ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE FUDGE BUNDT CAKE — This amazing chocolate cake starts with a cake mix and couldn’t be easier or more decadent.
There are a lot of recipes for chocolate cake out there, and believe me I’ve tried quite a few. But I always come back to the Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake.
It is hands-down, tried and tested, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made!
This is absolutely THE answer to a chocolate lovers cake. I follow your recipe and it turns out perfectly each time, a super moist, decadently delicious cake. Thank you so much for the recipe!!! ~ Mary Beth
In fact, I’ve been making this rich, decadent chocolate bundt cake for over 20 years and in all that time, I’ve never found another recipe that comes close to being as rich, dense and decadent.
It’s my go-to chocolate cake recipe and I’ve never served anywhere that it didn’t receive rave reviews.
I’m not a big fan of regular old cake from a box mix, but this has enough additions to transform it into a dense, moist, gooey cake.
I have made this cake several times and it is to die for!! Yummy chocolatey goodness in every single bite! Today I plan to make cupcakes for the school bake sale using this recipe! Bet they sell out fast! ~ Nancy
I rarely even frost it, although it’s fabulous drizzled with this homemade chocolate ganache, or topped with some homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.
Rather than greasing and flouring my bundt pan, I just use a generous coating of Baker’s Joy. And I really like to use mini chocolate chips in this recipe if I have them handy. They almost melt right into the cake!
Absolute perfection! Making it for the second time in a week. Love how effortless it is and how wonderful it tastes! Thank you for sharing. ~ Jessica
Everyone needs a great chocolate cake like this in their recipe box. It’s perfect for almost any occasion, including special occasions.
Just be prepared to be asked for the recipe whenever you serve it! Your friends will thank you!
Be sure to save this Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
My family thinks this is the best cake ever. My daughter-in-law is a registered dietitian and she loves it. My son is having a surprise party for her tomorrow…..and he asked me to bring two of the cakes to serve to the guests after lunch.
That is the ultimate compliment to you. She doesn’t care for many sweets but savors this one. ~ Judy
Here’s what you’ll need to make the Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake
- Chocolate cake mix
- Instant chocolate pudding mix
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Chocolate chips
Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake
This amazing chocolate cake starts with a cake mix and couldn't be easier or more decadent.
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix
- 1 (3.4 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat all ingredients (except chocolate chips) until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spoon batter (it will be thick) into prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308 Total Fat: 24g Saturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 11g Cholesterol: 70mg Sodium: 85mg Carbohydrates: 25g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 18g Protein: 4g
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Who Dished It Up First: I can’t even remember where I originally got this recipe, but I’ve been making it for years.
pandabox33
OHMY ! This cake looks decadent !
I will have to subscribe to your feed. I am very interested in what you’re showing.
Thank you for your comment on my blog.
Sharon
Sounds great. Can’t find a cake mix that’s 18.25 size!!!!
Laura
I couldn’t either. Lol
Kylie
Wow I think I might have gained 5 pounds just looking at that picture! It looks amazing!! Sounds like a keeper, thanks!
Giovanna
This cake is so good, I’ve made it before as well.
It’s to die for : )
Dianna
Don’t you need to coat the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom of the pan?
Morgan
I never coat in flour and it turns out fine. I think it’s too thick of a batter to really matter. (:
Barbara
His are not for the cake but for the ganache that goes over the cake later if you want
Monica
Looks amazing! Pinned 🙂
Monica
rethsey
amazing cake! I’ve made it 4 times and we love it! however when i click on the homemade fudge sauce it says i ‘This blog is open to invited readers only’ could you add me please!
Sandy
I’ve made this for years, but I add 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar to it.
SYLVIA MATHIS
IT DIDN’T GIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE GLAZE ON TOP OF CAKE
Danelle
Sylvia, I have a link to the instructions in the first paragraph of the post. Click on “homemade fudge sauce.”
jill
do you think I could substitute sour cream for plain greek yogurt??
Danelle
I would think so Jill. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out.
Sandy
I don’t think it would taste the same with the yogurt. The sour cream is delicious in it, and the brown sugar gives it an extra special yumm factor. When it cools, dust with powdered sugar!
