Chocolate Bundt Cake Wreath (Print Page)
Chocolate Bundt baked as a festive wreath, glazed, adorned with sugared cranberries and rosemary.
# What You Need:
→ Cake
01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - ½ teaspoon salt
06 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
07 - 2 cups granulated sugar
08 - 4 large eggs
09 - 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
10 - 1½ cups buttermilk
→ Chocolate Glaze
11 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 - ½ cup heavy cream
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Decoration
14 - ½ cup fresh cranberries
15 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
16 - 4–5 sprigs fresh rosemary
17 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan, ensuring every crevice is coated to prevent sticking.
02 - In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract.
04 - Alternately add the sifted dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined — avoid overmixing to keep the crumb tender.
05 - Pour the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with a spatula to ensure even baking.
06 - Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
07 - Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
08 - In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until just steaming — do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until silky smooth.
09 - