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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.
Featured with this recipe
- A Nothing Bundt Cake Chocolate Chocolate Chip Recipe
- Ingredients in Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Secret to a Moist Cake
- Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipes
- More Chocolate Cake Recipes
- How to Make Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
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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
Chocolate Bundt Cake (Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipe)
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.
- Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Spoon the frosting into a resealable zip-top gallon bag. Clip one bottom corner of the bag.
- Squeeze frosting out of the bag onto the cake in strips, as pictured.
Notes
- 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.
Easy to follow Recipe, great result! A little too much leftover frosting, but that’s alright.
I made this for my son’s birthday. The whole family loved it. I will make this again! Great recipe!
Thanx very much for helping me.
The first one I made was dry. My second one turned out much more moist. I checked it at 40 minutes. I iced it with chocolate ganache.
The white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake is better than the chocolate. My Daughter says it better than Nothing but Bundt cakes, believe me she’s very picky!
SO PRETTY> Can’t wait to make it.
sounds delicious
It certainly is a “nice cake” but side by side with a Nothing Bundt Cake, there is no comparison. Believe me, I wish it were as good, as I hate paying the $35.00 got the real cakes. The taste is very good, but the texture of the Nothing Bundt Cakes is superior – pure and simple. I made the recipe and followed the directions to a T, but it is not the same as the authentic cake.
It is hard to nail it exactly and that’s why they are still in business, I guess! 🙂
Salted or unsalted butter for the frosting? First time trying your recipes and I can’t wait to try them! THank you!
We used salted butter to offset the sweetness!
HI,
I would like to tell you how much I LOVE all of your Nothing Bundt Cake Recipes, I have tried most of them and enjoyed every one. I’m fixing to have a birthday and would like to make myself an Almond bundt cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. My question is how can I by using your Nothing Bundt cake mix recipe into an Almond bundt cake?
I am making the delicious chocolate chip bundit cake for Thanksgiving!!!!
No one can resist a bund cake!! Super easy to make, moist, & delicious!!
Nothing bundt cakes are my sweet indulgence!! And, of course, the more chocolate the better!! Excited to make this whenever I am craving it!
Bundt Cake always look so fancy and are so moist and flavorful!
I have figured out after trying to bake this cake twice that the ratio of moist to dry ingredients is off. I would estimate the recipe requires additional flour (and a proportional amount of sugar) in order to bake properly. Otherwise, the cake falls and remains partially unbaked inside. I am going back to one of my original tried and true recipes for chocolate bundt cake.
I’m so sorry this didn’t work for you. I’m not sure what is going on. I am at an elevation of 4,000 ft and have never had this recipe not turn out for me, and I have made it many, many times.
Hi Anne,
I am wondering if you are in a high altitude and that might be affecting your results I have made 3 different flavors of the Nothing Bundt cakes (chocolate chocolate chip, lemon and red velvet) for a total of 6 cakes and they all turned out perfect. I use Duncan Hines cake mixes. Ensure that you are using instant pudding as well. I hope it is something like that so that you can enjoy the recipes!
Why does this cake fall? I’ve made tons of bundt cakes over the years and I’ve never had one fall on me before. I’ve made this recipe twice. The first time, I substituted vegan sour cream and other vegan ingredients to accommodate someone with food allergies. I thought this might be the reason why the cake fell. The second time, I made the cake according to the recipe exactly, but it fell again. Any suggestions?
I have never had this cake fall, so I don’t know what could be going wrong. Are you at a high elevation?
Can Iask why do you need to refrigerate overnight?
You don’t have to refrigerate it overnight. We do this because Nothing Bundt Cakes serves their cakes cold out of the fridge. Wrapping it in plastic wrap keeps it moist.
I realized too late I had run out of plastic wrap after this came out of the oven and it was 12 AM. Ack!!!! But I had a cake carrier with a locking plastic lid that I planned to use to transport it the next morning. I placed it in there and stuck it in the fridge with no frosting. Came out perfect the next morning and and I frosted it per the recipe. Everyone loved it and so I shared your video and recipe.
Does it mater what size/shape bunt cake pan you use for this? Also, do you cover the cake with plastic & refrigerate white still warm or wait until it’s cool? Thank you!