Dipti Joshi
Wow!…..delicious, so..so moist cake!
Sharon
I clicked on the homemade fudge sauce and this is what came up:
Chocolate Fudge Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
1 cup
Ingredients
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
In a small saucepan, combine corn syrup and chocolate chips over medium-low heat.
Stir occasionally until smooth, 4-5 minutes.
Whisk in heavy cream until smooth and well blended.
Serve warm, or cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container.
Store any unused sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Liz Mathews
My nieces 10th birthday is coming up and she loves chocolate! Can’t wait to make this for her!!! She is going to love it! I’m just sorry I can’t have any…..
Surfer Mom
This is a perfect ,no problem dessert!! My husband and sons love the rich chocolate flavor – I often make it for the ICU residents / Physicians I work w as we’ll-it doesn’t last 30 minutes when they find out its in the house!! I always make extra sauce for it 😉
Nicole
Can I use a regular 9×13 cake pan and frost it with regular frosting ?
Maria L. Webster
Now that cake mixes are 15 ozs. should there be any changes I should make for this recipe to come out okay. They don’t sell 18 oz. mixes anymore. Anyone tried it recently with the ‘new’ cake mixes?
Danelle
The recipe works with any of the new size cake mixes.
Annie S.
Yes I just measure extra mix to get there.
Linette
Making this for my son’s 40th birthday tomorrow. He wanted a chocolate cake and this fits the bill! It’s in the oven right now! Looks yummy and decadent. Thanks for the recipe!
Pattie Lee
I’ve been making this cake for 40yrs, but I was recently asked if it could be made as cupcakes. What are your thoughts?
Danelle
I don’t see why not Pattie!
Patricia
Hi Danelle. I just love to bake when I have time to myself.
I am always looking new things to bake like some of yours. I hope
that is ok with you. The chocolate cake sound wonderful to me.
Thank you.
Kaye
This was absolutely amazing!!!!!
MaryBeth
This is absolutely THE answer to a chocolate lovers cake. I follow your recipe and it turns out perfectly each time, a super moist, decadently delicious cake. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Sabrina
This is my go to recipe for chocolate cake. I prefer dark chocolate but my kids like milk so I use a regular cake mix and dark chocolate pudding and we’re all happy with the final product. I’m going to start experimenting with chips next.
Laurie
When this cake is done will it still be loose and gooey or should I continue to bake until it passes the toothpick test? I went ahead and baked it several more minutes past the hour time given. I’m hoping I didn’t dry it out. Any insight will be appreciated. Thx!
Danelle
Laurie, it is a very moist cake, but I wouldn’t say it should be loose and gooey. It should definitely be firm when you pull it from the oven, with the edges pulling away from the sides of the pan. Because of the chocolate chips in it, you might not get it to pass the toothpick test perfectly, but I’d say when it looks firm and you can get a toothpick with a few crumbs attached, it’s good (you wouldn’t want what looks like batter on the toothpick though.) Depending on your oven, you may need to bake it a bit longer than stated for it to be done, so I think it should be fine. I don’t think another 10 or even 15 minutes would dry it out.
nosogirl
I made this today. Not a big fan, sorry. I did use the hot fudge sauce, which was pretty good, but feel that the addition of the semi sweet chocolate chips was just too much. If I would make this again I would omit the chocolate chips – any maybe even the hot fudge sauce.
Audrey
Add vanilla ice cream if the chocolate is too much!
marie
I made this recipe this week. Did not use as many chocolate chips as called for and added an extra egg. Also used my own chocolate icing recipe and turned out great. I’m gonna take it our next church function. Thanks for sharing your talent
Connie T.
OOOHHH MY GOSHHHH… I just made this bundt cake. Still a little bit warm but couldn’t wait to try it! It looks beautiful and tastes even better! Sooooo moist and chocolatey! I didn’t put the chocolate sauce on top because I am going to serve it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate topping. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe!!
susan noble
I can not wait to make this cake.It looks so tasty and delicious. Will make it soon. Thanks
Shanna Corbin
I used another cake recipe because I couldn’t remember where I had found this one. I used the fudge sauce from this recipe and it was delicious
Ashley
I plan to make this for my aunt’s birthday next week but I am going to bake it in 2 10in round pans. How long do you think it will take to bake?
