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    Death by Chocolate Cake

    Home » Recipes » Dessert » Death by Chocolate Cake

    Published: Apr 17, 2020 · Modified: Nov 15, 2023 by Jessica · This post may contain affiliate links · 46 Comments

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    Calling all chocolate lovers, this death by chocolate cake is for you! The best chocolate bundt cake of all time, I can promise you it won't disappoint! 

    a chocolate bundt cake on a white cake stand on a white countertop

    The blog wouldn't be complete without an amazing death by chocolate cake recipe, would it? I have been a chocolate lover for as long as I can remember, and I can tell you exactly where that love came from... my Dad! As far as he is concerned, there is no other cake flavor. 

    Death By Chocolate Cake

    I grew up eating this cake on my Dad's birthday and other special occasions and it is the most moist and decadent little slice of heaven you will ever partake of. Be warned, this cake is not for the faint of heart (hence the name)! Real chocolate lovers only, please. Also, I should mention that there has never been an easier cake to throw together in the history of the universe! Amen.

    a slice of chocolate bundt cake on a white plate with chocolate drizzle and the full cake in the background

    If you are a fellow choc-a-holic then you also need to add our easy homemade brownies and our double chocolate chip cookies to your list! Or you can find all our yummy dessert recipes here. 

    Chocolate Bundt Cake

    The truth about this cake is it is a bakery quality masterpiece for a tenth of the price. It is beautiful, flavorful, moist, and feeds a crowd. Simply put, you need this recipe in your cake arsenal. 

    chocolate bundt cake with cream cheese frosting on a white cake stand

    If you prefer cream cheese frosting to the chocolate sauce drizzle, GO FOR IT. Our family sincerely loves it both ways and we like to switch things up! 

    Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

    Here are the super simple steps to making your own death by chocolate cake! 

    four image collage showing the steps to making a death by chocolate cake

    Top Left - Add all ingredients except chocolate chips into a bowl and stir until their are no dry clumps. 

    Top Right - Add in chocolate chips and stir until just combined. 

    Bottom Left - Properly grease your bundt pan using shortening and flour and add in your batter. 

    Bottom Right - Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let cake cool on wire rack for 20 minutes before flipping. 

    Now before we get to the printable recipe card and a video tutorial, I want to quickly answer a few frequently asked questions! 

    chocolate bundt cake on a white cake plate with powdered sugar sprinkled over the top

    What does sour cream do for a cake? 

    If you have never baked a cake with sour cream before, you have officially struck the gold mine in this post! You will never go back. It will make your cake moist and delicious, all without thinning your cake batter! It also helps control browning, and activates baking soda. 

    What is the difference between bundt cake and regular cake? 

    A bundt cake's unique shape can make a beautiful statement on any table. However, because of that shape, more of the cakes surface is exposed to heat when baking. Good bundt cakes will always be super moist in order to combat this. Also, it is crucial to properly grease your bundt pan to avoid burning your cake or leaving chunks in the pan when you go to remove your cake. 

    Should you let your bundt cake cool before flipping it? 

    Yes. After removing from the oven place your pan on a wire rack to cool. For this recipe, allow cake to cool 20 minutes before flipping. This gives the cake time to firm up so you can flip it without leaving pieces behind. I like to flip my cake directly onto a cake stand or cake carrier. 

    Can you freeze a chocolate bundt cake? 

    Yes! I freeze this cake before adding garnishes. Allow cake to cool and then wrap with saran wrap or store in freezer safe container. Saves in freezer for up to six weeks. Move cake to fridge to thaw overnight. Once ready to serve, garnish with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. 

    Can I use cream cheese frosting instead of chocolate sauce? 

    Absolutely! Piping cream cheese down the sides of a bundt cake is so pretty and also tastes delicious! Here is a good recipe for cream cheese frosting. 

    slice of death by chocolate cake on white plate with full cake in background

    If you make this recipe and like it we'd love for you to leave a positive comment and review! They mean so much to us. 

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    a chocolate bundt cake on a white cake stand on a white countertop

    Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake

    Calling all chocolate lovers, this death by chocolate cake is for you! The best chocolate bundt cake of all time, I can promise you it won't disappoint! 
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 131kcal
    Author: Pretty Providence

    Video

    Equipment

    • bundt pan

    Ingredients

    • 1 Box Devils Food Cake
    • 1 3.9 oz. Box Instant Chocolate Pudding
    • ½ Cup Water
    • ½ Cup Oil
    • 4 Eggs
    • 1 Cup Sour Cream
    • 1 12 oz Bag Chocolate Chips
    • Chocolate Syrup To Garnish
    • Powdered Sugar To Garnish
    • Shortening & Flour To Grease Pan

    Instructions

    • Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, oil, eggs and sour cream. Whisk until well combined and there are no dry clumps. Add in your chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
    • Grease your bundt pan well. I prefer to do this by coating with a very thin layer of shortening and then dusting with flour. Properly greasing your pan is critical to easily removing your cake from the pan, as well as not burning the outer edge of your cake, don't skip this step!
    • Pour your cake batter into greased bunt pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes. When cake is done, a toothpick or fork will come out mostly clean.
    • Leave in pan until completely cooled. After plating cake, drizzle with chocolate syrup and a dash of powdered sugar to garnish!

