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Removing slice from glazed chocolate bundt cake.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

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5 from 12 reviews

This is a fantastic moist cake for chocolate lovers! It has a silky crumb, rich chocolate flavor, and a thick ganache frosting that complements it perfectly. A sweet and irresistible cake that can be made ahead and frozen. 

  • Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

Units

For the cake:

  • 3/4 cup (70g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup warm coffee or water (you can use half the amount of liquor, such as Port or Kahlua)
  • 2 1/4 cups (310g) cake or all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (180g) sour cream, at room temperature

For the ganache:

  • 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey or corn syrup

Instructions

For the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180°C.
  2. Butter and flour a 10 or 12-cup bundt cake pan. Use soft butter (not melted), flour it, and refrigerate while making the batter. Or use baking spray with flour in it. Or use cake release goop.
  3. Mix cocoa powder with hot (not boiling) coffee or water in a medium bowl until smooth. Reserve.
  4. Beat butter in a large bowl for 20 seconds and gradually add sugars while you continue beating until very creamy, about 3 minutes.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat for 1 minute after the last one is added.
  6. Add vanilla extract and sour cream to the chocolate mixture and mix to incorporate well.
  7. Add sifted* dry ingredients in three additions to the butter mixture, alternating with the chocolate mixture in two additions. Don't worry if the batter looks a bit curdled at times. *Sift flour, baking soda, powder, and salt in a separate bowl or have the ingredients measured and sift directly over the cake batter as you add them (like I do). 
  8. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top.
  9. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
  10. Let cool a few minutes and carefully unmold on a wire rack. Make sure the sides and center are loose before doing so.
  11. Cool completely before glazing.
  12. Glazing: set the cold cake on a wire rack that's placed on a large piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the ganache from the top all around the cake and let it drip. You can reuse the drippings by simply collecting them with a spatula and drizzling them over the cake again. 

For the chocolate ganache glaze:

  1. Finely chop the chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. I always use glass or ceramic bowls.
  2. Heat cream with sugar in a small saucepan.
  3. Remove *just* when it's about to boil. It can have small bubbles on the outer rim or you'll see movement like large bubbles are wanting to burst.
  4. Immediately cover the chopped chocolate with the hot cream. For best results make sure all the chocolate is covered.
  5. Let stand 3 minutes to soften.
  6. Start mixing from the middle out with a wire whisk. The chocolate will mix with the cream and create a smooth and shiny chocolate mixture.
  7. Add honey or corn syrup, mix well and it's ready to use. If it's too thin and hot still, let it cool down for ten minutes or so, or until it's the consistency you want.

Notes

Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!

Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 

Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.

Oven: having the right oven temperature is crucial. That said, I find that this cake benefits from baking it at 350° for about 40 minutes and then turning it down to 325°. It gives it an extra burst and it rises more. Might be just my oven, but if you feel it's not cracking and growing as it should, you can try it and see. After that, I sometimes end it at 350° for the last 5-10 minutes. That depends a lot on the pan size. For very large bundt cakes it is a good idea.

Glaze: this chocolate bundt cake needs no glaze, but the chocolate ganache I use in this recipe is so incredibly good, that I urge you to try it. With a sprinkle of powdered sugar (or nothing at all), it is a fabulous simple chocolate cake.

Storing: I keep it wrapped in plastic for up to 2 days at room temperature (in a normal or cool environment, not a hot one), and if there are leftovers (the nerve!) I freeze them. It also lasts for several days in the refrigerator, always well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Variation: you can use hot prepared coffee instead of water for a deeper chocolate flavor. Or substitute half of the water for a liquor, such as port, Kahlua, Cointreau, or any other you like that complements the chocolate.

  • Author: Paula Montenegro
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cooling time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/10
  • Calories: 649
  • Sugar: 44.9 g
  • Sodium: 356.4 mg
  • Fat: 35.8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 77.5 g
  • Fiber: 4.7 g
  • Protein: 9.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 126.7 mg

Find it online: https://vintagekitchennotes.com/chocolate-port-bundt-cake/