This easy, super moist chocolate bundt cake has a deep, rich chocolate flavour and is covered in the ever decadent dulce de leche (caramel treat).
Every South African has a spot in their heart for a chocolate cake either topped or filled with caramel treat (dulce de leche). Simple yet outrageously delicious. This is what led me to create this decadent chocolate bundt cake with a dulce de leche topping.
This particular recipe was pulled together from various recipes I have written on post-it notes and within my really old recipe book.
For more South African recipes click here.
Jump to:
What you need for this recipe
Equipment
This recipe requires a 10-cup bundt pan or a 23 cm springform cake tin. I made this cake by hand, but you can use a handheld mixer or stand mixer to bring everything together.
Ingredients
- Butter - salted butter in addition to added salt really helps intensify the chocolatey flavour.
- Flour - plain, all-purpose, standard grade or cake flour for this cake.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder - the best cocoa powder in South African is the Woolies brand (in my opinion), here in New Zealand I tend to stick to Nestle or Cadbury cocoa powder.
- White granulated or caster sugar - to sweeten and not add any additional flavour to the cake.
- Coffee - either use two heaped teaspoons of instant coffee in hot water, or a double shot of espresso topped up with hot water to come to 250 grams.
- Salt is essential to bringing out the flavour of cocoa powder. I use salted butter and additional salt in this recipe.
- Greek yogurt adds additional fat and moisture and flavour.
- Baking soda and baking powder to give this cake some lift. The baking soda will react with the acidity of the yoghurt and coffee.
- Eggs help bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract
- Dulce de leche / caramel treat (also known as caramel-sweetened condensed milk).
See the recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions / Variations
For a dairy-free version of dulce de leche, I would recommend using plant-based condensed milk and either baking or cooking it to a caramel consistency. I have made coconut milk dulce de leche from coconut milk condensed milk in my instant pot. However, it has a very strong coconut flavour. I do also really love Minimalist Baker's Easy Vegan Caramel Sauce. This may not require additional lemon juice because the caramel may be thinner than traditional caramel treat or dulce de leche.
Note - I have also tried to make dulce de leche with the oat condensed milk variety and I would not recommend it.
This cake is very rich and dense and does not need caramel but it really rounds out the decadence.
Yoghurt can be substituted with sour cream.
Making the Chocolate Bundt Cake
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan assisted). Place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Step 2 - In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, cocoa powder, and hot coffee. Whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Set aside to cool down for 5 minutes.
Step 3 - Add in the eggs and yoghurt and mix until well combined.
Step 4 - Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined and there are no lumps.
Step 5 - Grease the bundt pan either using butter and a dusting of cocoa powder or liberally spray with a non-stick spray. Pour the cake mixture into the bundt pan and tap the pan on the kitchen counter to release air bubbles.
Pro Tips for this recipe
Allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to combine and get to know each other a little easier
Only grease your bundt pan just before you pour the batter in. Especially if using a spray. If using the traditional butter and flour method - replace the flour with cocoa powder to ensure you don't have any white spots on your finished cake.
If the butter is not melting in the hot coffee - zap it in the microwave in 15-second bursts.
Really knock the bundt pan on the kitchen counter to make sure all air bubbles are removed from the batter before baking.
Measuring cups and spoons are an essential addition to every kitchen! Not every cup and spoon is made equally and has varying volumes. For accurate measuring invest in a set of measuring cups and spoons to make sure you add the correct amount of an ingredient. When in doubt - always use a level spoon or cup measure using your measuring cups and spoons.
Ovens: A conventional oven needs to be set at 20°C higher than a fan-forced or convection oven. Oven temperatures are not consistent, the best way to determine if your oven dial is correct is to use an oven thermometer.
Bakeware: Metal bakeware is superior when it comes to baking biscuits, cookies, brownies, muffins and quick bread, scones, and cakes. These heat up and cool down faster than glassware. Glassware is heavier, heats up and cools down slower than metal and is more suited for bread puddings, pies, crisps, crumbles and cobblers.
All my recipes are currently tested at sea level.
Storage
This cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Rate & Review!
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating! It gives my readers and me helpful feedback. If you want more recipes, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Recipe Card
