Any cake baked in Nordic Ware’s Brilliance pan, one of our favorite Bundt pans, instantly transforms into a showstopping dessert with dimensional curves and stark ridges. With that in mind, we sought to create a cake that would match that intensity. Enter our new black and white Bundt cake. Black cocoa lends this cake deep chocolate flavor while our Vanilla Bean Glaze imparts an extra note of sweetness and a pop of white.
Nordic Ware Black Cocoa Bundt Cake
Makes 1 (10-cup) Bundt cake
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (284 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups (500 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs (200 grams)
- 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (65 grams) black cocoa powder
- 2½ teaspoons (5 grams) instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) baking powder
- ¾ cup (180 grams) whole buttermilk, room temperature
- Vanilla Bean Glaze (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan*.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, black cocoa, espresso powder, salt, and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing top with a small offset spatula. Lightly tap pan on counter to settle batter.
- Place pan in a cold oven, and bake at 325°F (170°C) until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely.
- Spoon Vanilla Bean Glaze over cooled cake, or place Vanilla Bean Glaze in a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, and pipe over cake.
Notes
* We used Nordic Ware's Brilliance Bundt pan.
Vanilla Bean Glaze
Makes ⅔ cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.
What a beautiful cake!
I am super excited about trying the recipe, though I wanted to double check whether it’s actually 500 gramms of sugar that are needed for the cake dough? As ist seems a little high in relation to the other ingredients!
Thanks for your help!
Kathrin
Hi Kathrin!
Thanks for reaching out! The quantities listed are correct and have been tested. Happy baking!
I bought my Brilliance Bundt Pan just to make your recipe….in the oven now….smells awesome…but am a little sad….I looked at it through the oven window while sitting on the couch…rising so nicely…..10 minutes later… the same view…could not see the cake….it fell….still 12 minutes to go…. still giving it a 5….it had to be me doing something wrong
🙁
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that! It sounds like your baking soda was nice and fresh if you had a vigorous initial rise, so I think we can rule that out. Can I ask what brand of black cocoa you used? Also, did you use whole buttermilk or a low-fat alternative? Have you checked the accuracy of your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? Sorry for all the questions! Also, what a great view you have from your couch 🙂
Real buttermilk is impossible to find where I live. Can I use the powder buttermilk and reconstitute it? Oh, one more, where does someone find black cocoa? Thanks!!!!
Hi Shannon,
Thanks for reaching out! Powdered buttermilk is a great option. Here is a Guide to Buttermilk Replacements for other options. Black cocoa is an even darker version of Dutch-process cocoa. If you can’t find black cocoa, then Dutch-process cocoa will work well but may give just a slightly lighter color. Happy baking!
Thank you! I’m finally getting around to making it now! Can’t wait!!
I have made this cake numerous times and it always comes out perfect. It’s moist, dense, and not overly sweet. A perfect balance. I highly recommend the black onyx cocoa powder. Definitely worth the extra cost.
I just put one in the oven as I have company coming for dinner!
I would like to try this cake but have a regular Bundt pan which is a larger capacity (12 to 15 cups). I also have a nordic heart pan which says it has a 10 cup capacity. Would I be able to use any of these pans? Should I buy a new brilliance pan. I subscribe to your magazine and love the recipes. Also I have a Nordic mini (30) tea cake pan. Are there any other recipes you have that I can use for that?
Hi Angela! This recipe is for a ten cup pan, so any shape of pan that is a ten cup capacity should work! Let us know if you have any other questions!