This easy and moist Easter bundt cake is a homemade sour cream chocolate cake topped with a dripping semisweet chocolate ganache and decorated with fun sprinkles and Easter chocolate eggs. It is one of the best cakes you'll ever have!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy: You can make it easily in a mixer with a paddle attachment. Then make the ganache in the microwave.
- Affordable: Our Easter bundt cake recipe calls for simple ingredients that are available at your local grocery store or you may already have in your pantry and fridge though.
- Fun: My kids love to help me decorate the cake with colorful sprinkles and a variety of Easter eggs of different sizes.
Chocolate Easter Cake
Spring has officially arrived... And Easter is almost here! What I have for you is a decadent, moist Easter Chocolate bundt cake!!! Excited?
In my home country of Brazil, as in many other Christian countries, Easter is about Jesus' resurrection which, as you may know, is symbolized by Easter eggs. Yes, you read that right! Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, who rose from the grave...
Thus, it was the early Christians of Mesopotamia who initiated the custom of the Easter egg by staining eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ, shed at his crucifixion. This custom was only officially adopted by the Catholic Church in 1610 A.D.
Although traditionally Easter is celebrated with painted or dyed chicken eggs, in modern times chocolate eggs or plastic ones with sweet treats inside have become more common.
Unlike in the US, Brazil has no tradition of plastic eggs filled with jelly beans or Easter egg hunts. It's all about chocolate eggs, which are brought to children by the Easter bunny.
This is why our dessert for Easter this year, an extremely moist Easter bundt cake, is decorated with chocolate eggs...
I hope you enjoy our sour cream chocolate bundt cake as much as my family and I did... And most of all, I wish you and your family a very Happy Easter!
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS
To make this Easter bundt cake you will need the following:
Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter (or 2 sticks), at room temperature (or 230 grams), PLUS extra for greasing the cake pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar (or 200 grams)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (or 135 grams)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (or 245 grams)
- ¾ cup unsweetened NATURAL cocoa powder (or 60 grams) -- Don't use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe though!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup hot water (or 120ml)
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (or 240 ml)
NOTE: If you are in a hurry, you can use a dark chocolate cake mix instead of making the cake batter from scratch.
Chocolate ganache
- 1 ⅓ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 200 grams)
- ¾ cup heavy cream (or 180 ml)
To decorate (Optional)
- 16 oz container Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Frosting, for pipping though
- Rainbow Sprinkles
- 1 large Ferrero Rocher Egg, divided in half lengthwise
- 2-3 Cadbury Creme Eggs
- 3 Ferrero Rocher Confetteria Rafaello Truffles
- Mini milk chocolate eggs (use as many as you want)
- Hershey's candy-coated chocolate eggs (9 oz bag, pastel color -- but use only a few)
- Cadbury Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs with a Crisp Sugar Shell Candy (80 g bag)
- KitKat minis unwrapped (3.8 oz bag), but use only a few drizzled with melted white candy melts
- Wilton Daisy Icing Decorations
How to make Easter bundt cake
1. Prepare the cake batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 180 C). Grease a 10-cup bundt cake pan well with butter though.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars and beat at medium speed until creamy and pale.
3. Add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the mixture is combined and creamy. Do not overmix!
4. In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine! Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl of the mixer, and then beat at low speed just until combined.
5. Then, add the hot water (not boiling) and lightly beat to combine.
6. Finally, add the sour cream and fold it with a spatula until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Your Easter bundt cake batter should be very thick!
7. Pour sour cream chocolate cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and shake to level the batter. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake fully cool.
8. Make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and reserve. Heat the heavy cream in a mug in the microwave until hot (not boiling), about 45-60 seconds. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then, stir well until melted and smooth. Allow the mixture to thicken slightly.
9. Then pour the chocolate ganache over the top of your cool cake.
10. Let the ganache set a little and then decorate the cake with sprinkles and chocolate eggs. Lastly, pipe the chocolate frosting on the sides and a few on top of the cake. Slice and enjoy!
FAQ'S
What is a Bundt cake?
The name Bundt relates to the type of pan that the cake is baked in. Bundt cake pans have a central funnel or ring shape and are decorative, making great holiday desserts though.
How else can I decorate the cake?
If you prefer, you can replace the dripping chocolate ganache with a semisweet chocolate buttercream frosting or a simple icing sugar glaze with cocoa powder, or chocolate icing (sift 100 g icing sugar with 25 g cocoa powder into a small bowl and then gradually whisk in 1-2 tablespoon warm water until smooth). Make sure to adjust the ingredients to the desired thickness. Drizzle over our easy chocolate Easter cake and leave to set.
How to Serve it?
This chocolate Easter bundt cake is perfect as an Easter teatime treat. Moreover, it makes the best dessert all year round, decorated according to the occasion.
