High Altitude Chocolate Bundt Cake

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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 or in mini bundt pans for individual chocolate cakes, 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.

A chocolate bundt cake on a wooden cake stand.

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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.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

A piece of chocolate bundt cake dusted with powdered sugar.

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.

A just baked chocolate cake in a bundt pan.

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.

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes

Mini chocolate bundt cakes or bundtlettes make a beautiful dessert for guests, and they look just a little more sophisticated than cupcakes.
Spray your mini bundt pans with non-stick baking spray. This recipe works well baked in eight of these four-inch mini kugelhopf bundt pans.
Set the pans on a rimmed baking sheet. A small amount of batter may spill through the center hole of the pans, and the baking sheet is needed to catch it so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of your oven.
Divide the batter between the pans, filling them 3/4 full.
Bake the cakes for about 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack or onto individual plates.
Mini bundt cakes cool off quickly, so you can serve them pretty much right away. Drizzle with chocolate ganache or a simple vanilla icing, dust with powdered sugar, or serve them with a scoop of ice cream.

Chocolate cake batter in mini chocolate bundt cake molds.

Chocolate cake baked in mini bundt pans.

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 in the cake batter, you can use semi sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, between 55-65% cacao.

Can I bake this cake in a loaf pan?

This recipe makes too much batter for one loaf pan. You can find my chocolate loaf cake recipe here.

Where did you get the mini bundt pans?

I used these mini nonstick bundt pans with a classic kugelhopf shape. I still recommend spraying the pans with nonstick baking spray to ensure easy release.

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.

How should I store leftover chocolate bundt cake?

Store the leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.

Slices of chocolate bundt cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Decorative piped cream cheese buttercream on a sweet potato bundt cake. — Sweet Potato Bundt Cake

Mini pumpkin bundt cakes baked in kugelhopf bundtlette pans. — Sweet Potato Bundt Cake

Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!

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