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Chocolate Bundt Cake {Using Cake Mix!}

Name: Chocolate Bundt Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 185 min
Ingredients: 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix ((or sub with regular chocolate cake mix)); 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature; 1 (3.9 ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix (just the dry mix); ½ cup water; ½ cup vegetable oil; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 ½ cups miniature chocolate chips; Powdered sugar, for dusting

Published: Jan 20, 2022 by Blair Lonergan

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With a little bit of help from a boxed mix, chocolate pudding, sour cream, and chocolate chips, this easy Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is ready for the oven in about 10 minutes! It's a moist, rich, and decadent dessert that will impress your guests and will satisfy every chocolate craving. Dust the cake with powdered sugar, drizzle with glaze, or top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for the perfect finishing touch!

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Every home cook needs a delicious go-to chocolate cake recipe -- better yet if it's quick and easy! When I came across this long-lost triple chocolate Bundt cake recipe in my mom's old recipe box, I knew that it would be perfect for my kitchen. After all, it's a simple dessert that takes advantage of a boxed mix (and your family will never know)!

The decadent cake is moist and rich (thanks to sour cream and pudding in the batter), tastes a lot like brownies (but not so dense), has a nice outer crust like a pound cake, and a light and tender crumb. It's basically the perfect cross between brownies and chocolate cake, since the Bundt pan gives the exterior a nice crispy texture (like the edges of a brownie), while the inside of the cake stays moist, fluffy, and soft.

Since the chocolate cake is studded with chocolate chips, you also gets pockets of melty, gooey chocolate in every bite! It's like the best part of a warm chocolate chip cookie. What more could we possibly ask for?!

What is special about a Bundt cake?

The Bundt cake pan was invented by H. David Dalquist, the owner of Minnesota's Nordic Ware company, in 1950. The unique ring-shaped pan allows more of the cake to be in contact with the edges of the pan, and therefore the heat is transferred more evenly. This allows the inside of the cake to cook through without burning the outside, creating a crisp, golden brown crust on each slice.

What's the difference between a cake and a Bundt cake?

Unlike more traditional sheet cakes or layer cakes that are baked in shallow pans, a Bundt pan has decorative sides and tops that range from ridges to fruit, or other still life scenes. It is typically used for pound cake, coffee cake, and other dense, moist cakes like this old-fashioned chocolate Bundt cake using cake mix. Since more of the cake's surface is exposed to high heat in a Bundt pan, you achieve a nice brown crust on the outside of the cake, while keeping the inside perfectly moist.

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you'll need to make a chocolate sour cream Bundt cake. As always, the specific measurements and the complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

Devil's Food cake mix: I like the super-rich, chocolatey Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix, but any similar variety will work. You can even substitute with a regular chocolate cake mix.
Sour cream: use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture.
Instant chocolate pudding mix: just the small 4-serving (3.9 ounce) box of dry mix -- not prepared into actual pudding.
Water: the liquid that thins the cake batter. You can substitute with brewed coffee, if you like.
Vegetable oil: keeps the cake super-moist. I use vegetable oil, but any neutral oil (such as canola oil) will work.
Large eggs: give the cake structure.
Chocolate chips: I like the miniature semi-sweet chocolate morsels because they're less "chunky" in the batter, making the cake easier to cleanly slice. They also disperse more throughout the batter so that you have rich chocolate chips in every bite. You can substitute with regular chocolate chips if you prefer.
Powdered sugar: for dusting the top of the cake. Skip the powdered sugar if you like, or substitute with a simple vanilla glaze or a chocolate ganache.

What does sour cream do to a cake?

The sour cream is an important ingredient, thanks to its high fat content and its acidity. The sour cream adds moisture without thinning the batter, adds fat for creaminess, helps to control the browning, and activates the leavening agents.

Why add pudding to cake mix?

The gelatin component in the instant pudding mix makes the cake super moist. It's the secret ingredient to make your cake more fluffy, too! When baking a cake in a Bundt pan, a very moist batter is necessary so that the cake doesn't dry out. Don't omit the pudding, which is a key ingredient.

How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake Using Cake Mix

Like I said, I first found this easy chocolate cake recipe in my mom's old recipe box. As my parents were packing up my childhood home and moving out of the kitchen that they had used for 35 years, Mom sent many of her old, tattered recipe cards my way (knowing that I would enjoy sifting through them)! It was called, "Claudia's Chocolate Cake," named (I assume) for one of my mom's old friends. I hope that you love it as much as we do!

Mix together the batter ingredients in a large bowl on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Transfer the batter to a greased and floured Bundt pan. Tap on the counter a couple of times to release any air bubbles.
Bake in a 350°F oven for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Do cakes bake faster in a Bundt pan?

No, in fact, Bundt cakes require a longer baking time than most other cakes. This is because Bundt cake batters are so dense and the pans are so large. You'll need about 50-60 minutes to bake this particular cake in a 350°F oven.

How to Decorate a Chocolate Bundt Cake

This rich cake really doesn't need much in the way of decorations (yet another reason I love it so much)! A simple dusting of powdered sugar looks elegant and adds just the right finishing touch. If you prefer a sweeter, more decadent finish, try glazing the cake with a vanilla glaze or a chocolate ganache glaze.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the cake on its own, or top each slice with freshly whipped cream, fresh berries, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A sprig of fresh mint would be a nice touch, too!

How to Store Chocolate Pudding Bundt Cake

Covered loosely, this cake will keep at room temperature for about 2-3 days. To extend the life of your cake, store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Can chocolate bundt cake be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze this cake! I often cut the large Bundt cake in half so that we can enjoy part of it now and save the other half for later. Allow the cake to cool completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, wrap again with aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe Variations

Loaf Cakes: If you don't have a Bundt pan, you can bake this cake in two loaf pans. The cooking time will be about the same or slightly shorter, typically 45-50 minutes in a 350°F oven.
If you don't have a box of Devil's Food cake mix, use a box of regular chocolate cake mix.
Substitute brewed coffee for the water. Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor in the cake. You can also add a little bit of espresso powder to the batter to achieve a similar result.
Use regular chocolate chips (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, or white chocolate) in lieu of the mini chocolate chips.
Finish with vanilla glaze or chocolate ganache instead of the powdered sugar. You can also omit the powdered sugar and eat the cake without any decoration or topping -- it's delicious either way!

Tips for the Best Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Grease the Bundt pan really well by coating with butter and then dusting with flour. Alternatively, you can use a cooking spray that's specifically made for baking (like this one). These options will ensure that your cake pops right out of the pan when it's done!
Let the sour cream and eggs come to room temperature. They will mix smoother into your cake batter.
Use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor and texture.
Do not over-bake the cake or it can become dry. Start checking for doneness by the 50-minute mark, since total baking times will vary depending on your personal oven and the type and color of Bundt pan that you use.
Don't leave the cake in the pan for too long after baking -- about 10-15 minutes is plenty. After that, condensation will start to form and the moisture will negatively impact the crust.
The cake gets better as it sits, so this is a nice dessert option to prepare the day before you plan to serve it. Wait to dust with powdered sugar until right before serving.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes to Try

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