How to Store
Store your leftover Easter bundt cake in a clean (without odors) airtight container or cardboard cake box in the fridge for up to 2-3 days though.
Do not freeze a cake topped with ganache! However, you can make the cake ahead, let it cool, wrap it with parchment paper, and then cling film or plastic wrap. Then freeze it for up to 2 months.
Lastly, let it thaw unwrapped on a platter over the counter and top it with chocolate ganache and decorate your Easter chocolate cake.
Other Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Dairy-free chocolate cake
- Flourless chocolate nut cake
- Death by chocolate cake
- Chocolate lava mug cake
- Chocolate biscuit cake
- Brazilian chocolate cake roll
- Chocolate fudge cake in a mug
- Peanut butter mug cake with chocolate
- Brigadeiro cake
MORE BUNDT cake recipes
also other easter Treat Recipes
- Easter chocolate braid
- Easter cookie bars
- Brazilian carrot cake
- Brazilian carrot cupcakes
- Bird nest cookies
- Oreo trifle
- Coconut bonbons
- Lemon pudding cake
PIN & ENJOY!
Easter Bundt Cake
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 bundt cake pan 10-cup
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 spatula
- 1 small bowl
- 1 Mug
Ingredients
Sour Cream Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks, at room temperature PLUS extra for greasing the cake pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened NATURAL cocoa powder Don't use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature -- NOTE: If you are in a hurry, you can use a dark chocolate cake mix instead of making the cake batter from scratch.
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 ⅓ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or 200 grams
- ¾ cup heavy cream or 180 ml
To Decorate (Optional)
- 16 oz container Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Frosting for pipping
- Rainbow Sprinkles
- 1 large Ferrero Rocher Egg divided in half lengthwise
- 2-3 Cadbury Creme Eggs
- 3 Ferrero Rocher Confetteria Rafaello Truffles
- Mini milk chocolate eggs use as many as you want
- Hershey's candy-coated chocolate eggs 9 oz bag, pastel color -- but use only a few
- Cadbury Milk Chocolate Mini Eggs with a Crisp Sugar Shell Candy 80 g bag
- KitKat minis unwrapped 3.8 oz bag, use only a few drizzled with melted white candy melts
- Wilton Daisy Icing Decorations
Instructions
- Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 180 C). Grease a 10-cup bundt cake pan well with butter.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars and beat at medium speed until creamy and pale.
- Add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating just until the mixture is combined and creamy. Do not overmix!
- In a separate bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine!
- Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the bowl of the mixer, and then beat at low speed just until combined. Add the hot water (not boiling) and lightly beat to combine.
- Finally, add the sour cream and fold it with a spatula until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Your Easter bundt cake batter should be very thick!
- Pour sour cream chocolate cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and shake to level the batter. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake fully cool.
- Make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and reserve. Heat the heavy cream in a mug in the microwave until hot (not boiling), about 45-60 seconds. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then, stir well until melted and smooth.
- Allow the mixture to thicken slightly. Then pour the chocolate ganache over the top of your cool cake.
- Let the ganache set a little and then decorate the cake with the sprinkles and chocolate eggs. Lastly, pipe the chocolate frosting on the sides and a few on top of the cake. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Store your leftover Easter bundt cake in a clean (without odors) airtight container or cardboard cake box in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Do not freeze a cake topped with ganache! However, you can make the cake ahead, let it cool, wrap it with parchment paper, and then cling film or plastic wrap. Then freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Let it thaw unwrapped on a platter over the counter and top it with chocolate ganache and decorate your Easter chocolate cake.
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
ost was first published on March 25, 2013.
Juliana says
Denise, I love how your chocolate cake rised...looks so pretty all decorated with the Easter eggs...I miss so much the huge Easter eggs that we used to get back in Brazil...it wa so much fun, finding our what was inside in the eggs 🙂
Have a wonderful week my dear 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks a lot, Juliana! Me too...I so miss Páscoa in Brazil that I had to make a dessert filled with chocolate eggs to remind myself all the delicious stuff and fun that I used to have there. My children loved it!
Liz says
What a spectacular Easter cake! I love how you decorated it with chocolate eggs (my kids would always pick chocolate eggs over jelly beans :)).
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Liz! My children loved this cake and, of course, all the eggs that come with it!!!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
What a gorgeous cake! Was so interesting to read a bit of history you shared here with us about the custom of staining eggs - I didn't know that. I will have to look into that further, it's very interesting. And yes, I think I prefer those chocolate eggs on your photos over the plastic eggs filled with jelly beans. 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thank you, Julia! It was very interesting for me to learn about the history behind the Easter eggs.