I try to stay away from packaged foods so I’m not a fan of box cake mixes. Can you tell me how to make this cake completely from scratch?
Unfortunately we don’t have a recipe for this cake from scratch. Sorry!
Looks delish! Will try in in a couple of weeks for super bowl
Curious why you put the cake in the fridge overnight. Is this step necessary?
It makes the cake easier to frost! And it just helps it to set up and maintain its shape.
We love this recipe! We make it for every holiday. On Christmas, we decided to use a French Vanilla cake mix with semi sweet chocolate chips in cupcakes. We forgot to buy the frosting, but it didn’t need it! So delicious. Again, we love your recipes!!
Just made this last weekend for my daughter’s 18th birthday and it was amazing- everyone raved about it! Very moist and full of rich chocolate flavor (and I normally don’t like cake.) We’re now preparing to make two for Christmas Dessert. Thank you for another delicious recipe.
This is my kind of recipe! I love that it uses a box mix to start it off, keeping things simple is how I like to cook!
This cake looks luscious indeed and would be the perfect pair with my morning cuppa!
We were looking for a great cake for our small family Holiday party. My daughter loves to bake and she loved making this bundt cake. The flavors are just delicious and it was a big hit.
I love this chocolate bundt cake! It is so moist and rich. I’m saving this cake to make again as a Christmas dessert everyone will love it!
I love these cakes. I have always been nervous to try one on my own but you have convinced me otherwise!
Wow! What an awesome Bundt cake! Seriously can’t wait to try this 🙂
I’d never heard about this specific type of cake before but it looks so cute and delicious – have to try it asap!
Hi Emmeline,
Nothing Bundt Cakes is a chain of shops in the US that sells cakes — “nothing but Bundt cakes.” They sell them in various flavors and sizes. They also sell small bibelot items, cards, etc.
Wow! I’ve never had a bundt cake that looks this good. Looking forward to trying this soon!
Love the look of a bundt cake and yours looks perfect and moist. YUM!
I have always wanted to bake Bundt cakes..your recipe looks easy to follow..will try yours
Please Please Please!! Wanting the Nothing Bundt Cakes recipe for RED VELVET!!! All of the ones I have made are fabulous! Even substituted blueberry filling for the raspberry filling in the white chocolate raspberry “bundt”. AMAZING
Would love to try this for hanukkah, did you use fresh frozen or canned blueberries
I LOVE this cake. It’s so pretty and SO delicious. Tastes JUST like the original from nothing bundt cakes – best part… I can make it for a fraction of the price. Thanks for this great recipe!
The best cake! The copycat is so much better! Loved it!
Can you Make this recipe in a 8inch round pan?
I haven’t tried it that way before, so I’m not sure. Let me know how it turns out if you do try it!
Will I get a bad result if I refrigerate this for a short time then ice it before my daughter gets home for her birthday??
Nope! It should be fine in the fridge! You can even put it in the freezer – it thaws pretty quickly.
Do you have a recipe for the strawberry nothing Bundt cake?
We don’t but that cake is delicious! We might have to come up with one!
Have you ever tried making this as a mini bunt cakes??? If so, what temperature and how long did you cook it for?
I haven’t, but I would try lowering the temperature by 25 degrees and then bake for 20 minutes and check them every 5 minutes after that.
Is there any substitute for sour cream? What does it do if you leave it out?
If you leave it out the cake will come out very dry. You can substitute it with one cup of yogurt plus one teaspoon of baking powder!
This was DIVINE. Thank you so much for this recipe. It brightened spirits during a not so bright time in the world!
I’ve had the “real” cake from their store on multiple occasions, and this one was SPOT ON (and even better because it was much less expensive)! I ran out of sour cream (gasp) so I reached for fat free plain Greek yogurt….. I ended up using about 1/2 cup of each. I only had chocolate fudge instant pudding on hand so I used it. I also used dark chocolate chips (60% or 62%, I believe).
For the icing, I cut the recipe in half and had MORE than enough icing….. probably could have iced 2 or 3 cakes with just half the icing recipe.
My daughter and I ate this cake up in 3 days’ time! Hey, it had Greek yogurt and eggs in it, so I counted it as “breakfast food”! LOL! 😊
We will definitely make this agin, and I’m considering substituting pumpkin purée for the oil. Has anyone tried this?
