Chocolate Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

This rich and fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake drizzled with a caramel glaze is a moist chocolate cake that will impress without having to frost it. The best part? No mixer required! Just make the batter, pour into the pan, then invert to serve.

Mixers beating at full speed. Clouds of flour everywhere. Ovens on full blast. Dishes piled high.

Once November rolls around, that’s pretty much the scene in every kitchen. Holiday baking has begun!

This time of the year can be stressful for most, including myself. When time is limited and company is coming over, you don’t have time to deal with frosting a small chocolate cake.

That’s where this Chocolate Bundt Cake becomes an ace up my sleeve.

I love bundt cakes for their simplicity. The shape of the pan, whether simple or fancy, makes them ready for serving almost instantly.

No need to bake three layers of cake and beat several sticks of butter for buttercream frosting, just to prove you have the frosting skills of a five-year-old.

Just dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with caramel glaze or traditional bundt cake glaze before serving.

You can even cover it with chocolate ganache for an even fudgier cake.

And the best part? You don’t need a mixer to make the bundt cake batter!

Because this chocolate bundt cake recipe is originally from 2013, it’s baked in a regular-sized 12 cup pan. This was before I fully committed to small batch baking.

I decided to keep the recipe written as is because you never know when you need an easy chocolate cake recipe for family visiting or for a party.

But if you are looking for dessert for two, check out my small bundt cake.

What is a bundt cake?

A bundt cake gets its name from the type of pan used called a bundt pan. It’s a ring-shaped pan with fluted sides. Some of them are basic while others have more intricate patterns.

Most bundt pans hold 10-12 cups of batter, which I refer to as regular-sized bundt pans.

Now I’m starting to see 6 inch bundt pans, which holds 3 cups batter. Then you have mini bundt cake pans, which are individual servings.

Regardless of size, bundt simply refers to the shape from the pan.

Ingredients For Chocolate Bundt Cake

Here’s what you need to make your homemade chocolate cake:

• All purpose flour: Standard pantry flour that gives structure and stability to the cake
• Baking soda: Leavening agent responsible for the cake rising
• Salt: Brings out all the flavors of the cake
• Butter: Adds richness and a tender crumb
• Sour cream: Adds extra moistness to the batter. You can also substitute plain Greek yogurt.
• Granulated sugar: Helps sweeten the cake and balances the unsweetened cocoa powder
• Cocoa powder: Adds a deep chocolate flavor you cannot accomplish with baking chocolate alone.
• Vanilla: Much like salt and coffee, vanilla also enhances the chocolate flavor.
• Eggs: Helps with cake rising as well as adds structure
• Coffee: Although you can’t taste the coffee itself in the batter, it really enhances the chocolate flavor. If you don’t want to use coffee, substitute hot water.
• Chocolate chips: Use semisweet for an extra burst of chocolate

How To Make Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ready to make this easy bundt cake recipe? Here’s how:

1. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Melt butter and sour cream together.
3. Whisk in sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
4. Temper the eggs then add to the batter.
5. Add flour mixture and coffee, alternating between adding dry and wet ingredients.
6. Transfer to a well-greased bundt cake pan.
7. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until the sides pull away and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Invert cake after 20 minutes then cool completely.
9. Glaze as desired.

Store leftover bundt cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Why did my bundt cake stick to the pan?

The biggest challenge with making a homemade bundt cake is it has a tendency to stick to the pan when inverting. Here are some ways to prevent that:

1. Use a pan that doesn’t have any scratches or damages in the nonstick coating. The older the pan, the more likely it’ll stick.
2. Thoroughly grease the pan with cooking spray or brush with melted butter and coat with flour.
3. Invert the pan while still warm. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes so it can set then flip onto a wire rack. If you let it cool completely, the cake is more likely to stick (especially if it has chocolate chips then the melted part may harden onto the pan).

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

If you enjoyed this chocolate bundt cake recipe, then you’ll love these other recipes for chocolate cake:

• Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• One Layer Chocolate Cake
• Small German Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Skillet Cake
• Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes

First published December 2, 2013