Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake
This chocolate fudge sour cream bundt cake is a show-stopper of a dessert! It is perfect for holidays…or anytime you are craving chocolate cake!
Loaded with chocolate chips in the batter and a glorious chocolate ganache on top, this cake is ultra-decadent and ultra-delicious!
Chocolate Cake Batter
This is a one-bowl recipe. No need for a stand mixer or multiple mixing methods. Grab your whisk and get ready to go! It’s so easy.
In addition to the usual cake ingredient suspects, this recipe also calls for sour cream. Sour cream is the secret to this bundt cake’s over-the-top moist and fluffy crumb.
Chocolate chips are stirred into the batter at the end to lend even more rich chocolate flavor to the cake.
Tips for Baking in a Bundt Pan
The most important thing to do when baking a cake in a bundt pan is to make sure the pan is prepped well so the cake doesn’t stick!
For this recipe:
- Mix together melted butter and cocoa powder
- Use a pastry brush to spread the mixture into all the nooks and crannies of the bundt pan.
Alternately, the pan can be generously greased with butter and then dusted with cocoa powder (tap out the excess). I prefer using the butter-cocoa paste so there isn’t any dry powdery residue on the cake when it is turned out.
The Ganache on Top
Once the cake has baked, been turned out onto a platter or cooling rack, and cooled, it is ready for the crowning glory: loads of chocolate ganache.
Chocolate ganache is simply chocolate + hot cream (and in this case, a touch of vanilla) mixed together until glossy and smooth.
Let the ganache sit until it is no longer warm but is still spreadable. Use an offset spatula to swirl it around the top and sides of the bundt cake.
This glorious chocolate sour cream bundt cake has seen us through a myriad of birthdays, holiday meals, and more. It is one of my all-time favorite cakes! So many of you love, too.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have made this cake three times now, everyone loved it! It is so moist. Goes very good with vanilla ice cream. I will certainly keep making this recipe! It’s very good! -Leann
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My family says it’s the best cake I’ve ever made! (And I bake a lot.) Dense and rich, not dry at all. Not a crumb of this was thrown out. -Megan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m making this cake today. Again. For the second time in a week. The first one was for guests. The second one will be just for my family because we can’t get enough. I piped a cream cheese frosting on the top (like a Nothing Bundt Cake) and it’s insanely good. -Heidi A.
Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Ingredients
For the pan:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
For the cake:
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter
- ⅓ cup (28 g) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¾ cup (249 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (170 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 cups (170 to 340 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup (170 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and cocoa powder for the pan until the mixture is well-combined and pasty. Use a pastry brush or folded square of wax paper to wipe the cocoa/butter mixture into a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan until the inner surface is evenly coated.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt and water. Heat until the butter is melted and whisk to combine well. Set aside to cool to room temperature (just slightly warm is ok, too, but let it cool more if it’s overly warm or hot).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda. Pour in the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until the top lightly springs back and the cake is baked through.
- Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning it out carefully onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer (either in the microwave or in a saucepan) and pour over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes without stirring. Add the vanilla and stir the mixture until it is glossy and smooth. The glaze will set up as it cools; if you want a thin drizzle, pour it over the cake while the glaze is still warm but if you want a thicker frosting, let it cool slightly.
- Once the cake is cooled, place it on a serving plate or cake stand and pour the glaze over the cake letting it drip down the sides.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: combined several recipes to make the perfect cake (including Cook’s Illustrated version and one at Two Peas and Their Pod)
The cake is absolutely delicious but I will use a different method for preparing my Bundt pan next time because it stuck to the bottom and I had to scrape out the pieces and try to place them appropriately on top.
I do plan to make it again though because it’s so good!
My husband is not a huge chocolate person and just looking at the cake after I frosted it, he figured it would be overwhelmed with intense chocolate flavor.
However, after eating a slice he was pleasantly surprised that it had a pleasing chocolate flavor and not overpowering.
This cake is the best. Turns out perfect every time.
Although this looks like delicious perfection, my son has requested a chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting for his birthday! LOL I’m making this recipe and your cream cheese frosting that you use with your carrot bundt cake that also has a cream cheese filling. I thought the cream cheese filling sounded great in this cake too! Would I need to make any changes other than perhaps baking it maybe 10 minutes longer? My family always enjoys your recipes, Mel! Thank you in advance.
Hi Jacquie – I haven’t tried this cake with a cream cheese filling, but it sounds like a yummy experiment! It’s likely to need a bit more baking time – just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t over bake (or the cake may be dry).
I served this cake to my Mah Jongg group, and it was delicious! Everyone loved it! I don’t post very often but I’ve loved all the many recipes I’ve made! Thanks Mel for all you do to make us look like rockstar cooks!!!!!
Thank you so much, Vi!
I’m making this cake today. Again. For the second time in a week. The first one was for guests. The second one will be just for my family because we can’t get enough. I piped a cream cheese frosting on the top (like a Nothing Bundt Cake) and it’s insanely good.
Several posts have mentioned replacing the water with coffee. I am curious if anyone can share how it turned out with the coffee?
This cake is absolute heaven. Please excuse me as I return to my sugar coma (totally worth it!). Thanks Mel for another amazing recipe!
