Chocolate Bundt Cake

4.91 from 87 votes
279 Comments

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This Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is rich, moist, and delicious! Our recipe tastes just like the cake you can get at the popular Nothing Bundt Cakes shop, but at a fraction of the price.

Spatula removing a slice of Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake.
Featured with this recipe
  1. A Nothing Bundt Cake Chocolate Chocolate Chip Recipe
  2. Ingredients in Chocolate Bundt Cake
  3. Secret to a Moist Cake
  4. Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
  5. Questions About Chocolate Bundt Cake
  6. Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipes
  7. More Chocolate Cake Recipes
  8. How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake
  9. Chocolate Bundt Cake (Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipe) Recipe

This Chocolate Bundt Cake is rich, moist, easy to bake and fun to serve! Perfect for any birthday party, anniversary gathering, backyard picnic or Sunday dinner. Take some help from the store with a boxed cake mix and add a few simple ingredients to make it taste especially homemade and delicious. Top with our luscious cream cheese frosting for a show stopping centerpiece that everyone will love.

A Nothing Bundt Cake Chocolate Chocolate Chip Recipe

There are few things I love more than a Nothing Bundt Cake. If you have one nearby, you know what I’m taking about. They are dense and moist and delicious, but they are also a little pricey. You can make this bundt cake for much less than the cost of one at the store. And I guarantee you have most of these ingredients already in your fridge and pantry.

This chocolate bundt cake recipe tastes just like the real thing – plus you can steal a taste of the cake batter and eat as much frosting as you want. I won’t tell!

Ingredients in Chocolate Bundt Cake

Save tons of money by making this copycat recipe yourself. Here’s all you need for a perfectly rich and delicious chocolate bundt cake:

  • Devil’s Food cake mix – one box of your favorite brand. Make sure to use the devil’s food cake mix instead of regular chocolate cake mix.
  • Chocolate pudding mix – one 3.4 ounce box INSTANT pudding mix.
  • Sour cream – one cup of regular sour cream. You can also use plain greek yogurt if you like.
  • Eggs – four large whole eggs
  • Water – about half a cup
  • Vegetable oil – half cup
  • Mini chocolate chips – one and a half cups. Add more as a garnish on top of the frosting too!

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Cream cheese – two packages of 8-ounce cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
  • Butter – one cube, or half a cup, also softened. Remove the butter and cream cheese from the refrigerator abut a half hour before making the icing.
  • Powdered sugar – 3 to 4 cups, depending on how thick you like your frosting.
  • Vanilla extract – a couple of teaspoons of pure vanilla extract add such a rich flavor to the cream cheese frosting.
Side view of a Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake slice.


Secret to a Moist Cake

I have tried my hand at several bundt cakes and this truly is the best chocolate bundt cake recipe. What separates this cake from others that I’ve tried is how moist it is. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a cake as moist as this one.

The secret is adding instant pudding mix and sour cream to the mixture. And because you start with a devils food cake mix, it’s such an easy recipe to make. No worrying about the right amount of cocoa powder, baking soda, salt or all purpose flour. All of that is taken care of in the dry ingredients of the cake mix. All you have to do is whisk in the sour cream, water and oil in a large mixing bowl and you’re all set!

Don’t forget the chocolate chips, which adds an extra level of richness and chocolate flavor to the finished product. You could use milk chocolate or semi-sweet, whatever you have on hand.

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

You could top this chocolate cake with a simple glaze or a layer of ganache glaze, but if you want a true copycat recipe, you must try this rich cream cheese frosting. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to frost this cake like a pro! All you need is a Ziplock bag and some scissors. Put the frosting into the bag, cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner and get busy! Watch the video in the recipe card to see how it works.

Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake with a pom pom on top.

Questions About Chocolate Bundt Cake

Why are bundt cakes different?

The way the pan is designed, round with a hole in the middle, the cakes come out very thick and moist. Unlike other cake pans, which allow for more expansion during the baking process, this pan keeps the batter from expanding, resulting in a moist, thick cake.

Do bundt pans need to be greased?