Danelle
I would guess around 30 minutes.
Melissa
I absolutely love this recipe and have made it a few times now. Do you know – would this translate into cupcakes? If so what are your thoughts on bake time? Thanks in advance!
Danelle
Thanks Melissa! I don’t see why you couldn’t make cupcakes with it. I’d say bake for 23-25 minutes, but maybe a bit longer for these, since this recipe is on the moist/dense side.
Jeanette
Today is my husband’s birthday and he LOVES chocolate! I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect. I don’t bake as much as I used to (mainly because if I bake it, I have to eat it) but for him, I will do this cake since it is so simple yet it looks amazing! I’ll have one slice and leave the rest to him. I have a weight loss goal I want to fulfill.
Becky soto
Can you use a regular store frosting instead? Melting in microwave and drizzling over bundt cake?
Danelle
Absolutely!
Pam
It’s amazing. Made it for the first time. So very good
Danelle
Thanks Pam!
Lisa
I made this cake yesterday, and it was amazing! Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely be making it again.
Danelle
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it. 🙂
Laura
Danelle, I just put this cake in oven and it smells amazing. Can’t wait to try. I’m taking it to a fish fry tonight my friend is a chocoholic just like me. I’m thinking next time I might put some almond extract in it for a little cherry taste too. Thank you for such wonderful recipes.
Danelle
Thanks so much Laura! Hope it tastes as good as it smells! 🙂
Jane
Have you ever made this with the cook & serve (5oz) chocolate pudding? Hubby bought the wrong one, seeing if I can make it work.
Suzanne
Hey! A new recipe! My mom made a parfait cake dessert she called “Death by Chocolate” I will certainly give yours a try! Thanks for Sharing!
Tina Marie
Hi Danielle~
I was just wondering. Do the mini chocolate chips melt into the cake or are they still whole & a little crunchy. Also, will they fall to the bottom of the Bundt pan & burn? I’ve had that happen to a cake in the past.
Danelle
They pretty much melt into the cake (no crunch) and do not sink to the bottom–the batter is pretty thick. If you used full size chocolate chips, you might still have some chunks though.
Rachel
This cake looks delicious and will be the next co-worker birthday cake! I do have a question. In reading the comments above someone questioned about the “mini” chocolate chips melting properly in the cake. Your recipe didn’t indicate to use mini chips. Does it matter?
Danelle
I mention the mini chips in the blog post, not the recipe itself, since that’s what i prefer to use. You can use whichever size you like!
Libba
I was wanting to make this recipe into cupcakes…what do you think would be the best icing for these? I have had them before without icing, and as delicious as they were, these are for kiddos, so I think they would want icing!! Lol!!
Danelle
I would use chocolate icing personally, but if you think that would be chocolate overload, vanilla would also be good.
valynda
I live at high altittude. Do I need to add a tbls spoon of flour for this cake?
Danelle
I am at 5,000 feet, so unless you are much higher, I think you should be fine.
Shreya goel
Hey is there any other thing i can substitute eggs with? I cnt use eggs at home. Please help
Danelle
I’m not sure what a good substitute would be. I would probably Google it and see what you come up with. I’d love to know how it turns out!
Joann
I made this cake today, it was very very delicious. This recipe will definitely be used again and again.
Danelle
Thank you Joann!
Chris
I’m looking for a chocolate mini bundt cake recipe. Do you think I could use this recipe in the mini bundt pans ?
Danelle
It should work fine. You’ll just have to shorten the cooking time. I’d say bake them somewhere from 20-30 minutes. It just depends on the size of your mini bundts.
Carol
Seriously the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Everyone raves about it. A must make.
Dawn
So good I’ve baked it twice this week. I added coconut sugar and vanilla to the fudge sauce recipe
This cake is nothing short of amazing
Danelle
Thanks so much! Your additions sounds wonderful. 🙂
Marcene
I made this bundt cake and it “fell” like it was too rich. I didn’t underbake it. Is 2 cups sour cream too much with everything else? It was very dense but tasted OK. Just looked so much nicer before it took a big fall!
