Perfectly Chocolate Cake Bundt Cake topped with Ganache Glaze is one of my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipes. And I'm absolutely sure it's a favorite because I found myself teaching the recipe to my daughter, which is always a clue. With so many chocolate cake recipes, when you find one you feel compelled to teach, it's the one. Here's the latest photo. I finaly updated it all these years.
Old Photo with Melted Marshmallow Frosting
Here's the old one. I'm only keeping it here so you can see the Marshmallow Frosting I used to use. I'll post the recipe somewhere else and link to it, but I've changed the topping to my favorite ganache glaze, which I suppose is really an icing but I've been calling it glaze.
This is the fastest, most convenient, and economical cake I know of. Plus you probably have all the ingredients in the pantry right now. No sour cream? No worries! This is a chocolate Bundt cake without sour cream. No butter? Again -- no problem. This Perfectly Chocolate Cake calls for oil. And the cake is so easy. I usually use an electric mixer to prepare the batter, but with some elbow grease you can make the cake with just bowls and spoons.
Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake as a Bundt
The "secret" source of this recipe is Hershey's, but I got it years ago from my cousin, Julie. We usually make it as cupcakes or layers, but I've been on a Bundt cake kick and wanted to use a fluted pan. For the cocoa powder, I use natural, but Dutch process also works well. And if you prefer using buttermilk in place of milk or coffee in place of water, go for it. The only thing to watch carefully is the time. The cake in the photo was done in 45 minutes, but sometimes it takes up to 55 depending on your oven and Bundt pan.
My Favorite Chocolate Ganache Glaze
My old picture shows the cake with The Cake Mix Doctor's marshmallow frosting. It's a good one, but these days I almost always use what I call Chocolate Ganache Glaze. It's really more of an icing than a glaze, and it's incredibly easy. You can make it from start to finish in the microwave, and vary the flavors by using different types/brands of dark or semisweet chocolate.
Recipe
Perfectly Chocolate Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (230 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (385 grams to 400 grams)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural (60 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk or buttermilk see note if using buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water or coffee (230 grams)
Ganache Glaze/Icing
- 3 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped (84 grams)
- ½ tablespoon corn syrup (10 grams)
- ½ to 1 tablespoon butter (salted is great) if using unsalted add tiny pinch of salt (7 to 14 grams)
- ⅓ cup cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a Bundt pan with flour-added baking spray.
- Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat two minutes with electric mixer at medium speed. Stir in water until blended. Batter will be thin.
- Pour batter in the Bundt pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until skewer or pick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn it from the Bundt.
- We like to make the ganache in large microwave-safe measuring cups. Feel free to use a saucepan and bowls if you prefer.
- In one 2 cup microwave-safe measure (or bowl), combine the chopped chocolate, corn syrup and butter.
- In a second microwave-safe measure, heat the cream just until it begins simmering. This should only take 30-60 seconds depending on your microwave.
- Gradually stir the hot cream into the chocolate mixture. It will go from thin to thick, thin to thick and might seem to thin at first. It thickens as it cools. However, if it does seem to thin to you as you add the cream you can add less.
- Stir until very smooth. Let cool slightly if it's still seems thin, then drizzle over the cake.
Anna says
Amy, no problem! Here it is. I think I also used it on the Fiddler on the Roof Cake.
Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3/4 cup small or 6 large marshmallows
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon of milk
1/2 cup unsweetened natural or Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift the powdered sugar and set aside. Combine the butter, marshmallows and milk in a large (3 quart) saucepan. Heat on medium to medium low, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Add about half the powdered sugar and stir well, then gradually add more until you get just the consistency you want. I usually use it all. Add vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour over the cake, letting it fall down the sides and into the center.
Amy says
Hi, I just love this recipe! Do you by chance still have the marshmallow frosting recipe tho…that one was My favorite and now I can’t find it anywhere!
Anna says
Actually, it means 1 1/2 teaspoons each.
Raquelle says
Good evening Anna I made this cake twice it cake out perfect I just can’t remember the measurements for the baking powder and baking soda. It reads 1 1/2 so do mean 1/2 teaspoon of each.
Raquelle says
Thanks Anna have a blessed evening I will make this cake again tonight for a cookout tomorrow and I did it for our Father's Day brunch it was a hit !!!! Thanks for sharing
Anna says
Hi Raquelle,
The cake only has oil, so you don't have to worry about that part, but for the icing I recommend any butter you have around. I used unsalted, but in this case I think salted might be just as good or even better.
Raquelle says
Cake is great !!!!! Do I eliminate the salt if using salted butter I only have salted butter today
Melanie says
I made this recipe tonight and it was a hit! It was moist and super chocolatey. I used a cup of hot water with about 2 tsp of instant decaf coffees and I added about a 1/2 c choc chips and it was nice and fudgy. I was worried it would be dry but boy was i wrong! I served it with ice cream and or whipped cream. What a decadent dessert night. Thanks for a great recipe
Anna says
Bill, thanks for the comment! This is one of my favorites, too.
Bill says
This cake is wonderful! I don't even need frosting! This is coming from a cake monster!
Michelle says
I tried this cake and it was yummy, moist, soft and glossy 🙂
Linda says
Anna, the cakes all came out great, even with the overflow. The 3 cup bundt pans (or "bundform" as they're described on the insert.) are made by Kaiser and I got them on amazon. They're cast aluminum, nonstick, and I got two different designs. One cake is a perfect size for 2 - 4 people, so depending on which recipe you use, you'll get two cakes OR two cakes with a dozen or so cupcakes!
