick and inexpensive recipe for my potluck tomorrow.
Hope you love it!
I followed the directions exactly except I used warm coffee instead of warm water in the cake recipe. I received rave reviews about how it tasted from the folks that I served it to. My only criticism is that the ganache was WAY too runny and that was after I added about a cup of powdered sugar. Next time I will reduce the amount of cool whip in the ganache by at least half. I like the idea of using whipped topping because it is something that I always have in the freezer while I don’t usually have heavy cream on hand.
Thanks for your feedback!
Should I use a 10-cup or 12-cup Bundt pan?
I used a 10 cup bundt cake!
Would it be ok to use 12 cup bundt pan? That’s the only one I have.
Sure!
Does this cake have to be refrigerated with the cool whip for icing?
No. It’s not necessary.
I made this for a church pot luck, but used Andes mints chips in place of the milk chocolate chips for the gnanache and did use heavy cream. It was awesome! Everyone loved it (especially my son in law!)
I bet that was a great change!
looks easy, fast and great. Could I sub greek yogurt for the sour cream. Thnaks
You can if you want!
Beautiful cake. Everyone enjoys it. I live in Australia and when I go to the US to visit family, I always stock up on chocolate pudding mix so I can make this cake 😁
Awesome to hear.
I only have the 3.9 oz chocolate pudding and do not want to go back to the grocery! Would any of the liquid measurement be altered if I used the small pudding mix? Thanks!
A family favorite, I call it, Chocolate Melt Down.
Thank you for your reply! I followed your recipe and it is delicious!
It looks like Betty Crocker has changed their Devils Food Super Moist cake mix since you originally posted this recipe. The front of the box no longer says there is pudding in the mix. Do you think this new cake mix version will work the same? Their instructions call for 1 1/4 cups water, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 3 eggs. I am making for Valentines Day and plan to follow your original instructions unless you think this mix has changed too much. Thank you.
Yes. We are adding pudding so it’s fine. Do not use the instructions on the box. Use the recipe instructions on this post. The extra egg is on purpose for a richer cake.
I forgot to best the eggs! Will this mess up my cake????
Beat the eggs? No not at all. It should be fine.
One more time:)) Can I use MILK chocolate chips in this recipe (for the batter)?
Thanks (again:)
Absolutely!
made it yesterday and it was a hit today!!! best cake ever..even if its not totally from scratch!!
Awesome to hear that!
This is probably an excellent cake ,but mine was a failure. Reason I am sure I used instant sugar free pudding! It did not rise one bit, taste was not bad but very solid
Oh no. That does not sounds right at all. Did you add the eggs?
Most cake mixes now have pudding already in the mix, do you still add more pudding?!?
Yes!!! Still add it.
I would like to try adding cream cheese with cherries in the center of the batter…. hhhmmm …. maybe too much “moistness” ?
Did anyone try the cream cheese in the middle?
Going to try this today- inbthe meantime I’m laughing anout the “moist” comment…
This cake is a hit with my family…it is absolutely delish!
Would it work well to use round cake pans rather than bundt?
Sure! You could do that as well. They won’t need to bake as long though.
Made this for the 4th of July. Was a big hit with everyone. So moist and chocolatey. Yummy
Thanks for telling me that. Made my day.
I just made this today for our Church potluck. Needless to say, I went home with an empty cake tray. This was also super easy to make 🙂
Love love hearing that!
Brought this to a dinner party and added raspberry’s and we loved it!
Raspberries definitely brighten it up!
Is there any adjustments for high altitude? I live at 5,500 ft. Thanks any help you offer.
Unfortunately I’m not a pro at high altitude baking. Shoot. I’m so sorry!
I always add a few tablespoons of flour, always.
Is this cake good even without the frosting?
Yes!
Thanks Christy. I made this for the “older” men’s Sunday School class for April birthdays and it was a hit; how do I know, there was none left!