Stephanie
I have no idea what it tastes like buy mine looks terrible!!!!! I am an avid baker so it’s not my first time baking a cake. OMG- I followed the recipe exactly and my cake is sunk in the middle, high on the edges and high in the centre. I’m SOOOOOOOOOO disappointed as I was to bring it to a birthday party this evening, now I’ll have to buy a cake. Can’t figure out what I should have done differently…will not try to make again.
Danelle
I’m so sorry your cake didn’t turn out Stephanie. As you can see by the comments, a lot of people have had it turn out, and I have been making it for years, so I’m not sure what could have gone wrong. Usually, when my cakes sink, it’s because I needed to bake them longer. The only other thing I can think of is that it could have been related to what type/size of cake mix you used. Or altitude, possibly? It’s always worked fine for me with the more recent, smaller cake mixes, but I know some people add a bit of extra flour to compensate for the difference in cake mix size.
Jessica
Absolute perfection! Making it for the second time in a week. Love how effortless it is and how wonderful it tastes! Thank you for sharing.
Danelle
Thank you Jessica!
Katie F.
Making this for Thanksgiving today, so excited to “wow” the new in-laws with my “baking skills” haha 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, I look forward to finally trying it!
Katie
BEST CAKE EVER!!!!
Warning: Dangerously addicting and delicious!
Katie F
BEST CAKE EVER!!!!
Warning: Dangerously addicting and delicious!
Danelle
Thank you! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Kim
Danaelle, The cake looks amazing. I am going to make it!!
Can it be put in the freezer? I need to make it about 5 days ahead of eating it.
Danelle
I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why not!
Liz
I think I finally found the “Matilda cake”…remember, the kid that ate the whole chocolate cake in the movie? To me, that always looked like the ultimate chocolate cake, and I believe this is it! Made it for my inlaws anniversary last night and garnished with chocolate covered strawberries in the center and around the outside to make it super fancy. I also used Devils food cake mix since that’s what I had on hand. It was a HUGE hit! So moist and gooey! Everyone went back for seconds and took some home. I love baking, but I’ve never made a great chocolate cake. This one is so good that I don’t even care that it uses a shortcut mix!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Danelle
Thank you Liz!
Jessica guzman
Do you follow what the box ingredients are as well. Or am I just added the cake mix? Or am I adding water and eggs and oil?
Danelle
You use the cake mix with the ingredients and directions in this recipe. Ignore the box.
Carol
This cake is the best chocolate cake ever, precisely as written. Thank you for sharing and the chocolate sauce is “over the top” perfection.
Danelle
Thank you Carol! 🙂
Morgan
O.M.G. This cake is amazing. I feel a little guilty every time I make something from a box (I bake and sell cakes from scratch) but this dessert is sooooo good!! I make it just like the directions say but I’ll usually use a fudge cake mix or a super mist devils food cake mix and I’ll add a whole bag of milk chocolate chips. For the topping I just melt a jar of smuckers hot fudge sauce and pour on top. I’ve made this cake so many times and my mom requested it for her birthday (today) (:
Danelle
Thanks so much Morgan!
Nancy Torrisi
I have made this cake several times and it is to die for!! Yummy chocolatey goodness in every single bite! Today I plan to make cupcakes for the school bake sale using this recipe! Bet they sell out fast! 😉
Nancy Torrisi
Oh, and one more thing, which is the best: You dump EVERYTHING in at once!! yay!
JuneBug
This cake was awesome!!!! It is very dense. I used a bread knife to cut it. Instead of the chocolate sauce I put caramel syrup on it then covered it with chopped nuts. DELICIOUS !!! A huge hit with chocolate lovers.
Kelsey
Do I add the pudding mix in as a powder or do I make the pudding first?
Danelle
As a powder.
Judy
My family thinks this is the best cake ever. My daughter-in-law is a registered dietitian and she loves it. My son is having a surprise party for her tomorrow for a special event in her life and he asked me to bring two of the cakes to serve to the guests after lunch. That is the ultimate compliment to you. She doesn’t care for many sweets but savors this one. Thank you for sharing.