Thank you for replicating these awesome recipes! Being in corona-quarantine is a perfect time to try out some new desserts with the family. 😊
Can one of those ‘cooked puddings’ be used instead of instant pudding?
No, definitely use the instant pudding. The cooked pudding will cause the cake to have a heavier texture. Thanks for asking!
My sister made this cake while I was in town, and let me tell you that was the best cake I have ever ate or made myself, I am on my second piece now.😊
I am so glad you guys loved it!! Thanks so much for the 5-star review!
I’ve never had a cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes, I love the idea of making on at home! Does it matter what size of bunt pan you use? My friend got me a heart shaped one, I think it’s 10, 10 1/2 cups.
That should work!
Have you every tried this recipe with yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding substituted? Thanks
We haven’t but I bet it would be delicious!
Absolute best chocolate cake ever! I’ve made so many chocolate cakes, and truly this is the best. I never get chocolate cake at restaurants now, because after this one I am always disappointed. I have served this so many different ways…as written, as cupcakes, warm right out of the oven with no icing and ice cream, and most often as written, but with half the icing. You can’t lose with this recipe!
Thank you so much for this kind review!
Is refrigerating overnight a must? Thinking of making this in the morning and then frosting it several hours later for a birthday celebration in the afternoon/evening.
That should work!
Hi, does sour cream has to be room temperature
Either way is okay! I find that the batter is more smooth when the ingredients are at room temperature, though!
Hi, this cake turned out a bit dry any idea what might have caused it to dry? One thing i did differently is baked as a cake instead of a bundt cake. Any suggestion
What size bundt pan did you use?
I used a 10-inch bundt pan. Hope this helps!
I’ve done it with a white cake mix and white chocolate pudding added whit chocolate chips and swirled with raspberry pie filling. Amazing!
Love the Nothing bundt cakes..I am going to attempt to make one this Christmas.. Could I use a 6 cup bundt pan,then maybe put the leftovers in another pan.
Yes, of course. Be sure not to overfill the bundt pan. The cake “grows” as it bakes. Don’t fill it over 2/3 full. Good luck!
I have used this recipe and the lemon one several times to make mini bunt cakes for various occasions. They are always a hit. I was making the lemon ones today though and forgot to adjust the baking time :/ they are pretty brown but not burnt. I hope they still taste ok! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, it’s definitely a keeper! 🙂
Just tasted what I think was the French Vanilla at one of the stores and it was so light and delicious. Do you have the recipe for it and also we loved the Raspberry chocolate one, do you know how to get the raspberry swirl that is inside??
Hi Dianne- we have several bundt cake recipes including the raspberry swirl. If you do a search for “bundt” on our site it will bring up a bunch of them 🙂 Hope this helps!
I rarely leave comments, but I HAD TO leave one for this recipe. I hadn’t eaten a bundt cake from Nothing Bundt in forever (they are somewhat pricey-and a little too sweet IMO); my husband picked up a few small ones (3 bundtlettes = $14!) so I hunted for a copycat recipe. I saw yours, read the great reviews and decided to try it. Can I just tell you-it was probably one of the best chocolate cakes-ever! My husband and 11 year old son absolutely loved it! They loved it so much that I made this cake TWICE in 2 weeks! My son even said I should make them and sell them. 😀 Thank you so much! P.S. the only modification I made was I used 1/2 cup of cooled off coffee instead of 1/2 cup water. And decided to use HERSHEY’S Chocolate Pudding instead of generic (I figured why not spend the extra $1.00!) I can’t wait to make the White Choclate Raspberry (that’s my fave from Nothing Bundt). Thanks again!
Hi Kelley- Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment! I am so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe. I love the idea of using cooled coffee instead of water. I bet that just made the flavor even MORE rich. Delicious!!! Thanks again for the nice comment! 😀
Do you need to do anything different if baking in Utah since it is at higher altitudes?
Thanks.
Julie
You should be fine 🙂 This recipe was actually created when I lived in Utah so you should be good 😉 Hope this helps!
I also love this recipe! I substitute a mixture of peanut butter chips with the chocolate chips! So yummy!