You state to let it cool completely – how long is that? The outside was just a little dry. Now I know this would not be the case with the glaze (I exclude the glaze to make it less messy since we eat while sitting in our chairs during the start of the lesson). Did I cool too long? I made late Saturday evening and after cooling for a couple hours put it back in he bundt pan. Should I cover with saran wrap instead? Thank you. Stephen from Irving, TX
Yes, next time just cover with saran wrap. The glaze makes it over the top but I understand being messy, Haha.
This was the was the best, most moist cake ever! I did not make the glaze because I don’t like the chemical compound of Cool Whip and I thought it would be an overkill anyway. I did make some vanilla icing (butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and distilled water instead of milk) and piped it on the cake. I will be making this again!
I made this cake over the weekend for a family party and everyone was raving about it! I will certainly be saving this recipe and coming back to it again.
Help!! What am I doing wrong? The past couple of times I’ve made this cake, the top of the cake (bottom once it is turned out of the pan) gets very hard, crusty, and burnt, with large cracks and the toothpick comes out with wet chocolate down deep. When I take it out of the oven, the cake falls before it cools enough to turn it out of the pan. This time I tried moving the rack down lower in the oven, thinking that the top of the bundt pan might be too close to the top of the oven, but it still came out the same.
Is it a dark pan? I’ve noticed with my dark bundt pan that can happen sometimes. I would try a lower heat for longer since the inside is definitely not getting done.
Christy, Thanks for the response. It is an aluminum NordicWare pan that is green on the outside and white on the inside. What temperature do you suggest, and how long should I bake it?
It honestly is really hard for me to know without actually being in your kitchen but I would try 325 for about 55 minutes.
Made this cake for a dinner this weekend- so.very.yummy and moist! It was my first bundt cake ever and I loved the results! Thanks so much for posting.
You’re welcome. Glad you had success!
Would this be good for cupcakes or would it ruin the moistnest of the batter? If I can do cupcakes how much do I fill them up and at the same temp? thank you
I haven’t tried it but I would fill them 3/4 of the way and bake at the same temp 15-18 minutes.
can you make this gluten free? I have a gluten free devils food cake mix. Also was wondering if cake is very rich ? If so- I may take out chocolate chips in the bundt cake and just do the topping? Do the chocolate chips add a lot to the cake or just make it even more choclately tasting? Looking forward to trying tomorrow 1/29/16
for my husband’s birthday tomorrow. Thanks! Ros
It makes it more chocolatey with the chocolate chips. It is a very rich cake and I’m sure you could make it gluten free.
I just made your cake and looks delicious! Question-does it need to be refrigerated(Bc of the cool whip) if I’m not serving it till this evening(7 hrs from now)?
Thanks!
No it does not need to be refrigerated.
WOW!!! I just made this!!!! DEATH BY DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE!!!!!
Isn’t it great!
Can you double the recipe?
You could double it and put it into separate bundts. Is that what you’re doing?
How long would you bake them in separate bundts?
Made the chocolate bundt cake today. Like always I follow the recipe exactly the first time I make it and make adjustments as needed for the following times. No adjustment will be necessary for this recipe. It turned out perfect. All ingredients and times are exactly where they need to be. This turned out to be a really good cake that didn’t take up half a day to make it. Thanks for posting it. Five Stars definitely.
Randy
Thank you Randy! I’m glad you liked it.
Excellent!!!
Made this weekend for my picky 15 year old’a birthday who doesn’t care for frosting on cake. I made the glaze with half the chocolate chips and added the heavy cream until the consistency was perfect and added powder sugar over the glaze. I whipped the rest of the cream and served with the slices. It was so impressive looking that even a 15 year old girl had nothing to complain about. 😉
I love hearing that!
I must say “easy” is an understatement for throwing this recipe together. I made the cake in my castle bundt cake pan and it came out beautifully.
I then decided to cover it with my mom’s Carmel icing and drizzle the top with the chocolate glaze. Although I lost the intricate detail of the castle, the cake looks delicious. I’ll follow-up to let you know how the Carmel with chocolate drizzle glaze meshed with the cake.
To be continued…
Do you think you could put raspberry jam in between putting batter in pan .
