Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

This chocolate Bundt Cake is so moist and tender! We use buttermilk (to add tenderness and subtle tang) with vegetable oil to add extra moistness to the cake. Towards the end of mixing the batter we stream in hot water which helps the cocoa powder bloom and really brighten the chocolate flavor in the cake. The cherry on top to this cake is the frosting! It is heavenly!!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 598kcal

Author Whitney Wright

Ingredients

Cake

2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups buttermilk at room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cup very hot water

Chocolate Frosting/Glaze

6 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter if using salted butter eliminate the salt in the frosting
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar measured then sifted

Instructions

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, flour and then generously spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray that contains flour. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the eggs, egg yolk, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until combined.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking soda and mix on low speed. Once the dry ingredients are starting to combine with the wet ingredients, slowly stream in the hot water. Once the hot water has combined, continue mixing on low speed for 1 additional minute.
Pour the cake batter into the prepped bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Frosting/Glaze

Combine chocolate, butter, and half and half in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 20 second increments (stirring very well in between) until chocolate and butter are completely melted. At this stage the mixture will appear slightly gritty but don't worry, it will smooth out when you add the powdered sugar.
Whisk the salt and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. Lastly, whisk the powdered sugar until smooth. Let the frosting sit for 1-5 minutes. If you were to frost the cake right away, the frosting will slide off the sides of the cake.

Notes

Make sure to spray the bundt pan liberally with nonstick spray that contains flour in it! Or better yet grease and flour with butter or shortening and THEN spray the pan too. 😊

For the frosting, after you’ve melted the chocolate, butter and half and half, the mixture will appear slightly gritty. Don't worry, it will smooth out when you add the powdered sugar!

Make sure the cake has cooled to room temperature and the chocolate glaze frosting has sat for up to 5 minutes. If you were to frost the cake right away, the frosting would slide down the sides of the cake.

Don’t over mix the cake when you add the dry ingredients to the wet..

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing: Store the chocolate bundt cake with buttermilk covered in the fridge for 3-5 days. It needs to be refrigerated because of the half and half in the frosting.

Once chilled, the frosting shouldn’t be reheated. Since it’s a ganache frosting, reheating it or cooling it down (by chilling it in the fridge) then stirring or whisking it could cause the chocolate to go gritty again in the frosting. Because of this, I recommend making the cake ahead of time, but then making the chocolate ganache frosting the day of.

Flash freeze the frosted cake it in the freezer until solid, then wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight, then remove, uncover and continue thawing at room temperature.

Nutrition