So glad you liked it! Great idea using PB chips! YUM!
We have often paid up to $40 for the unnamed Bundt cake chain cakes. But after making my first bunt cake with this recipe We have not gone back. It’s my easy go to recipe for dessert and I often get requests for them. Easy to make your own flavors and add twists and turns. Do you have and try it please do. John Tannehill
I cannot wait to try this recipe for a tailgate. I really want to use more than one color batter (ie make it team colors if possible). My original thought was to use a white mix and color…but I think the best option is red velvet then perhaps color the frosting or use team color sprinkles…..thanks for the recipe.
I love that idea! Who’s your team? Such a fun idea to make it for a tailgating party– the fans will love it!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
We typically use salted, but you can use either! Hope this helps!
Does it need to go in the fridge for a night before frosting? If so why? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
After it cools down a but, it just makes the cake more moist. Just make sure it’s wrapped up so the moisture stays IN the cake 🙂 Hope this helps!
have a suggestion this is a downsized recipe of the actual frosting (I’ve worked at one of these the stores for three years)
1 stick butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
1 lb powdered sugar
Partially melt butter and mix that by itself first. Add cream cheese and mix until fairly smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, mix an low first, then on high.
One last thing if you want the frosting to look just the the actual thing, start from the outside of the cake, about a half inch from the bottom.
Thanks so much for the suggestion! And thanks for the frosting tip (going from the outside to the inside). It’s always nice to get suggestions form past employees. We love it!
… and what is in real recipe? Can you share?
We love the Nothing Bundt Cakes but only get them when we are on vacation. I was excited to try this recipe. It was a hit! I’m going to try a Red Velvet cake next. Thank you.
So glad you liked it! We are huge fans here too. Let us know how you like the red velvet!
Can i make this with mini bundt cake pans
Yes, you can. Just check them after 8-10 minutes or so and keep checking until done. Hope this helps!
Does the cake need to be kept in the fridge? Assuming there would be any leftovers…..
I like to wrap it tight and leave it in the fridge because I like it chilled but that’s just me. It can be wrapped or kept in an airtight container overnight though 🙂
I made these today as cupcakes since i didnt Have a bundt Pan. I baked Them at 350 for 28 minutes and they’re perfect! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your method making them as cupcakes! This will be a huge help to many readers. Glad to hear they still turn out great!
This bundt cake is delish! My oven is a lil off, so I adjusted my baking time to 35 mins and my temp setting to 325 F. Thank you for the recipe
Thanks for sharing what you did to adjust for your oven. And glad it still turned out great!
The recipe calls for 3/4 cup powdered sugar but the directions say start with 2 cups. I’m so confused!
Sorry this was unclear in the recipe. You will want 3-4 cups (3 to 4 cups) Hope this helps!
Need some advice on baking this.
Does anyone else have an issue with how long to bake it? It seems like parts are still raw but then the sides get too done. When I do the knife test after 50 minutes there are areas that are raw but I can’t tell if that’s just the pudding needing to set. Should I just pull it out at the 50 minute mark?
This cake is so amazing I want it to be perfect!
Thanks!
You could bake it a little longer, but not too long! It will set up some even after you pull it our of the oven. If it is still really gooey in the middle it could make for a delicious lava cake! 😉
Has anyone not refrigerated it over night ?
I left it in the fridge for about 3 hours then iced it. It was fine and the family LOVED it.
I’ve something very similar to your recipe, except I didn’t use mini chips. Get complements every time– and I don’t even frost it! Sometimes I sprinkle a little powdered sugar for looks. So good.
I’m going to try some of your other versions like the lemon and white chocolate raspberry. Yumm!
If I wanted to make this a red velvet cake would I just exchange the deviles food for red velvet cake mix? Thank you!!
Yes, that will work great. You can still use a chocolate pudding mix, but the color will be a slightly darker red. You can also use a vanilla pudding mix. Thank you for asking!
Have you tried making bundtlets with this recipe? If so, what would the cook time be?
I haven’t made bundtlet with this recipe, but I think it’s a great idea. I just need to get a bundtlet pan. I would suggest 10-15 minutes. You can use the toothpick test to tell when they are done. Be careful not to overcook. Please let us know how they turn out!