    Notes

    Should you let your bundt cake cool before flipping it? 

    Yes. After removing from the oven place your pan on a wire rack to cool. For this recipe, allow cake to cool 20 minutes before flipping. This gives the cake time to firm up so you can flip it without leaving pieces behind. I like to flip my cake directly onto a cake stand or cake carrier. 

    Can you freeze a chocolate bundt cake? 

    Yes! I freeze this cake before adding garnishes. Allow cake to cool and then wrap with saran wrap or store in freezer safe container. Saves in freezer for up to six weeks. Move cake to fridge to thaw overnight. Once ready to serve, garnish with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. 

    Can I use cream cheese frosting instead of chocolate sauce? 

    Absolutely! Piping cream cheese down the sides of a bundt cake is so pretty and also tastes delicious! Here is a good recipe for cream cheese frosting. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @prettyprovidenceblog or tag #prettyprovidence!

    Chocoholics unite!

    This post was originally published March 3, 2014 and has been updated with new photography, a video, and more detailed information. 

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tanya

      July 01, 2023 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      This is my go to recipe for death by chocolate bundt cake. Except I use a strong 1/2 cup of coffee instead of water. It really brings out the chocolate flavor! I also prefer a chocolate drizzle instead of a chocolate syrup topping.

      Reply
    2. Stephy

      June 11, 2023 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      If you want to take it up a notch from the chocolate syrup, an easy ganache made from chocolate chips and heavy cream really elevates it. Plus, the poured ganache gives a base to pour a mix of different chocolate chips over top (I use a mix of dark and white).

      Also, if you want to change it up, the recipe makes an even 2 dozen cupcakes.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        June 12, 2023 at 4:06 pm

        That sounds amazing! Thanks Stephy.

        Reply
    3. Krista Jones

      April 07, 2023 at 8:39 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe and it has been my favorite for years until I made it and it sank. I tried again and it sank. Then I noticed that the cake mix I had been using (always duncan hines devils food) had gone down from 18 Oz to 15.25 Oz!! Ahah! I added 3 more Oz from another cake mix and it worked perfectly!
      Another case of shrinkflation 😟

      Reply
      • Sarah

        April 07, 2023 at 10:55 am

        Oh, I'm so glad you figured out the problem! It is such a good recipe. Thank you for your positive review! :)

        Reply
      • Ang

        July 14, 2023 at 11:08 am

        I’m totally going to check my weights, thanks!! I haven’t made it in a while and I bet that’s going to be an issue. This is the one and only cake recipe I make - unmatched excellence 🙌

        Reply
    4. LG

      December 20, 2022 at 5:44 am

      I have made this cake several times it is a christmas tradition . I have used several different cake mixes and found that the best is dutch chocolate . I have also added nuts cherries, and other ingrediants to make a differant twist to make it better. Aiso i hvae found that if you bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour than let it cool for 25 minutes itcomes out of the pan perfect. I also use butter flavered cooking spray in the pan. I like to experiment with recipes and this one is very easy.LG

      Reply
      • Jessica

        December 20, 2022 at 11:19 am

        It really is so adaptable! Thanks for your thoughts, glad you love it.

        Reply
    5. kazia ann forrest

      July 02, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      This is the BEST cake recipe EVER. I am requested to make it every year for my oldest sons birthday. One year I must have been distracted when I made it and realized the batter seemed thicker than usual. My second realization came when I filled the bundt pan, baked and removed from the oven and noticed the cake didn't seem as tall as usual. Oh well, I did everything according to the recipe I always use and never a previous problem. I gave it to may son who was excited to receive it and he took it home. Later in the evening he called me to tell me how good it was but very thick and rich. He said it was great just different than the one i usually made. I could not understand why? I went to my recycling bin and pulled the box of devils cake mix out. Guess What!!! It wasn't a box of devils food cake but rather a box of triple chocolate brownie mix. No wonder it was dense and rich. The moral of the story seems to be ...this recipe is so good it works with just about any mix. Thank you for sharing it.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        July 03, 2021 at 9:12 pm

        Haha this made me laugh! Thank you so much for the sweet review, you totally made our night! It is our favorite cake recipe, too. Now I totally want to try it with brownies just to see, haha.

        Reply
      • Genna

        November 02, 2021 at 6:24 am

        I’ve made this recipe before but instead of water, I use Kahlua….it’s so good!

        Reply
        • Jessica

          November 14, 2021 at 4:39 pm

          Sounds amazing!

    6. Joyce

      June 30, 2021 at 6:37 am

      I have made this before and it is yummy, but lately it crumbles when cutting. Should I add less of what? Any suggestions appreciated. Also can bialys replace all the water.

      Reply
      • Jessica

        July 03, 2021 at 9:14 pm

        You may be overcooking just a tad, it definitely shouldn't be crumbly. Try pulling it out 5-10 minutes sooner next time and let cool in the pan before flipping.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

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