Danelle
Thank you so much Judy!
Eve
Can this be put in the fridge? I made it today (Friday) and am serving it on Sunday. should I leave it in the cake box?
Danelle
Refrigerating cakes can dry them out a bit, so I would leave it in the box.
Arlinda atwood
I saw an old post with someone asking if regular versus instant pudding is ok. There was no reply and I am facing same dilemma of a trip to store. I have the cook and serve one.
Danelle
I honestly don’t know. I’ve never made it with anything but instant pudding. My guess would be to stick with the instant pudding, since it’s got different ingredients and cooking methods, but it’s hard to say for sure without trying it.
Melanie
This cake is amazing and has become a family favorite!
Danelle
Thanks so much! 🙂
May
Hello, what can i use instead of the chocolate chips if i want to make this a white cake? Do you think white chocolate chips would work? Do you suggest something else instead?
Thank you
Danelle
I’ve never tried making it as a white cake. I think white chips would work, but honestly, I think I would just leave them out.
Charlane
OMG! The BEST chocolate cake ever! My husband wanted a “chocolate” chocolate cake for his birthday – like one we’ve had from a high end bakery or a 5 star restaurant. I found this recipe with a Pinterest search, and the ingredients list made it sound decadent – perfect! Cake mix sizes have changed a bit since the recipe was created – they no longer make 18.25 oz – and I had to buy a 15.25 oz mix….I looked for advice on the internet for help and was advised to add 5 Tablespoons of flour and 1/4 tsp baking powder (I didn’t see in the Comments until later that you could use the new smaller mixes with no alterations), and the cake was rose nicely and tasted great! Moist, dense but not too heavy, chocolate chips remained dispersed in the batter, and very chocolatey, but not too much so (is there even such a thing as too much chocolate?!). I even used the Chocolate Fudge Sauce recipe recommended, but I did alter that to sweeten (I doubled the corn syrup) as it was a definite bitter chocolate flavor. I saw in another comment that someone heated up jarred fudge topping – I bet that would be good, too! I’ve now gotten rid of all my other chocolate cake recipes as none of them beat this one! Thank you for sharing!
Danelle
Thank you SO much!!!
Georgette Hillenbrand
I read with interest the comments of how “I changed this, or I added that…”.
Well I made it exactly as stated, and I didn’t worry about the size of the box of cake mix. I didn’t frost it because I had to get it somewhere in a hurry.
The cake was taken by my adult daughter to her place of employment. It lasted all of twenty minutes. The praise for this cake was 100% positive.
Today I made the recipe into cupcakes to take to church tomorrow.
Thank you for this recipe. It is now the only chocolate cake I will ever make.
Danelle
Thank you SO much!!!
Carol
I followed your recipe to a T. Brought it out of the oven, looked gorgeous, set it on rack, and as it cooled, within a minute, it started to sink into itself, like a souffle. Once cooled, I flipped it onto serving plate and it held up nicely. Delicious flavor for a chocolate lover. Ganauch was thin and light brown, nothing like the picture.checked oven temp, time mixed,??????????
Danelle
Usually when my cake falls like that, I needed to bake it longer. And I’m not sure what could have happened with the ganache.
Annette
I couldn’t find a 18.25oz. Box cake mix. So I used a 15.25 oz cake mix instead
Heidi
Hi. I made the chocolate cake – it turned out superb. Moist and light and delish. We liked it so much we decided we needed one for my father in-law’s 86th b-day. He likes lemon the best so we made it and it fell. I made another one as a do over and it fell. Why is this happening, any ideas?
Laura
I literally just put this in the oven. It’s for dessert. I’m so excited. So easy too..that’s my favorite part!
Linda L Petrinov
How do you increase the size of the cake mix? Mixes only come in 432 gm boxes in Canada, and that is short of 15 oz. I’d like to make this, but don’t know if it will work using only 432 gm cake mix.
Danelle
Even cake mixes here in the US have gotten smaller since I first shared this recipe. It doesn’t seem to effect the recipe when I’ve used a slightly different size cake mix. As long as it’s your standard box of cake mix, the recipe will still work fine.