Can’t wait to try this one! Can you tell me what size of pudding?
Appx. 5 oz. (usually 5.1 oz.) Hope this helps!
Thank you! The small pudding is 3.9 and the large is 5.9. I will try the large one. I’m making it this week.
I want to make a lemon raspberry one. How would you make it to be as close to Nothing Bundt Cakes?
Hi. I love love your recipes. Used to make it all the time. Then husband found out he had cealtic. Gasp. What was I to do. I found Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix in place of regular cake mix Everything else is gluten free. To quote my husband “this is too good to be gluten free”. The only other thing I had to do was grease my pan with crisco and coco powder or my cake wouldn’t come out.
Now if they made gluten free lemon cake we would try the lemon cake. I did a marble cake. Using your recipe. Just switched out yellow cake and vanilla frosting. For the yellow part of the marble. Excited to try the flour free cake and the 4 ingredient cake as well.
Thanks. Keep the recipes coming.
super
http://www.pearlaccountants.org/
Thanks so much!
I made one for friends and everyone loved it! I plan to try other flavors. My only problem was that the cake caved in the middle. This has happened both times I made one. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for the recipes!
I’m not sure… what kind of bundt pan are you using (ceramic? non-stick? etc..)?
I tried this recipe today! It was sooo good! I can’t wait to try the others.
So glad you liked it! 😀
Probé los pasteles de Nothing Bundt Cake y estan riquisimos, un poco caros, por eso quede maravillada con esta receta!!! La haré muy pronto! Amo su página de recetas
Gracias
Translation: I tried the Nothing Bundt Cake cakes and they are delicious, a little expensive, so I marvel at this recipe !!! I will do it very soon! I love your recipe page
Thank you
Reply: Thank you Mildred! I hope you enjoy the cake!
My version came out pretty dense. It was delicious and we hadn’t tried Nothing Bundt Cake yet. We had the chance to try some after and their cake was moist and fluffy. Did I do something wrong in the process that mine became so dense?
Hi Brianna, if you want a lighter, fluffier cake, here are a couple of tips for you. First, sift the cake mix two or three times. This will make the dry ingredients finer and eliminate the salt chunks that are often in cake mixes. Second, separate the eggs. Add the yolks when mixing the ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are white and fluffy. Fold the whipped egg mix into the cake batter and then add the chocolate chips. It’s a few more steps, but it will make the cake lighter.
I made this before we even tried a Nothing Bundt Cake. We loved it. Then we tried the NBC version, only thought was mine was a lot more dense. Any thoughts? The real one sort of melted in your mouth but this was dense. Still loved it though.
Is there any substitute for sour cream?
Yes, you can use Greek yogurt! Hope this helps!
Hi there!!! This is probably a silly question, but what type of flower did you use as garnish/decoration? Is it artificial? Or real? Thank you!
Hi Roxy– the one in the picture is a fake flower. haha I even think there are some feathers in there with it! The cake we made in the video, however, we used real roses and I think that way is much more beautiful. We need to re-take a picture with roses instead!
I love the fake flower!
Hi there!! This may sound like a silly question, but what kind of flower did you use as the garnish/decoration? Is it real? Or fake? Making this for a friends birthday, and the flower gives it that extra touch.
I am looking for a lemon cake anything bundt.
I saw it somewhere but can ‘t remember where. Know it had a lemon cake mix bur what else
We gotcha covered: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/our-version-of-nothing-bundt-cakes-lemon-cake/
I just had this cake yesterday and noticed there seems to be a very light caramel sauce under the frosting and maybe a touch of raspberry. Have you tried one from the store recently?
We haven’t but that sounds delicious! A chocolate Raspberry one is SUCH a good idea!
Are you sure it was the chocolate cake and not the turtle cake? The turtle cake comes with a layer of caramel on it.
I own a Nothing Bundt Cakes store and while I’m sure your cake tastes great that is not our recipe.