Yes! For best results, use baking spray or use a pastry brush to brush vegetable oil all over the inside of the bundt pan. That way the cake comes out in tact. Use a toothpick to check to see if it comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack until ready to frost.

How long to keep cake in bundt pan before removing?

Use a toothpick to check to see if it comes out clean. If it is, you’ll know the cake is done. Once it’s done, remove from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, but preferably closer to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until you’re ready to frost.

READ NEXT: 35+ Valentine’s Day Dessert Ideas

Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipes

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

If you love chocolate cake you are in the right place! Check out some of our favorite cake recipes that make the perfect dessert for any occasion.

How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake

Spatula removing a slice of Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake.

Chocolate Bundt Cake (Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipe)

4.91 from 87 votes
This Chocolate Bundt Cake is rich, moist, and delicious! Our recipe tastes just like the cake you can get at the shop.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16

Video

Equipment

  • Bundt Cake Pan
  • Electric Mixer
  • Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 (13.25-ounce) box devil's Food cake mix
  • 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard Bundt cake pan. Set aside. Mix together cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, water, and oil. Stir in chocolate chips.
    Batter of Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake in a mixing bowl.
  • Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
    Top view of Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake batter in a Bundt pan.
  • Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 minutes.
    Baked Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake in a bundt pan.
  • Remove the cake from the Bundt pan by placing a plate upside down over the Bundt pan. While holding the plate firmly on top, flip both over so the cake comes out onto the plate. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight before frosting.
    Unfrosted Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake on a cake plate.
  • In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Start with 2 cups, then keep adding more until it is nice and thick.
    Cream cheese frosting in a mixing bowl to frost the Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake
  • Spoon the frosting into a resealable zip-top gallon bag. Clip one bottom corner of the bag.
    Piping bag with cream cheese frosting for the Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake.
  •  Squeeze frosting out of the bag onto the cake in strips, as pictured.
    Side Close up view of a frosted Chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake with pom pom decoration.

Notes

*Prep time and cooking time does not include letting the cake refrigerate overnight.
For a true copycat recipe, frost with cream cheese frosting.
  • Place frosting in a Ziplock bag.
  • Cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner of the bag.
  • Frost cake in strips over the entire bundt cake.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 579kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 6gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 182mgFiber: 1gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 745IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. Will your recipe work in 2- 8 inch pans to make a layer cake? What I have in mind is a 2 layer naked cake. Planned on frosting in between the layers and slightly around the cake. Thoughts if it would work this way?

    1. We have only tried it in a bundt pan but I am pretty sure you will be fine making it in regular pans. Just reduce the time and keep checking it 🙂

    2. Did you end up making it in the 8 inch cake rounds? Curious how it turned out. I only have one large bundt cake pan but want to make two seperate cakes with one recipe.

  2. This is fantastic and sooo much cheaper to make than to buy it at the Nothing Bundt Cake store! I found the perfect bundt cake pan at Goodwill and thanks to the Wilton cake decorating lessons I took, my family thought I bought the cake from the store. Thanks so much for sharing!

  3. Love love love this recipe, but I would like to make it in a sheet cake pan instead of a bundt cake. Have you done this before and do you know what size pan I should use? Thanks!

    1. We have never made it this way so I don’t know what exactly to recommend. If you try it, let us know what you did and how it turns out!

  4. Thanks for the great recipe- Nothing Bundt Cakes is the best! Quick question, how long did you beat the mix for? I was going to go by the cake mix box and do 2 minutes but my batter was getting too tough.

    1. About a minute or two, you can stop if you think it is getting too tough. You just want it to be mixed well

  5. I just made the cake BUT I forgot the pudding! It’s cooling now– should I start over or do you think will be alright?

    1. Oh no! I hope it turned out OK for you. My guess is that it was fine. The pudding just makes it more moist. It’s so frustrating to forget an ingredient. It happens to me all the time!

  6. I’d like to make these as cupcakes for a teen party. In the recipe it says to grease the bundt pan, but I assume that is to release the cake from the pan. So will the cupcakes work with the cupcake papers, or do they stick to the paper too much? How long do they bake as cupcakes?

    1. They should be fine if you do it with cupcake liners, you shouldn’t have to spray them. As fat as the time… I have never made them as cupcakes before so I don’t know what to tell you. I would say try 10 minutes and keep checking them every few minutes after that! If you do it, come back and let us know how long you baked them for.

  7. I was skeptical that this cake could taste like the real thing, but it really does! I only used 3 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting, and it made plenty. It was not very stiff, however, so it didn’t frost very nicely. Maybe I should have let it set up in the fridge first. In the end, I decided to re-frost the cake with a single layer all over. Will be making this again! (Especially since $28 is pricey for a cake!)

    1. I’m so glad you liked it! This is one of my favorite cakes. It does make a lot of frosting. Adding more powdered sugar next time will stiffen the frosting. I would also recommend letting it sit in the fridge for an hour or so before frosting the cake.

    1. Hi. I have made it gluten free. I just used the Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix and made it the exact same way Turned out great. My friends tried it said just as delicious as my regular cake mix. My husband who has celatic disease loved it. And no side effects so yay!!!

      1. Do you use TWO boxes of the Gluten free cake mix…since one box only makes one 9″ round instead of two??

      2. Do you use 2 boxes of the gluten free cake mix (I am asking because the gluten free cake mix only makes 1/2 as much cake as a normal cake mix… it only makes one 9″ round instead of two)

  8. Yum! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop!

    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick

  9. Hi
    I made your cake and it was the best! I’m making it again for a birthday but for ease of portability I am making it in a 9×13 pan. What is the best way to do the icing? Just spread it out or a design like the bundt?
    Thanks!

    1. You could just spread it out, or I have done it as a sheet cake with a design before. You can see a pumpkin sheet cake I did this way here: /2012/11/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-sheet-cake.html

  10. My son has the taste of a king with a budget of a not so much. of a..lol.. so thank god for your inspiration!!! You are brilliant and we made it together which made it so memorable… the beauty of sharing!!!— sonya anselmo MJ

    1. You are VERY VERY welcome! Your son has good taste 🙂 I am glad you made a memory of it! That is what this blog is all about!

  11. I used your red velvet version but made cupcakes. Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix. I used milk instead of water. The batter was a little thick. IT WAS AMAZING. My guests that have had this at the Store said it was identical and very surprised that these could be done at home. It turned out 27 cupcakes. I actually made two boxes turning out 54 cupcakes. One batch of cream cheese frosting was enough for all 54 cupcakes, yes 54 cupcakes using the large piping tip and swirl beginning 1/2 from the outside rim spiraling towards the center for the peak. I will be trying the White Chocolate Raspberry next – cupcakes as well. Thanks for sharing.

      1. Thanks for sharing this! I have had a lot of people asking how to do cupcakes so I will refer them to your comment!

  12. Hi!!! I am so excited I found this! I had the nothing bundt cakes at a friends party and fell in love!!! I want it for my sons bday in April! But we will be having at least 100 invitees…so that will get pricey! Dow this recipie also work for cupcakes or in a standard baking pan? Not the bundt ones? It will be Mickey themed so I’d like to make it in a Mickey form! Thanks in advance!

    1. Absolutely! Just watch it closely and check it every few minutes after 15 or so minutes. Oh if you like Nothing Bundt Cakes…. Come back here on Monday…. Get excited because I sure am!

  13. Does it matter if the cake mix has pudding in the mix? Can’t seem to find the old stand by anymore.
    My caramel brownies with the german choc cake mix are suffering because of the change in the cake mix. They just don’t set up well at all.
    thanks in advance for your input!

  14. wonderful!!!! Have you perfected the white chocolate Raseberry? I would love to make it for my husbands birthday Dec. 4

    1. I am getting close! I will try to work on it this week and put it up! I can email you what I have so far but there’s no promises…

  15. Has anyone had success with the mini bundt pan? I bought one of the pans yesterday but don’t know what recipe to use.
    Thanks!