Go Back
+ servings
Print
Irish Chocolate Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze - this rich, decadent cake is super easy to throw together, no mixer necessary! It has a few fun secret ingredients too, don't worry, not anchovies or anything weird like that!

Best Ever Chocolate Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze

This rich, decadent cake is super easy to throw together, no mixer necessary! It has a few fun secret, unexpected ingredients**This recipe is for a 15-cup or Bundt pan. If your Bundt pan is smaller, use the recipe below.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Irish
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 617 kcal
Author Chris Scheuer adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brewed coffee
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • ½ cup Irish Whiskey you can substitute another ½ cup of buttermilk for the whiskey, if desired
  • 3 sticks butter
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder not Dutch-process plus 3 tablespoons for dusting pan (if not using baking spray)
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • for the caramel glaze:
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a large bundt pan (at least 15 cups) generously with baking spray or butter well, then dust with 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, knocking out excess.
  2. Heat coffee, buttermilk, whiskey, butter, and cocoa powder in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat, whisking, until butter is melted. You can also just throw all those ingredients in the microwave and heat on high until butter is melted, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat (or microwave), then add sugar and whisk until dissolved, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
  3. While chocolate mixture cools, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then whisk egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture until combined well. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined (batter will be thin and bubbly).
  4. Pour batter into bundt pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
  5. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, about 2 hours. Loosen cake from pan using tip of a dinner knife, then invert rack over pan and turn cake out onto rack. Drizzle with caramel glaze, if desired.
  6. For the glaze, combine sugar and ½ cup water in a medium-size sauce pan. Stir gently to combine and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Don't stir it any more at this point. You don't want to cause sugar crystals to form on the sides of the pan.
  7. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. If you notice any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan, take a pastry brush that's been dipped in water and hold it on the side of the pan above the crystal/s, the water from the brush will wash the crystals back into the sugar mixture. The reason you don't want any sugar crystals to form on the sides of the pan is because they can cause a reaction that will make the whole mixture crystalize.
  8. Simmer (without stirring) until mixture reaches a deep amber color, about 6-8 minutes. At this point, remove pot from heat and, standing back a bit, add cream and butter to sugar mixture. It will bubble up furiously for just a minute. That's why it's important to stand back. Once the bubbling settles down, return pan to heat and bring the mixture back to a simmer.
  9. Simmer until thick and reduced to a molasses consistency. You might have to remove the pot from the heat and let the bubbling settle down to check the consistency. If it's still too thin, return to heat and continue to simmer. Mixture will thicken a bit on cooling, so don't let it get much thicker than molasses. This will take from 10-15 minutes.
  10. When glaze reaches the right consistency, remove from heat, add sea salt and vanilla and stir. Allow caramel mixture to cool to lukewarm before drizzling over cake.

Recipe Notes

If you have any extra caramel sauce this makes a wonderful ice cream topping!

Nutrition Facts
Best Ever Chocolate Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
Amount Per Serving
Calories 617 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 79mg26%
Sodium 437mg19%
Potassium 277mg8%
Carbohydrates 115g38%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 85g94%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 495IU10%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 3.2mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.