That is why it’s a copy cat recipe and not the recipe. Care to share any secret ingredients? 🙂
I see this recipe was posted from a while back. I would definitely love to try it for a friend’s birthday, but what size cake mix or how many ounces did you use? I know the cake mix boxes used to be 18.25 ounces, but have since switched to 15.25 or 16.25. Thank you so much for your help and cannot wait to hear back from you and try this delicious recipe! P.S. A carrot cake one would be awesome for Easter! 🙂
Thank you, Dawn! I’ve used the 15.25 ounce box in this recipe because that is what is available in my local grocery stores. A carrot cake is a great idea! Stay tuned…
Do you have a red velvet bundt cake recipe? I would love to see it if you do.Email is angelawitulski@aim.com .
THANK YOU
We don’t, but that is a great idea. We will work on it!
I have been making this cake for most of my married years (47) and it is without a doubt everyone’s favorite and so easy to make. I got the recipe from my mother. I have baked and served it, and frozen it and used at a later date. I never ice my cake, but sprinkled it with powdered sugar. My daughter uses icing. It’s great no matter what the occasion. Definitely try it. You won’t be sorry.
You can make it as a sheet cake also.
Thank you, Elaine! I’ve never used this recipe for a sheet cake. Good to know!
okay im making this AS WE SPEAK! I hope you get this message today and not like I. 3 months because this post seems to be from 2013! do I HAVE to refrigerate it overnight?! I want it like now! no but seriously, dinner is almost served and I only want to wait as little as possible after it’s done to eat it! are you only refrigerating it for the coldness? thanks so much! My husband is drooling!
You can absolutely serve it before you refrigerate it. Hopefully you didn’t keep your husband waiting! 🙂
We have just found that the cake stays more moist when wrapped and put in the fridge, and it is more similar to a Nothing Bundt Cake when served cold. Thanks for asking!
This cake looks divine!!! But, I’m a little confused. The video looks as though you added 1/2 stick of butter, and the recipe says to add 1/2 cup (which as you know is one whole stick). Did I miss something?
The frosting calls for 1/2 cup of butter, not 1/2 stick. Thanks for asking!
Should you keep this cake in the refrigerated after you frost it?
Yes!
Love this cake! We’ve been making for 30+ years now and it’s always a favorite, but we top it with powdered sugar. I’ll have to give the “icing” a try!
The cream cheese frosting is incredible. Definitely more calories, but worth it! 🙂
Thanks so much, this looks great! Can’t wait to try it.
Should I still add pudding mix if the mix i use already has pudding in it?
In short.. yes.
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?
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 🙂
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.
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!
So glad you liked it (and loving that you fooled your family)! Thanks so much for the nice comment!
hello. What kind of oil do I use? Vegetable?
Tks
I like to use Canola oil when baking, but vegetable oil would work fine too. Thanks for asking!
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!
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!
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.
About a minute or two, you can stop if you think it is getting too tough. You just want it to be mixed well
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?
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!
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?
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.
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!)
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.
Do you have a Gluten free version of this?
Sorry, not yet.
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!!!
Do you use TWO boxes of the Gluten free cake mix…since one box only makes one 9″ round instead of two??
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)
Yum! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
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!
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
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
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!
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.
On my previous reply. The swirl began 1/2 inch from the outside rim of the cupcake.
Thanks for sharing this! I have had a lot of people asking how to do cupcakes so I will refer them to your comment!
Do you remember how long you baked the cupcakes?
I could only find mini semisweet chocolate chips at the store, is that the kind you used?
Yeah, just whatever the mini chocolate chips are. They just melt better. Milk chocolate or semi sweet.. Either one.
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!
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!
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!
wonderful!!!! Have you perfected the white chocolate Raseberry? I would love to make it for my husbands birthday Dec. 4
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…
Would you email me what you have so far?? I am IN LOVE with the white chocolate raspberry and would love to see what you’ve got so far! Email is Emily.hensley@tcu.edu!
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!
I just made this cake and it is absolutly delish, the frosting is the best I’ve ever had. Thank you so much.
Nancy
This is THE BEST chocolate cake recipe EVER. I found it a couple of weeks ago, and I have already made it three times. I look for any excuse to make it now. Everyone raves about it and asks for the recipe, and they can’t believe it uses a mix. Neither can I. I made it in mini bundt pans first, and that did not turn out well. The texture was not right–too light and fluffy. It was way more dense and fudgy in a bigger bundt pan or a 9×13 pan, possibly because the batter doesn’t have as much to “grab on” to in the oven. Make this cake. So good. Oh, and I have since gone to Nothing Bundt Cakes to try their real chocolate version. I was hoping mine was at least comparable. In my opinion, this one was better.
