Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

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This Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake is the perfect chocolate cake for every chocolate lover. It’s moist, fluffy, rich, and chocolatey, and topped with the best chocolate cream cheese frosting.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
• Important Ingredients You’ll Need
• How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Helpful Recipe Tips and Notes
• Preparation and Storage
• Get the Recipe

Easy Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

I am pretty sure I could eat this entire Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake by myself. Without a problem. Yes, it’s that good.

This cake is SUPER light and fluffy with a delicate crumb. It stays moist for days and it’s covered in a velvety chocolate cream cheese frosting that literally melts in your mouth.

The best part is it’s actually super easy to make! We’re creating a moist but light texture with the addition of sour cream, oil, brewed coffee, and milk, which are all key ingredients in my basic chocolate cake recipe.

Important Ingredients You’ll Need

Be sure to pay attention to the temperature of the required ingredients, as they play an important factor in the batter coming together.

• Oil – Make sure you use a neutral oil such as vegetable oil.
• Sour Cream – If you don’t have sour cream, you can swap it out for nonfat Greek yogurt.
• Cocoa Powder – I use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder because it has the richest chocolate flavor. You can also use regular, unsweetened cocoa powder if that’s what you have on hand.
• Espresso Powder – this is optional but does enhance the flavor. A finely ground coffee also works.
• Brewed Coffee – I definitely recommend using coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. If you’d rather not use coffee, you can try substituting it with milk. It will still be good, but won’t have quite the same richness.
• Milk – I use nonfat milk, but you can use whatever you hand on hand.
• Cream Cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese for the creamiest frosting texture.

How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

This simple chocolate cake requires just 15 minutes of hands-on time. The most time-consuming part of putting together this cake is waiting for it to cool before frosting! Here’s a summary of the steps.

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour your bundt pan using a combination of flour and cocoa powder.
2. Mix the wet ingredients: In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until combined. Add in the oil, vanilla, and sour cream, then beat until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients and combine the coffee with the milk. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the liquid to the wet ingredients and mix to combine on a low speed. Repeat with the dry and liquid ingredients. The key to ensuring a well-mixed, but not overly beaten batter is to mix at a low speed and scrape down the bowl as needed.
4. Bake and cool: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Baking times will vary, but to test for doneness, insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake in a couple of spots. Remove from the oven and cool completely. To help release the cake from the pan, gently run the flat edge of a knife around the outside edge.
5. Make the frosting: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, then beat until combined. One teaspoon at a time, add in the heavy cream just until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
6. Frost, slice, and serve: Place the cream cheese in a piping bag, then pipe the frosting along the top and sides of the cooled cake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Recipe Tips and Notes

• Grease and flour the pan. Before adding the batter to the pan, generously grease it with shortening (I prefer Crisco), then sprinkle it with a mixture of flour and cocoa powder. Using just flour can create a white residue on the outside of the cake.
• The bake time will vary depending on the type and size of the pan you use. I recommend using at least a 10-cup bundt pan.
• The consistency of the cream cheese frosting should be thick, but still thin enough that it will slide down the side of the cake while you are piping and stop at the bottom. If you aren’t sure, you can always test it on a glass or the side of a bowl.
• If you need to adjust the texture of the frosting, just add powdered sugar or cocoa powder if it’s too thin or add additional liquid if it’s too thick.

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Preparation and Storage

Want to prep the cake in advance? You can bake it and store it at room temperature or in the freezer!

This will stay fresh for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I would recommend adding the frosting the day you plan to serve it.

To freeze, bake as directed, cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap twice, and again in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw to room temperature before frosting.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

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• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 38 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minute
• Yield: 12 slices

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Description

This Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake is the perfect chocolate cake for every chocolate lover. It’s moist, fluffy, rich, and chocolatey, and topped with the best chocolate cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

For the Cake

• 1 ½ cups (285g) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon (14.8ml) vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (177 ml) sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
• ½ cup (55g) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tablespoon (6g) espresso powder (optional)
• 2 teaspoons (7.5 g) baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• 1 cup (236 ml) hot brewed coffee
• ¼ cup (59m) milk, at room temperature

For the Frosting

• 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups  (260g) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons (14g) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon (5g) pure vanilla extract
• 4–5 teaspoons (6ml)  heavy whipping cream or milk, cold

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour your bundt pan using a combination of flour and cocoa powder.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for approximately 2 minutes until well combined. Next add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients then combine the coffee with the milk. To the batter, alternate adding half the dry ingredients followed by half of the liquid and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, keeping a careful eye on the baking during the last few minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.
5. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack, and after 5 minutes, run a knife around the outside edge of your cake and in the center to release it from the sides of the pan. Turn it out onto a plate or cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until the ingredients are well combined.  Slowly add the heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time until the cream cheese reaches your desired consistency. It should still be thick, not runny, but it should run off your spoon without too much effort.
2. Place the cream cheese in a piping bag and cut off the edge of the piping bag about ¼-inch from the bottom. Pipe the cream cheese frosting along the top and sides of the cake.

Equipment

10 cup bundt pan

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Notes

• Baking times will vary depending on the type and size pan you use. Bake on a rack that is centered in your oven. I recommend using at least a 10 cup bundt pan
• To ensure your bundt cake doesn’t stick, generously grease and flour the pan. I prefer using Crisco spread, not baking spray.
• Since this is a chocolate bundt, I like to combine a little bit of flour with cocoa powder to dust the pan
• I let my cake cool in the pan for only about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the outside edge of your cake and in the center to release it from the sides of the pan. Turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

Ingredient Substitutions: 

• • Sour cream can be substituted with Greek or Plain yogurt but it adds moisture and texture to the cake, so don’t skip it.
  • Brewed coffee: If you have to, you can substitute it with milk.
  • Cocoa powder:  Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder can be substituted with regular cocoa powder if needed

Storage

• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I would recommend adding the frosting the day you plan to serve it.

• To freeze, bake as directed, cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap twice, and again in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw to room temperature before frosting.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 slice

Calories: 425

Sugar: 46g

Sodium: 392mg

Fat: 17g

Carbohydrates: 66g

Fiber: 2g

Protein: 6g

Cholesterol: 64mg

• Category: Cake
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American