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4.56 stars (143 ratings)Dec 8, 2015120
This chocolate fudge sour cream bundt cake is a show-stopper of a dessert perfect for your holiday table or really any time you need a dessert!
I don’t know, does a cake this pretty really need words?
For years, I’ve wanted a homemade version of a chocolate sour cream bundt cake to replace an old favorite that calls for a cake mix.
And I don’t think we need to have the whole “love the baker, hate the cake mix” talk do we?
The short synopsis: I have nothing against people who use cake mixes (some people very close to me – ahem, mom – use cake mixes and I gloriously shove the baked cakes in my mouth when they are served, no lie) but I don’t use cake mixes very often in my own life.
I kind of like the from-scratch challenge. However, I think we can all be friends no matter where we fall on the cake mix spectrum, right? Right. Cake mix guilt doth not belong here.
Moving right along, this cake is amazing.
And it’s not fussy or difficult. Stir, whisk, mix, scrape – or something like that – and you’re done.
Seriously, greasing the nooks and crannies of that bundt pan may be the hardest part (did that sentence sound weird to anyone else?) but only because bundt pans are inherently annoying (but the cakes are fun and pretty in the end).
The thick, fudgy frosting is rustic and dare I say a bit artistic dripping all nonchalantly down the sides of the cake as it does.
If your personality needs you to smooth it out a bit, no worries. You go ahead and smooth it into an even, glossy layer.
Rich and decadent, this super moist cake is not for the chocolate faint of heart, which basically means it lives in my dreams and heart always.
It’s a show-stopper of a dessert perfect for your holiday table this year or really any time you need a dessert that will drop people to their knees.
One Year Ago: Cinnamon Caramels {Chocolate Dipped If You Dare}
Two Years Ago: Licorice Caramels
Three Years Ago: White Chipper Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
4.56 stars (143 ratings)
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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
Chocolate: using bittersweet chocolate in the glaze is delicious (obvs) but may not be sweet enough for some people’s taste so add sugar to taste, if needed (I like it dark and rich without the sugar but that’s a personal preference). Using semisweet chocolate will make it sweeter, too.
Author: Mel
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 625kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 24g, Cholesterol: 101mg, Sodium: 418mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 39g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: combined severalrecipes to make the perfect cake (including Cook’s Illustrated version and one at Two Peas and Their Pod)
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Cakes Chocolate Christmas Desserts
posted on December 8, 2015 (last updated October 26, 2022)
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120 comments on “Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake”
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Vi — Reply
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!!!!!
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Mel — Reply
Thank you so much, Vi!
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Heidi Allred — Reply
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.
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Terri Bradshaw — Reply
Several posts have mentioned replacing the water with coffee. I am curious if anyone can share how it turned out with the coffee?
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Susan Frisbie — Reply
This cake is absolute heaven. Please excuse me as I return to my sugar coma (totally worth it!). Thanks Mel for another amazing recipe!
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Charlie — Reply
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.
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Nicole — Reply
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?
See AlsoRoot Beer Chocolate Cake-
Mel — Reply
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.
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Bri — Reply
This has become my favorite chocolate cake. It is perfection!
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Bobbi — Reply
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.
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Jayne — Reply
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.
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Brenna — Reply
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.
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Monica — Reply
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
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Diane — Reply
Does the cake turn out this small? If so would you recommend doubling the recipe?
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Mel — Reply
Hi Diane, I’m not sure what you mean by a small cake?
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Kim — Reply
Hey! Can’t wait to make this! What size bundt pan? Are there other pans I could use? TIA!
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Mel — Reply
You can use a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan. I haven’t tried this in other pan shapes/sizes – sorry!
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Karen — Reply
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!!!!
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Elinor — Reply
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!
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Mel — Reply
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!
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Julie — Reply
This is the best cake I have ever had! Sooooo good.
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Mylee — Reply
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!
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Mylee — Reply
Also, I did not make the glaze yet.
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Mel — Reply
I would wrap really well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until tomorrow.
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Mylee — Reply
Thanks so much!
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Diana — Reply
I live at 6900 feet. Has anyone modified the recipe for high altitude? If yes, what did you change.
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Nina Schiavone — Reply
Has anyone made this recipe in 2 round cake pans instead of a bundt pan?
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roxanne — Reply
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!!!
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Cari — Reply
This was amazing! I suggest doing a cream cheese frosting to cut the bitterness of the chocolate.
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Phyllis — Reply
I haven’t made this cake yet but was wondering if gluten flour could be used instead of regular flour?
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Mel — Reply
I haven’t tried that, but if it is a cup-for-cup type GF flour, you could definitely experiment!
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Kimmy — Reply
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!
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Megan — Reply
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.)
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Rachel +Ava — Reply
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?
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Mel — Reply
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.
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Rachel + Ava — Reply
Ok! thanks!
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Mary — Reply
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.
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Sarah — Reply
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!!
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Kimberly — Reply
Looking forward to making this cake for Christmas. I add a little mint extract in the glaze for a peppermint taste.
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Dotty Kennedy — Reply
Let it cool longer before turning it out.
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Dotty Kennedy — Reply
It didn’t turn out well for me. Had to cook it much longer than it said. It fell apart when I took it out of the pan. Don’t recommend this recipe.
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