Does anyone know of a nothing bundt cake copycat that doesn’t have store bought cake mix and store bought pudding mix? No matter what I do to doctor up a cake mix I just cannot get over that store bought cake taste. I love everything homemade so much more. But I cant find a truly homemade version anywhere online anyone have any suggestions
I’ve seen recipes for “cake mixes” so maybe try one of those then use it in this recipe?
Nothing bundt cakes uses cake mix.
Nothing Bundt Cakes Red Velvet is one of the best I’ve ever had. I have not had luck replicating it myself. I love scratch recipes too. I could try to take a red velvet cake mix and supplement similar to this recipe, which would nice…. I would like to figure out in the world to do it from scratch. Anyone have tips on this. Making this chocolate one right now and am excited 🙂
This cake is AMAZING! My friend ordered the Turtle Cake for her husbands birthday from Nothing Bundt Cakes and it was delicious as well. I believe the frosting was the same. Perhaps you could try your hand at this one too? 🙂 Thanks again for posting.
On the copy cat bunt cake: only ONE box of cake mix, right?
Yes, just one cake mix 🙂
Use one of those cake mixes or two of them?
Erica, thank you for sharing this recipe! My daughter wants the red velvet nothing bundt cake. Do you think I can just sub out the chocolate cake mix for red velvet? And what about the pudding, stick with chocolate or do a vanilla or something elxe?
You nailed this recipe!!! It’s now a Fam Fav in our house too… Thank you!
Have you perfected any other flavors? I am so thrilled I found your recipe. I am going to try it as I am looking for a good gift and this shop is not in our area. Please perfect the other flavors we need your recipes!! Especially red velvet!!
I am currently working on the white chocolate raspberry one. I am REALLY close but not quite favfamilyrecipes worthy yet! I will post it as soon as I get it PERFECT!
Just made this for my own birthday! It was fabulous!! Thank you!!
Thank you! I'm so excited I stumbled across your blog. Thanks for sharing your talents!
If you don't have a frosting tip big enough to do the "finger" look.. try putting the frosting in a Ziploc bag and cut the end where you would like. practice on an up-side down bowl a few times before doing it on the cake. Hope this helps! –Erica
I'm so excited to try this–it's actually in the oven right now. I am nervous about the frosting. How did you make it look so… PERFECT? Do I need any special instructions?
I live near a Nothing Bundt Cakes store, but I missed getting my hubby one for his birthday (today)! They were closed when I "dropped by" yesterday evening. So… I'm trying your recipe. It's in the oven!! I'm excited to serve it to him!
Just the typical size (I think they are 8-9"), you can even use the little bundtlet pans if you want, just reduce the time and keep checking on them until they are done.
I need to buy a bundt cake pan, what size is best for this recipe?
8 inch
This is amazing. I am new to your blog, so I took some time to browse through your earlier posts. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
This cake was FABULOUS!
Oh IF you are working on other flavors please keep us posted. I tried the White Chocolate Blueberry the other night, OMG it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g!
Wonderful blog,
Anne.
Please post their turtle Bundt cake recipe or a copy cat!!!
I haven’t tried their Turtle Bundt cake yet. Sounds like I need to give it at a try!
There are usually 2 sizes. Use the smaller one, I am sure the larger one would be ok too though
What size package chocolate pudding?
I'm working on the white chocolate raspberry right now. I will post it as soon as I get it right! I love the poppy seed too.. I will have to do that one next
do you know the carrot cake recipe they use??
I love nothing bunt cakes, but we moved to the east coast and there aren't any out here. Do you have any ideas for some of their other flavors? Like this May they are going to have an almond poppy seed bundt, yum! Loved this recipe!
Cinnamon Bundt cake: use yellow cake mix. swap cinnamon chips for the chocolate chips. For the cinnamon swirl use sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a couple of tablespoons of butter. Just enough butter so it has the consistency similar to that kinetic/magic sand.
The pecan cake is the same as the cinnamon except add pecans and subtract the cinnamon chips.
Great suggestions for the cinnamon cake! Thank you, AshMarie!