I make this cake at least three times a year. It always turns out perfect. Everybody always absolutely loves it. This cake is so good even if you don’t put the glaze on it it’s still delicious. Instead of water I use Coffee. It’s the only thing I change about this recipe. I have to say this is probably the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever used.
We absolutely love this cake! We’ve make it about 5 times and my husband always requests it. :). We are having a birthday party and I wanted to make it into mini-bundt cakes. Any idea how I’d adjust the cooking time and temperature for that?
You should be able to keep the cooking temp the same but depending on the size of the mini bundt pans, I’d check after about 17 minutes.
This has become my favorite chocolate cake. It is perfection!
I made this cake and your recipe for the Super Moist Fudge Bundt cake to compare the two. This recipe (Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake) was by far the winner. I love, love, love the chocolate sauce. Thanks for helping me knock it out of the park with this cake.
So glad you did this trial, Bobbi, as my first thought was, “of Mel’s 2 Chocolate Bundt cakes which should I make?” Like Mel, I love the challenge of homemade, and I, too, have nothing against a cake mix… but now I’ll use this recipe! Thanks to you, and thanks to Mel for a chocolate Bundt cake!
Wasn’t a fan of this cake. The butter and cocoa paste tastes bitter on the cake. It doesn’t need the chocolate chips and the frosting isn’t the best. Hope it tastes better as it sits.
I made this for Father’s Day and it turned out beautifully. Thanks for the great recipe. I kept the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 days covered and it was still delicious.
Delicious! So moist and the presentation is very impressive!! I want to try it next time with coffee instead of water. That sounds great too! The topping would also be great on just ice cream. Thanks Mel another great recipe
Does the cake turn out this small? If so would you recommend doubling the recipe?
Hi Diane, I’m not sure what you mean by a small cake?
Hey! Can’t wait to make this! What size bundt pan? Are there other pans I could use? TIA!
You can use a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan. I haven’t tried this in other pan shapes/sizes – sorry!
I made this cake again tonight, this is probably the ninth time I’ve made over the last few years. This is such an easy recipe, if you follow The recipe there is no reason for it to not work. Every time I make this cake everyone says the same thing… This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had… The only thing I do different (sometimes) is instead of using a cup of water I will a cup of room temp percolated coffee . .Thanks Mel, it always turns out perfect and it is always excellent!!!!
This cake is AMAZING! I have made this many times with no complications! Super moist, super chocolaty! Highly recommended! Also just wondering if this could be made as a vanilla cake, instead of chocolate? Thanks for an amazing recipe Mel!
Hi Elinor, unfortunately, it would be difficult to transition this to a vanilla cake without a lot of testing and modifications. I haven’t tried so I don’t have any good advice – sorry about that!
This is the best cake I have ever had! Sooooo good.
Hi Mel! I am making this cake for my mom’s birthday tomorrow, and I made just the cake today, as to keep it a surprise. I want to store the cake for tomorrow afternoon, but I’m not sure of the best way to do it. Thanks!
Also, I did not make the glaze yet.
I would wrap really well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until tomorrow.
Thanks so much!
I live at 6900 feet. Has anyone modified the recipe for high altitude? If yes, what did you change.
Has anyone made this recipe in 2 round cake pans instead of a bundt pan?
I make this in my mini Bundt pan. I often substitute instant Cafe Bustelo for the water and will sometimes add maraschino cherries, chopped, putting a little juice in.
I add a little cherry juice to the ganache, and also make a plain vanilla drizzle with a touch of cherry juice. I then top each cake off with a maraschino cherry and dust with confectioners sugar because I am just a little extra!!!
This was amazing! I suggest doing a cream cheese frosting to cut the bitterness of the chocolate.
I haven’t made this cake yet but was wondering if gluten flour could be used instead of regular flour?
I haven’t tried that, but if it is a cup-for-cup type GF flour, you could definitely experiment!
This cake is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! The first time I baked this, it stuck in the pan, I made it again and it was a success! Baked it at 325°F for 70 mins, used a 9″ dark Bundt pan. Poured the ganache over it and it was amazingly delicious! Thank you for sharing!
My family says it’s the best cake I’ve ever made! (And I bake a lot.) Dense and rich, not dry at all. Used strong coffee instead of water. Not a crumb of this was thrown out. Will wait for the frosting to thicken more next time (another cake has already been requested.)
Delicious! I..um..used an angel fruit cake pan so the batter leaked onto our pizza stone, and I didn’t wait for the cake to cool so it fell apart when I removed it. it was really good though and the icing balanced it perfectly! will definitely make this more! I also appreciate how you line up the ingredients in the order you put them in! SO helpful! some people say you CAN use an angel fruit cake pan. is that true?
A bundt pan is sealed all around the bottom so it won’t leak the same way an angel food cake pan does – I don’t recommend using wet cake batters in an angel food cake pan for that issue.
Ok! thanks!
Super moist. Perfect for chocolate lovers. It’s definitely a keeper and will be making it again. I did wait until completely cooled before turning it out and had no problem. Icing was the perfect touch.
This is so delicious. I have made it half a dozen times in the last three months. I have not had any problem with the cake falling apart. We love it!!
Looking forward to making this cake for Christmas. I add a little mint extract in the glaze for a peppermint taste.