Anna says
Linda, thanks for the info! I usually use a 10 inch, 12 cup Bundt pan for this recipe or I divide it in half and use a 6 cup Bundt pan. I love the 6 cup size because it accommodates a half batch of almost any standard size Bundt. The 3 cup size Bundt pans must be very cute! I guess next time you might want to just halve the recipe and then divide among the two 3 cup Bundts.
Now I feel like I need to buy a couple of 3 cup Bundts. Those must be handy.
Linda says
Hi, I just made this -still baking-but wanted to share. I have two 3-cup bundt pans, and am using them for the first time. The recipes included with them has about the same volume as this, and says to divide between the two. I ended out filling both pans about 3/4 full, and then having enough batter for 9 regular sized cupcakes. As I'm watching them bake, that was too much batter for the pans. They didn't overflow per se, but have risen above the top rim and are sort of mushrooming. Next time, I'll pour batter into 12 cupcakes, and then divide the remainder between the two bunds pans. Oh no, just looked and one of the pans did overflow. I shouldn't have pushed it. Maybe it was the whiskey I substituted for part of the water. :). I was in Wegmans earlier and they were handling out samples of their Irish cream ice cream. The young woman said she had made a chocolate cake, left it unfrosted and served the ice cream over it. I couldn't resist either!
Jennifer J-W says
Anna,
I have made this recipe often and love bundt cake. However, for a change, I'm thinking of making it as a layer cake and making 7 minute icing. I think it'll be awesome!
Jennifer
Anna says
Joy, I used a 12 cup Bundt. Just halve the recipe and you'll be fine. You might have to adjust the baking temp and time somewhat for silicone, but I'm not sure.
Joy says
Hello Anna, just a quick question: what size bundt pan did you use? I have a 6-cup silicone bundt pan (the floppy kind), but that seems a bit small for this recipe. Fill it up part way perhaps? The cake looks yummy, especially with that glaze! 🙂
Anna says
Glad you liked it! What we've noticed around here is that it gets better with age, so you may like it even better today and tomorrow than you did last night.
But yes, I love that it uses oil. It's cheaper, easier to use and keeps the cake moist.
Jennifer says
I made this last night and it turned out really well. I was worried about the lack of butter or melted chocolate making it not rich/chocolate-y enough, so I added some mini-chocolate chips (about 1/3 a cup) and I really should have left them out. It would have been plenty chocolate-y without them.
I also used a bit of buttermilk as I had about a 1/3 a cup on hand and just mixed it with 2/3 a cup of skim milk.
Oh, and I did add about a Tbs of espresso powder to the boiling water.
Anna says
Hi Wendy,
This particular icing/frosting is really shiny, but it doesn't set up quite like ganache. That is, it's a little bit sticky. I have tried so many ganache and icing recipes that I forget which is which, but one that I have used over and over and that you might like is the on I use on my Boston Cream Pies and Boston Cream Poke cake recipe. It's super easy and definitely a little firmer than the one in this photo. Here's the link. https://www.cookiemadness.net/2012/03/boston-cream-poke-cake/ It uses 4 tablespoons butter, 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar, some boiling water and a little vanilla.
Wendy says
There is something special about a Bundt cake. This one looks wonderful! Anna, does this frosting/glaze set/dry to the point where you can touch it and nothing sticks to your finger? I am looking everywhere for a ganache-like frosting that really sets up. Yours is SO shiny and pretty.
Ela says
You're right, I have everything in the pantry to make this cake. It looks moist and delicious.
I always wonder, what makes a chocolate frosting shiny and I would like to achieve that when making chocolate frosting. I like poured icing/frosting. What do you think is the secret?
Sue says
I love a good chocolate bundt cake recipe. I'll have to give this a try. This is the one I usually make. https://www.cookiemadness.net/2009/08/a-really-good-chocolate-bundt-cake/
I made Rice Krispie Bars for game day. Aren't you impressed!? I did brown the butter, woo hoo!!
Karen says
Oh yummy! I wish my hubby liked chocolate cake. Sigh, what event is coming up that I can make this to take to and have a slice and not the whole thing left over at home???
Martha says
This was the chocolate cake recipe my Mom made when I was a kid, but she most often baked it in a 9x13 pan, never a bundt. Can't wait to give it a try. The icing looks and sounds perfect.
Chewthefat says
In a word--amazing! I'm not a marshmallow person, but that frosting sounds quite intriguing as well. The frosting makes it look like a giant Hostess cupcake (with the peelable frosting).
Mary Lynn says
Anna, I been wanting to try out my new Bundt pan and this the perfect recipe for us. Since our team (Pittsburgh Steelers) are not in the Super Bowl and we are waiting for more snow to fall, I have been cooking/baking all weekend.
Anna says
Sheila, my cake was still a little warm when I put the frosting on. However, the frosting goes on while the frosting itself is warm, so it really doesn't matter. If you want the frosting to be a little thicker, you can let it sit and cool in the pan. I poured mine on almost immediately after taking it off the stove because I wanted it to really drip down all over the cake. A lot of it went into that center hole, but I dug it out.
Sheila says
YUM! Is the frosting put on while the cake is warm? Thanks!
Cookie Sleuth says
This looks amazing! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!