Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake is incredibly rich and moist and perfect to serve at your next gathering. This glazed cake is filled with sour cream, chocolate chips and a hint of vanilla.

There are several ingredients that may sound strange to put in a sweet chocolate cake, but are actually secret weapons for the ultimate moist cake. One is mayonnaise. Have you tried our chocolate mayonnaise cake? Crazy good.

The other is sour cream. We’ve shared several sour cream cake recipes, but this is an easy chocolate cake recipe with sour cream baked inside. It gives not only a sweet tang of flavor, but makes the cake bake up soft and stay moist for days.

a piece of chocolate bundt cake with chocolate glaze

What does sour cream do to cake?

Everyone wants cakes to be moist. But how do you make a cake moist without making the batter too runny? That’s where sour cream comes in. Sour cream is thick so it makes the batter thick and rich, yet keeps it moist.

How to Make Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

To prepare, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a 10-inch round bundt cake pan or 12-cup bundt pan. In order to prevent the bundt cake from sticking, it is important to grease it properly. Make our cake release which will give you great results, or you can grease the pan with shortening, then dust it with flour.

Make the chocolate sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine butter (we use salted butter but you can use unsalted butter if you’d like), cocoa powder, salt and water. On medium heat, heat until the butter is melted. Whisk to combine well. Set aside to cool to room temperature (warm is ok, you just don’t want it too hot).
Mix the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking soda. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add eggs and whisk to combine.
Fold in remaining ingredients. Fold in sour cream and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.
Bake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes until the top lightly springs back and the cake is baked through (toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean).
Cool. Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

collage of how to make chocolate sour cream bundt cake

Can you make this cake with a regular pan?

You can bake this in 2 9″ round baking pans or a 13×9″ cake pan. Watch the baking time because they’ll take less time to bake.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache

Place the chocolate chips in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl/pan, heat the cream to a simmer (either in the microwave or in a saucepan) and pour over the chocolate chips.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
Add the vanilla and stir the mixture until smooth. The glaze will set as it cools; if you want a thin drizzle, pour it over the cake while the glaze is still warm but if you want a thicker frosting, let it cool slightly.

Then drizzle the ganache over the cake.

closeup of a chocolate glazed bundt cake

Recipe Variations

Add peppermint chips to the cake batter and peppermint flavoring to the ganache. It would make a great mint chocolate cake.
Add 1 cup of drained & chopped maraschino cherries for a chocolate cherry cake.
Use white chocolate for the ganache for a contrasted look.
Add sprinkles to the top of a birthday party.
Add a tablespoon of espresso powder to the batter. It will enhance the chocolate flavor.

closeup of a piece of chocolate bundt cake

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

4.50 from 24 votes

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake is incredibly rich and moist and perfect to serve at your next gathering. This glazed cake is filled with sour cream, chocolate chips and a hint of vanilla.

Servings 12

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 45

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup salted butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

For the chocolate ganache glaze:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease with shortening and flour a 10-inch or 12 cup bundt pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, salt and water. On medium heat, heat until the butter is melted. Whisk to combine well. Set aside to cool to room temperature (warm is ok, you just don’t want it too hot).
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and baking soda.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Add eggs and whisk to combine.
Fold in sour cream and vanilla extract until the batter is smooth.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 40-45 minutes until the top lightly springs back and the cake is baked through (toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean).
Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the ganache:

Place the chocolate chips in a medium size bowl. In a separate bowl/pan, heat the cream to a simmer (either in the microwave or in a saucepan) and pour over the chocolate chips.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
Add the vanilla and stir the mixture until smooth. The glaze will set as it cools; if you want a thin drizzle, pour it over the cake while the glaze is still warm but if you want a thicker frosting, let it cool slightly.
Once the cake is cooled, place it on a serving plate and pour the ganache over the cake letting it drip down the sides.
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, and/or berries.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. This cake also freezes well for up to 6 weeks.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of glazed cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**