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Craving a rich, decadent chocolate cake? This Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake is made by doctoring up a cake mix to turn it into an incredibly moist, perfect chocolate cake.
Do you have a recipe that is absolutely perfect for just about any occasion?
Whether it be a birthday party, a backyard barbecue, or just a chocolate cake craving on a random Thursday night – this Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake has been my go-to chocolate recipe for years and I’m fairly certain it’s going to be your go-to recipe as well.
This Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake is incredibly simple to make and can be served up countless ways. Drizzle slices with warm peanut butter and chopped peanut butter cups, top it with fresh berries and whipped cream, or serve it with a simple ganache and chocolate shavings like I’ve done here. Seriously, the possibilities are endless!
THE EASIEST, RICHEST CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
You guys know that I love a good cake mix recipe. I’ve used cake mixes as a base for everything from Citrus Poppyseed Cake and Coconut Poke Cake to Gooey Butter Cookies.
But one of my all-time favorite cake mix tricks is my Doctored Cake Mix. It combines a cake mix, a package of instant pudding mix, and a few other simple ingredients to make cupcakes that I swear no one would guess were made with a boxed mix.
I decided to tweak that recipe to make what is kind of a cheater’s version of The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe.
Just like my all-time favorite chocolate cake, this Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake is super rich, moist, and incredibly chocolatey. It even uses instant espresso to enhance the flavor of the chocolate!
But since this cake starts with a devil’s food cake mix, it is a bit faster to throw together. I mean, who could be mad at that?
HOW TO MAKE THIS CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE RECIPE
Start by grabbing your favorite devil’s food cake mix from the store. To jazz it up, we’re going to add:
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
To mix together the batter, use an electric mixer to beat together all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Beat for two minutes at medium speed.
Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour the batter into a greased bundt pan and bake the cake for 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 45 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
DO YOU HAVE TO USE ESPRESSO IN THIS CAKE?
I know not everyone will have instant espresso in their pantry, and some folks may not want to use the espresso in this recipe.
I promise that the espresso just serves to enhance the flavor of the chocolate in the cake; it really does not make the cake taste like coffee!
But you can absolutely leave out the espresso if you’d like. Simply omit the instant espresso granules but still add the ½ cup of water to the recipe.
SERVING IDEAS
I love topping this Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake with a simple ganache. The ganache is easy to make but makes the cake look so fancy.
To make the ganache, microwave heavy cream in 15-second intervals until steaming and very hot, but not boiling. Immediately pour the hot cream over chocolate chips in a small bowl and let it sit for 3 minutes.
Whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla extract to create a smooth ganache. Let the ganache cool for a few minutes before spooning it over the cake.
From there, you can top the cake with chocolate shaving, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles. I like to serve this cake with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and some fresh berries, but no one would complain about a scoop of vanilla ice cream, either!
Don’t want to top the cake with ganache? Try topping it with Homemade Buttercream Frosting or Homemade Chocolate Frosting instead!
Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix 3.4 ounces
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water see note below
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
For the Ganache
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray – preferably one for baking. This will help ensure a clean release of the bundt cake from the pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso/water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined. Fold in 1 ½ cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
Prepare the Ganache
- Pour the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Add the heavy cream to a microwave safe cup or bowl and microwave on high in 15-second intervals until steaming and very hot, but not boiling. This should take anywhere from 45-60 seconds total. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and allow it to sit for 3 minutes before whisking in the corn syrup and vanilla to create a smooth ganache. Allow the ganache to cool for a few minutes before spooning it over the cooled cake. At this point, you can leave it as is or top with chocolate shavings, mini chocolate chips, or even sprinkles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe came out great. The batter was thick and I had my reservations, but the texture and richness from the sour cream and pudding made it more of a light torte. No frosting needed for me! Thanks, I will use it again. Coffee was a great flavor addition.
So glad you loved the cake! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
-Jamie
thanks for this wonderful recipe, it helps me to bake a cake.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rachelle!
I made your Bunt cake recipe. It was fantastic. I will make it again. Excellent recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Joseph! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie