Are you ready for cake? Because I’ve got cake! This classic Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Bundt Cake is a nod to that irresistibly glossy chocolate doughnut that calls to you from the doughnut shop case…

I aim to please here at the Great Island kitchen, and when a reader asks for a chocolate version to be next up in my popular series of doughnut bundt cakes, I oblige! I have to say it was a pretty good idea, you readers are so smart ๐ ย I’m always open to suggestions…so let me know which doughnuts you crave in bundt cake form ~ drop them in the comments, I’m ready for #4!
My doughnut bundt cake series is growing
Here are others in the lineup, they’ve already gotten rave reviews :
- Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
- Glazed Old Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnut Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Doughnut Cake
- Jelly Doughnut Bundt Cake
I think you can literally see how good this cake is…it’s chocolatey but not too rich, with a nice even ‘dough-nutty’ crumb. The sour cream and buttermilk make a nice tender cake. I use part oat flour just as I did in my previous doughnut bundt cakes, and I highly recommend you give it a try.
Why do I use oat flour in my doughnut bundt cake?
Iโve discovered that a combination of regular all purpose flour and oat flour results in a perfect cake crumb, along with an extra nutrition boost from the whole grain oats, and a lovely flavor. You can buy oat flour in most supermarkets, and you can always find it online.
How to make your own oat flour
If youโre interested, itโs super easy to make it yourself. See my post about How to Make Oat Flour for all the details!
Bundt cakes are cozy and casual
Bundts are great because you get the ‘wow’ factor of a fabulous cake without all the fuss of a traditional layer cake. This recipe is so easy, you’ll just whisk the dry, whisk the wet, and whisk the two together. Bake, cool, then slather it with ganache (that’s the fun part.)
My chocolate sour cream doughnut bundt cake looks and sounds extravagant, but honestly, it’s not overwhelmingly sweet or rich. I don’t recommend it as an after dinner type of dessert, it’s truly a brunch or coffee break treat, not over the top at all. It’s the perfect ‘what can I bring‘ recipe for a brunch, office party, book club, etc. The glossy glaze and chocolate sprinkles guarantee it a good reception.
kitchen tool spotlight: a great basic bundt pan
Bundt pans come in all sorts of wonderful shapes and sizes, which is great, except that you never know how your pan is going to work with a specific recipe. I like to use this one from Wilton which is a basic, all purpose pan that’s sturdy, nonstick, and a standard size.
There’s a time and place for intricate shapes, but the streamlined design of this pan will never let you down, and always releases the cake perfectly.
Cooking notes:
Sour cream and buttermilk make a tender, moist cake. You can substitute milk, but the end result will not be as moist. It’s the little things that make a cake special, like oat flour, sour cream, buttermilk, and, of course, chocolate ganache!
That little bit of espresso powder? It encourages the chocolate flavor to bloom. Find it with the regular coffees in your supermarket.
Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnut Bundt Cake
Equipment
- standard 10-12 cup bundt pan
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
wet ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, I use safflower or canola
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee, powder, not liquid
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
glaze
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
garnish
- chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Prepare a bundt pan by carefully buttering the entire surface, and then dusting with flour. Shake off excess flour.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in a another bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined, don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. I always check my cakes on the early end, at 45 minutes. Give it a few extra minutes if it doesn’t quite look done.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake and then let cool completely before glazing. It helps to loosen the edges with a small spreading knife first. Go along the outside edges and also the inside tube edge, gently prying the cake away from the pan to loosen it.
- To make the glaze, put the chocolate and the corn syrup in a bowl. Heat the cream until it comes to a simmer, I do this by putting it into the microwave for one minute, you can do it in a small saucepan if you like. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Then stir until the mixture is creamy and glossy, with no lumps. If there is any remaining unmelted chocolate you can microwave it for a short 15 second burst to reheat the mixture. Let the ganache sit for a few minutes to thicken if it seems too thin.
- Pour the glaze evenly over the entire cake, and immediately shower with sprinkles.
Notes
- You might have noticed I left the nutmeg out of this cake, even though it was in both previous doughnut cakes…I think the flavor will get overpowered by the chocolate, but feel free to add it if you like.
- Use mini chocolate chips instead of sprinkles. ย You can even fold regular chocolate chips into the batter for a more ‘chocolatey’ cake.
Hello,
I am very excited to try the chocolate bundt cake as part of a birthday cake, I have a few questions, forgive me if I repeat any, I looked below and did not see any..
1. Can I use a regular cake pan so that I can layer the donut cake with other cake layers?
2. Can I half the recipe so that I only have 1 donut layer in the layer cake?
Thank you!!
It will depend on the size of your cake pans, but you should be able to halve this and make one layer of a layer cake.
Sue, thank you for the recipe!
It was in my pinboard for while, but yesterday I finally baked it! Wow! Very very :)))
I’ve only reduced the sugar ( 1 cup, less) , but used more cocoa powder ( 1 cup) and got what I’ve been looking for years!
Next time will add a nut flour. Somehow I know it’ll be good too:))
Thanks and stay safe, Sue!
I have finally found my perfect pound cake. I added chocolate chunks to my batter. Love the texture. My go to from now on. Thanks for a wonderful cake. And so easy to make.
Oooh, chocolate chunks!
can you leave the coffee out cuz dont have it and dont drink it . thanks
Yes, just leave it out.
I always use espresso coffee powder and cinnamon powder in my chocolate cakes (Peter Reinhart said in one of his books than both intensifies the chocolate flavor) but I also add 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (which I love) and my chocolate cakes are delicious ๐
Totally agree, all those flavors are so great with chocolate!
Hey there. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Waiting for it to cool to frost it…. I just wanted to give a little advise when using a bundt cake pan. I’ve had problems in the past with cake sticking to the bottom when turning it out. I now use a brush dipped in room temp butter to get inside all those corners & crevices….. Cakes don’t stick anymore. Can’t wait to cut into this cake as soon as possible! Still too warm LOL….. Thanks again!
Love that tip, thanks Lise!
Can I use white flour instead of oat flour?
Yes!
what makes a doughnut cake a doughnut cake – is it the texture?
I have a little series of doughnut cakes going, and the ‘doughnut’ effect varies from cake to cake. Sometimes it’s the texture, or the flavor. In this case it’s the texture, and just the fun appearance. I often use nutmeg in other doughnut cakes to create a doughnut flavor, but didn’t use it in this chocolate version since it didn’t seem appropriate.
I am going to make it with wheat free flour. Do you have any suggestions?
I would try with a good gf baking mix, I think you’ll have the best chance of success that way.
Loved the cake. I used Better Batter brand GF flour and it turned out perfect. Thank you.
Oh, thanks so much for coming back here to let us know Judy, I’m sure there are lots of others who would love to do a gf version ๐
This is my favorite kind of doughnut. However, I am allergic to oats. Can I substitute more AP flour or another flour instead?
Yes, absolutely.