Yes! I think that would be great.
Made this cake yesterday. Delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
I made this over the weekend for a family birthday celebration dinner and it was a huge hit! Thank you for sharing another fantastic recipe! Soooo chocolately, yum.
My family has been making this case for 4+ decades…I’ve never seen it posted before. You can make this cake in a variety of combinations like lemon cake mix with lemon pudding, banana cake with banana pudding (you get the idea) or a coffee cake with a yellow cake and vanilla pudding, pour 1/2 the batter in the pan, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and brown sugar, and pour in the rest of the batter.
DELICIOUS!! Made this yesterday for Valentine’s ….. OMG yum!!! Most delicious chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. I shared the recipe on my blog and linked to this post- https://lifescribblesovercoffee.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/easy-chocolate-cake/
Thank you again for sharing the recipe =)
So glad you liked it!!
I have made this but substituting grass fed butter for the oil (to make it healthier LOL) and it is to die for!
Yes the word moist freaks me out but this bundt cake does not! We love Nothing Bundt Cakes here in Houston but they are so expensive…YIKES! My daughter’s birthday is right around the corner so I am going to make this for Valentine’s Day and see how my family likes it. Thanks for the recipe and TGIF!
charity
lifeafterbaseball.net
I love Nothing Bundt cakes!
Valentine’s day and chocolate fit perfectly together! I am dying to make this cake! Looks absolutely delicious!
I just made this and it is very good–rich and chocolatey! I made the glaze by using heavy cream and by adding the powdered sugar to thicken it up, and it still turned out very runny. It was so runny that I was only able to pour 1/3 of the glaze over the cake before I had it running over the edge of the cake plate and onto the counter. I’m not sure if I did something wrong. It still tasted good, but was just very runny.
Yes, the glaze is very thin. You can definitely add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
I made this on Saturday for family dinner. HUGE HIT! The kids were super impressed. 🙂
I’m not a real chocolate fan, but I loved this – and ate way too much.
Haha. Me too!
I’ve made this cake many times and it’s OMK! delicious … I used Duncan Hines chocolate / chocolate fudge / devil’s food … I have to use my KitchenAid stand mixer because the batter gets too thick … I’ve made it with the red velvet cake mix, but used French vanilla pudding as I’ve not found a white chocolate pudding that wasn’t a “diet” pudding …
for red velvet cake mix I’d use cheesecake flavor pudding. Oh the decadence.
Hi! This looks like the perfect cake for a bridal shower I have coming up. If I sub the heavy cream in the glaze does it need to be made in to whipped cream before microwaving, or do I just put 1C of the liquid cream in?
No need to whip it. Just add it in liquid form.
Hi Christy,
On the picture of the ingredients posted, the Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake mix says on the box that pudding mix is already in the mix. In making this cake are we also adding a box of instant pudding mix? Cake looks delicious!
YES! You can do a cake mix without the pudding but trust me it’s even fudgier with the pudding in the mix cake mix.
do you just put the cake mix with pudding and the box of instant pudding mix together too??
Yes!!
I have the cake cooling right now! For Valentine’s Day celebration tonight with hubby since Weeknights are not suited to do much, I am doing a white chocolate glaze tinted with pink food coloring and using heart sprinkles!
OOh that sounds wonderful!
It looks amazzzingggggg! So delicious! Need to try this recipe.
http://www.trangscorner.com
This looks amazing! So delicious and decadent and chocolatey 🙂
This has Valentine’s Day written all over it. LOVE! And yes, I’m with you on the moist word issue. How else are we bloggers supposed to describe NOT DRY cake? Moist it is!
haha. I know, right?
Mmm that looks terrific! The glaze is just so glossy and rich-looking, I love it 🙂
ahhhh, this looks phenomenal!! I’m totally whipping this up this weekend!
I can’t resist. This cake is killing me Christy. I must have it!!
Wow this does look sinfully good! I love how easy it is to put together because sometimes life is just to crazy to make everything from scratch. 🙂