What is the frosting recipe?
Thanks!
My man said
"that's the BEST cake you've EVER MADE"!
Thanks!
Wonderful copy! I made these for my daughter's birthday as cupcakes. And I am making it for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
Oh, and I am featuring you on He Married Me For My Cooking. Thanks for sharing!
Ok, so the choice of 3 different chocolate cake recipes is puzzling me… which do I choose? What has been the choice for everyone else? I tried the samples at the Women's expo and it was TO DIE FOR! I just can't justify spending over $30 for a cake though! Thanks so much for posting!
~Starlightlily!
Just the small box, but I'm sure if you used the large box it would be fine.
do you just use the powder? does it matter if it’s instant?
I have used both regular and instant powders and both work great! And no, I haven’t done the carrot cake, sorry!
Do you use the large or small box of pudding??? Excited to try today!
Do you use a small or large box of pudding?
It is the small box. It is 3.4 oz. Thanks for asking!
Oh my gosh! This is the BEST! Tastes just like the original and loads cheaper. LOVE your site and blogs=)
I have to post another THANK YOU from another one of your fans! I made this for my book club and everyone ate three pieces and took a piece home! They loved it! I found that it made a TON of frosting, even when I layered it on, I still had about a cup extra. I used big chocolate chips because I couldn't find minis that weren't a strange generic brand. It was delightful!
So, I made this cake for myself for my birthday. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! It was absolutely delicious and I didn't miss the store bought version at all and had a BLAST making it and sampling the frosting as I went! YUM! I'm going to feature it on my blog this next week and link to your blog as well…just so you know!
Thanks a million times over!!!
Lisa
gourmified.blogspot.com
Are you kidding me!? I want to eat just their frosting plain! Aack! I always want to pick up a cake when I go see family in Sandy. I'm putting this on my list to make this week. Can't wait!!!!!
Thanks!
Lisa
gourmified.blogspot.com
This was an awesome recipe, i loved it. the only thing i did that i thought was a good idea was half the icing recipe
Thanks for the icing tip on the nothing bundt cake recipe
What tip did you use to pipe this? And did you take the frosting all the way into the middle? (If you aren’t putting a cake topper on it, any suggestions for how to “finish” it?
Thanks.
I just used a pastry bag and cut off the tip to the size I wanted. No tip was big enough!
Take the frosting all the way into the middle. Once youve finished frosting the outside of the cake take a knife and swirl/smooth the frosting around the inside of the hole. You may need to add more frosting to completely cover the cake on the inside.
Great tips for frosting! Thanks Erin!
So excited to try your recipe…it really looks tempting. do you have other nothing bundt cake recipes? 🙂
I was looking for a recipe for this cake and tried this one, and it was fantastic! I tried it with cupcakes and they were gone in a heartbeat. Thanks for the recipe!
How long did u bake your cupcakes?
High altitude modifications?
Did you get an answer to how long to bake cupcakes. Mine are in the oven now. ?
Making these wed…what temp and time worked for cupcakes? Thanks in advance!
Nothing but bundt serves samples that look to be baked in a sheet cake pan…….how long would you bake this choc chip recipe in a sheet cake pan?
I made some mini bundts the same size as the bundlets and baked for 15 minutes. For cupcakes I would imagine a little less than that.
Which mini Bundt pan did you use?
Absolutely spot on!!! We ordered a Nothing Bundt Cake for Christmas and I wanted to make one for my husband’s birthday when I found this recipe! Delicious! Thanks a bunch!!!
Made this and it was DELICIOUS!!! And
easy! Kevin called me Martha Stewart, he was so impressed!!!
My cousin found your blog when she was looking for cafe rio pork recipes. She tried it and said it was perfect.
We must practically be neighbors, I live pretty close to the Nothing Bundt Cakes on State. I’ve heard they’re amazing, but I’ve never tried one. I think I’ll just make your recipe instead!
You can visit my food blog at http://timetoeatbeckysrecipes.blogspot.com/
http://ediblemorsels.blogspot.com/
You have inspired me, this should help me get all of those loose pieces of paper organized. I don’t have pictures but I will have to keep my camera next to the kitchen so that I can add them at a later date.
Wow my first bunt cake and everyone Loved it yay ????