This high altitude chocolate bundt cake is tender, moist and full of rich dark chocolate flavor from both Dutch-processed cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate. Baked in a pretty bundt pan, it looks as pretty as it is delicious!
Looking for more high altitude bundt cake recipes? You might also like my sweet potato bundt cake with cream cheese frosting, vanilla bean cream cheese pound cake, and butter pecan pound cake with bourbon icing.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
So Moist and Chocolatey. This cake has the most incredible texture that’s moist and a little dense, with a rich dark chocolate flavor.
Easy to Make. The cake batter is quick and simple to make. Simply whisk everything together in a bowl, pour into your bundt pan, and bake.
Delicious Plain. This is a cake that’s fantastic on its own, but even better with a little sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. Unsalted butter gives this cake a rich, buttery flavor and dense texture.
- Chocolate. Choose a good quality dark chocolate, between 55-65% cacao, for a deep chocolate flavor. You can also use melted chocolate chips, if you prefer.
- Vegetable Oil. Adds moisture.
- Milk + Sour Cream. Whole milk and full fat sour cream adds richness, moisture and acidity, for a tender, soft cake crumb.
- Eggs. Gives the cake structure and strength.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Flour. All purpose flour gives the cake structure and strength.
- Cocoa Powder. Be sure to use unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, not natural cocoa powder.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture.
- Espresso Powder. Enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the cake so it rises as it bakes.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F and thoroughly grease your bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and chocolate with the oil, milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk for 10-15 seconds until smooth and well combined.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it. Be careful not to over-bake, or the cake can dry out.
- Cool the cake in the pan for exactly 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, carefully remove the pan, and let cool completely before slicing. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days, or freeze indefinitely.
Recipe Variations
Coffee Soak
After turning your chocolate cake out of the bundt pan, brush the top of the cake with several tablespoons of strong coffee. As the coffee soaks into the cake, it will make it exceptionally moist.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate and cream cheese are fantastic together. A sweetened cream cheese frosting would be delicious on this cake. Get the recipe here.
Chocolate Ganache
For even more chocolate goodness, drizzle the cake with a rich dark chocolate ganache. Get the recipe here.
Whipped Cream
I love the simplicity of chocolate bundt cake and whipped cream. In a bowl, combine 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whip with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy. Serve the whipped cream with slices of cake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bundt pan did you use?
I used the Nordic Ware Jubilee Bundt Pan. It’s made of heavy cast aluminum, and the pan has a 10-cup capacity, making it the perfect size for today’s chocolate bundt cake.
What cocoa powder and chocolate did you use?
I always use unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. In today’s cake, I used King Arthur Baking Double Dutch Dark Cocoa Powder. For the melted chocolate, I used Chocolove Rich Dark Chocolate (65% cacao).
Can I bake this cake in a loaf pan?
Yes you can, but it’s too much batter for one loaf pan. Either scale the recipe down to 2/3, or just bake the extra batter in another smaller pan.
Why did my cake stick to the bundt pan?
Did you grease the pan thoroughly? Personally, I don’t ever bother with using butter + flour to grease bundt pans, since I don’t trust that they’ll release all the intricate cracks and crevices of the cake design. I always use a non-stick baking spray (not cooking spray) to grease my pans and ensure the cake releases perfectly.
Also, it’s important to cool the cake in the pan for exactly 15 minutes before turning it out. If the cake is too hot or too cold, it might not release without sticking and tearing.
Can I make this recipe if I don’t live at high altitude?
You certainly can, but you’ll likely need to make a few adjustments to the ingredients. I’d suggest reading this article on high altitude baking for guidance.
Can I bake this cake in advance and freeze it?
Yes, absolutely. First, cool the cake until it’s just slightly warm. Then you can wrap the whole cake (or individual slices) in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3-6 months.
You Might Also Like
Sweet Potato Bundt Cake 
Butter Pecan Pound Cake 
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Pound Cake 
Lemon Loaf Bread
Favorite Products
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude Chocolate Bundt Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet.
Equipment
- Bundt Pan (10 cup capacity)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 oz good-quality dark chocolate, 55-65% cacao, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup full-fat sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp espresso powder or instant coffee
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F and thoroughly grease your bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and chocolate with the oil, milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk for 10-15 seconds until smooth and well combined.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the top. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it. Be careful not to over-bake, or the cake can dry out.
- Cool the cake in the pan for exactly 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, carefully remove the pan, and let cool completely before slicing. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days, or freeze indefinitely.
Where did you buy the cake stand? It is beautiful.
That cake stand is from Etsy – my husband bought it for me for Christmas. 🙂
Like so many of her other recipes I LOVE this cake. It’s a perfect combination of chocolate and moist. I used the ganache topping for some extra added chocolate punch! Thanks for sharing the recipe and your beautiful work!! Debbie
I just need to find out if I should adjust the leavening (or anything else) for my higher elevation of 8200′?
It’s likely that it will work fine as is at your altitude, or just with the leavening slightly reduced. I have some helpful info on this page: https://curlygirlkitchen.com/baking-faqs/