Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a chocolate cake lover’s dream. Perfect for birthdays, Valentine’s Day or anytime cake is the perfect finish to a meal or surprise treat for a loved one.
(originally published Feb 2016, updated Feb 2020)
Many Milestones Ahead
2016 is a year of milestones for our family. Three big birthdays – 18, 21, and X0. My blog turns 6. My daughter’s high school graduation, freshman year of college, and an empty nest. Woo. Kind of feel exhausted just writing it all down. And did I mention an extended family wedding across the country at the same time that my daughter will be making her college decision?
How about if we just stick with February events for now –my daughter’s 18th birthday, my blog’s 6th anniversary, and Valentine’s Day. Last year we made chocolate truffles remember? This year, let’s make a great big chocolate bundt cake with tangy, rich, and decadent cream cheese frosting. Sound ok?
A Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bundt Cake
This recipe is from the blog Merry Gourmet. She says it is as close to red velvet cake as you can get without using the food coloring. For me, it’s the ultimate chocolate cake – fudgy but not dense with an extra depth of flavor from both chocolate and coffee. And the cream cheese frosting is the perfect contrasting topper. The only changes I made to her recipe were to reduce the sugar by ¼ cup and to make half the frosting. And I turned it into a bundt cake, instead of a layer cake. I then pathetically attempted to decorate it like a Nothing Bundt Cake cake. It’s the thought that counts.
Let us eat cake.
Chocolate Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup black coffee
Frosting
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces confectioners sugar sifted
Instructions
The Cake:
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F or 325 degrees convection with the rack in center position. Butter or spray one bundt pan.
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In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Add eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and coffee. Beat by hand or on medium speed for 2 minutes; batter will be thin. Pour into the prepared bundt pan.
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Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert cake onto a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
The Frosting:
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. Gradually add the sifted confectioners sugar, beating until frosting is smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Frost Cake:
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I actually don't feel qualified to tell you how to do this - it is so likely that you will be better at this than I am. If you have frosting bags and tips and want to make it look like my failed attempt at a Nothing Bundt Cake, have at it :-). Otherwise, use an offset spatula to spread the frosting. A bundt cake might lend itself to more of a drizzly icing but we love the cream cheese frosting so I made it work!
Recipe Notes
Adapted closely from The Merry Gourmet
Merry Jennifer says you can make this one day ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate overnight. Let cake stand at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.
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Made this cake for the first time on the 4th of July! It tasted amazing! So moist & so delicious
I just love this cake – you’re inspiring me to make one again soon. So glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by.
ANOTHER GREAT RECIPE BETH
Thanks Phyllis! How are you doing? Looking forward to the high holidays? Will you be cooking?
First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Both to your blog, as well as you daughter for turning 18! And the XO meant that you’re birthday was also around the corner? 🙂 Our best wishes to all of you, may the years ahead be healthy, joyful, creative and HAPPY!
As for the bundt now; we never used buttermilk (since it isn’t sold or used here) in a cake before, we’ll make some with lemon or vinegar at home and give it a try, it sounds very interesting! It must have a similar effect to adding freshly squeezed orange juice in a cake (as soda reacts to the acid), right?
Thanx for the yummy idea Beth!
xoxoxo
The X refers to my husband’s May birthday but I am not allowed to say the age :-). Mine is shortly thereafter. Thanks for all the good wishes. It is a big year for us. Right now, we are helping our daughter choose a college. A rather monumental step for one so young. Love buttermilk in cakes and especially pancakes. Making it with a little lemon or vinegar works quite nicely. And I would guess you are right that the acid in OJ may have a similar effect to the buttermilk. First time I’ve thought about that but it makes sense for my orange juice hamantaschen now that I think about it!!!
Oh how I love bundt cakes! I go to nothing bundt cakes a little to often 🙂 Looks fantastic!
So do we! My frosting effort might not have been as perfect as theirs but I have to admit, the cake tastes fantastic and stays moist for days (if it lasts that long!). Thanks for stopping by Tamara!
Congratulations on 6 years of blogging! I appreciate all you share here very much. Wow, many milestones indeed.Just keep breathing and eat cake. Lots of cake. Happy weekend to you and enjoy celebrating your daughter!
Cake does help, doesn’t it? I appreciate the people I’ve met thru blogging most of all (or at least have virtually met). Thanks for all of your support Hannah!
Love that chocolate and cream cheese frosting! I’m all in, give any excuse and I’ll bake something. What a scrumptious V Day treat! Stay calm and enjoy every minute, Life just keeps on moving.
It does,doesn’t it. Never a dull moment and then I wonder — what will I do next year when I might actually have dull moments? I am going to have to relearn to relax!
I’m drooling here! Congrats on the 6th anniversary of your blog and happy adulthood to your baby.
A belated thank you Sarene for this and all of your support over the 6 years!