Chocolate Donut Cake

This Chocolate Donut Cake is a moist and ultra chocolate birthday cake that’s super easy, with a couple lighter hacks. It’s a family favorite for kids and adults alike!

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What’s a Chocolate Donut Cake?

In short, a chocolate donut cake is simply a delicious chocolate cake — that looks like a donut! It’s a super moist and decadent tasting chocolate bundt cake recipe, that is a go-to birthday cake favorite amongst my family. When the kids in our family were toddlers, they nicknamed this the chocolate donut cake, and the moniker has stuck ever since!

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Chocolate lover’s dream! This cake is absolutely made for chocolate lovers with all its many layers of chocolate (and chocolate chips, topped with a lighter chocolate ganache glaze…)
• Slightly healthier swaps. Let’s be real – this is clearly a chocolate cake, and absolutely one of those moderation things. But, it is a little lower in fat and has some healthier swaps (without compromising taste!) compared to many traditional chocolate cakes.
• Delightful birthday cake – this is always one of the top 2 birthday cake selections for everyone in my family and extended family!
• Family-friendly – always equally loved by kids and adults alike.
• Super moist – I know that word can illicit mixed feelings, but truly this is such a moist and delicious cake.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions:

For a full ingredient list with quantities, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Chocolate cake mix – you can use any standard-sized box of chocolate cake mix. My family loves the Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (13.25oz), but up to 15.25oz box mixes will work.
• Chocolate pudding mix – make sure it’s instant pudding mix! This helps make the cake super moist.
• Greek yogurt – I use plain, fat-free Greek yogurt here. It helps keep the cake super moist, lowers fat compared to using oil, and actually adds a little protein, too.
• Applesauce – another lower fat sub is unsweetened applesauce. And I swear you can’t taste apples in this recipe at all!
• Eggs – you’ll need 3 large eggs to help give structure to the cake.
• Water – last little bit of liquid to give this cake its moisture!
• Chocolate chips – this cake is LOADED with chocolate, so make sure you’re a chocolate lover. 😉 I always use semisweet, but you can use any variety of chocolate you like.
• Ganache – I love to make a lighter ganache with milk and chocolate chips to glaze the cake.
• Sprinkles – optional, of course, but I mean, they’re super cute and make it look extra donut-y!

How to Make Chocolate Donut Cake

For complete instructions, please check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Whisk wet ingredients.
2. Add dry ingredients & chocolate chips.
3. Place in a greased bundt pan (spreading it into an even layer).
4. Once it has cooled briefly, flip it upside down onto a plate or baking rack to finish cooling.
5. Make the ganache glaze, then drizzle over the top.
6. Garnish with sprinkles if desired, and enjoy!

Tips and Variations

• Switch up the chocolate – you can use semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips… the world is your oyster!
• Add some nuts – if you love a nutty crunch in your cake, try subbing half of the chocolate chips for chopped nuts.
• Skip the glaze – I know, sounds crazy, but we totally do this sometimes and it’s still always delicious!
• Use mini chocolate chips instead of sprinkles – the move if you’re going for a full chocolate lover’s dream cake.
• Add sugar to the bundt pan – this is optional, but you can add a coating of sugar to the greased bundt pan before you add the batter. It can make the exterior kind of sweet and a little crunchy, but note that sometimes it does prevent the cake from coming out of the bundt pan as cleanly.

How do you get a cake out of a bundt pan?

My top tips for cleanly removing a cake from a bundt pan are to make sure the pan is greased in all areas before adding the batter, to begin. Then, let the cake sit in the pan at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before flipping. This helps it cool enough to be easily handled, but it’s still warm enough that it helps it come out cleaner.

How to Store Leftover Cake

Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for 3-4 days, per USDA recommendations. Now, this is an extremely moist cake, so particularly if you live in a more humid environment, you may want to keep it in the refrigerator instead.

You can also freeze leftover cake. I recommend freezing without the ganache glaze, but you can freeze in an airtight container for up to one month.

Shop This Recipe

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• Bundt Cake Pan
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More Treat Recipes to Love

• Oreo Red Velvet Cookies
• Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cookie Pie

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