Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache

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This chocolate Bundt cake is rich, moist, and full of deep cocoa flavor, all wrapped up in an effortlessly impressive presentation. It’s sturdy enough to release cleanly from every groove of your Bundt pan but soft enough to melt in your mouth with every stick-to-your-fork bite. Finished with a silky ganache that complements the cake without covering it up, this is chocolate cake made simple with absolutely no sacrifice on flavor.

But here’s the thing: that ultra-tender crumb that makes it so perfect for layer cakes doesn’t quite cut it for a Bundt pan. It’s too soft, and if you’ve ever lost half a cake to a Bundt pan mishap, you know exactly what I mean (*shudders in the memory of too many times*).

So while this Bundt cake starts with the same spirit as my tried-and-true chocolate layer cake, I made some thoughtful changes to make sure it bakes up with more structure without sacrificing flavor or softness. The result is a cake that releases from the pan like a dream (especially if you use my homemade cake release— a MUST with Bundts) and still delivers that deep, rich chocolate experience my readers love and trust. You’ll still get that moist, velvety crumb, but in a sturdier package built specifically for Bundt pan success.

Think of this recipe as the Bundt version of my forever favorite: carefully adapted, thoughtfully tested, and totally dependable. It’s a recipe that reflects everything I’ve learned from over a decade of cake baking (including how to balance ingredients for flavor and form, how to get that perfect rise, and how to make something as show-stopping as a layer cake) but with a whole lot less effort. This is your fuss-free, can’t-fail, chocolate Bundt beauty.

And the best part? It’s still 100% scratch-made and so simple to make.

Here’s the point where you might worry about a metallic taste, but lucky for you, here’s the science: baking powder needs acidity to activate. While natural cocoa powder would typically bring that acidity, this recipe uses Dutch processed cocoa, which is neutral, so I’ve already balanced the ratios for you. This means that the extra leavener plays nice and helps your cake rise tall and proud minus any unwanted taste. You’re welcome.

For the cake batter, you will need:
• granulated sugar
• light brown sugar
• all-purpose flour
• Dutch processed cocoa powder
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• eggs
• oil (vegetable, avocado, or melted coconut oil work here)
• vanilla extract
• coffee

I use this ganache around my site so much. I use it as the filling in my s’mores layer cake, as a topping on my chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, and as a main ingredient in my s’mores dip, to name a few.

You ready for how easy this is?

Put 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips into a bowl.

Heat ⅔ cup of heavy cream in a saucepan or in the microwave until it’s steaming.

Pour it over the chocolate chips.

Stir it up.

BOOM. UNFANCY GANACHE.

Is that not just the ultimate chocolate Bundt cake right there?

Consider any of the following:
• classic vanilla buttercream
• peanut butter frosting
• cream cheese frosting
• strawberry buttercream
• cookie dough frosting
• whipped white chocolate ganache frosting
• mint chocolate chip buttercream
• orange cream cheese frosting
• marshmallow buttercream