Veronica says
Such a pretty cake! Where did you find the hollow chocolate eggs? Did you make them yourself?
Denise Browning says
Veronica: Thanks! I wish I had had time to make the chocolate eggs as well...I bought the big hollow Lindor egg at the supermarket.
Kate@Diethood says
I'm so glad you shared this! Where I come from, Macedonia, we don't do hunts and bunnies, or chocolates, either... it's about the resurrection of Christ.
The cake is beautiful! My husband would be head over heels if this is what he saw on the dessert table for Easter! 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Kate! I wish I could share at least a slice... 🙂
Deb says
As a child Easter was always celebrated with sweet treats. My parents held their Christian heritage in high regard and wished to pass their beliefs on to their children. Easter was as much of a celebration as Christmas. I enjoyed learning about the traditions of Brasil. And chocolate cake is always a good thing! Especially at Easter!
Denise Browning says
I do agree with you, Deb! Wishing you a very Happy Easter!!!!!! May the Lord live in our hearts...
Sugaretal says
Gorgeous cake! I can eat it all by myself. Love the way you have decorated it..so pretty and colorful:-)
Denise Browning says
Thanks a lot, Sonali!
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter!!!!!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
How beautiful! Stunning photos. I have to admit the prayer of "this thy creature of eggs" made me chuckle. 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Maureen! 🙂 Have a very happy Easter...
Purabi Naha says
Now this chocolate cake is something really really delicious!! I love using canola oil in my cake recipes as well!!! Awesome recipe and the picture is so good….it makes me drool!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Purabi!!!! Oil helps to make the cake batter moist and much lighter than if I have used butter.
I am glad that the cake makes you drool. 🙂
Mi Vida en un Dulce says
The cake looks delicious, and I like so much how you decorate it. Happy Easter...!!!
Denise Browning says
Nydia, querida! Thank you so much...Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter as well!!!! xx
Lail | Wiith A Spin says
What a pretty cake. Love the decoration also, Denise.
Happy holidays to you and your family.
Denise Browning says
Thank you so much, Lail! I am glad that you've stopped by...Wishing you a very happy holiday as well.
The Café Sucré Farine says
Your cake is beautiful and I love your description of Easter. So true and how often we forget what really matters! It's all about Jesus, isn't it? Have a blessed holiday!
Denise Browning says
Thank you so much, Cris! It's so true: Easter is all about Jesus who died on the cross for each one of us. Have a great Easter!
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice says
Amazing work, Denise! I hope you had a wonderful holiday, celebrated with loved ones and plenty of this sensational looking chocolate cake 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thank you so much, Yasmeen! It's so good to have you visiting me. I miss it... I wish you and your husband a wonderful holiday!
Amira says
Happy Easter Denise, It is a lovely and delicious cake, it makes me wanna gobble some chocolate right now .... I am a chocoholic 😉
Denise Browning says
Amira: It's so good to have your visit... Thank you for your kind words!!! I hope you are having a great holiday.
Raymund says
Really nice and cute cake, Happy Easter to you!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Raymund! I hope you have had a great Easter as well.
Jill says
The cake looks delicious, I know I'm a little late for Easter but may just have to make one anyway. Hope you had a great Easter.
Denise Browning says
Jill, thanks! I am happy just because you have stopped by.
I hope you make the cake and enjoy it. Mine disappeared pretty quick. Have a great week!
Jill says
Hi Denise, just wanted to let you know that I made the cake with my little boy and it was delicious. We really enjoyed it, will definitely be making it again 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thank you, Jill! I am so glad that y'all enjoyed it to the point of making it again.
My family enjoys this cake as well. Thank you for stopping by and let me know. I do appreciate it...
Ana Helena Campbell says
Chocolate cake is always my favorite cake and yours look absolutely delicious. I can see you had a great Easter:) Have a great week!
Denise Browning says
Ana: Thanks so much for stopping by! It is always great to have Brazilians visiting me. I hope you have had a great Easter as well. xx
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Gorgeous chocolate cake!! Sounds like your Easter was extra special with the beautfiul cake. 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Nami! My children and husband gobbled this cake like there was any other thing to be eaten in the house. 🙂
I hope you have had a great holiday.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Such a pretty Easter cake, I love the chocolate egg topper!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Laura! My family and I are chocoholics. :):) This cake is death by chocolate!!!!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Beautiful Easter chocolate cake, Denise! Just saw this over at PInterest and had to scoot on over to tell you. So pretty and nostalgic! Thank you for including the history of Easter eggs and how the dying of eggs relates to Christianity. And yes...chocolate eggs are much nicer than the plastic ones! Thanks for sharing. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter! xo
Denise Browning says
Thank you, Stacy, for kindly stopping by and leaving a comment. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter.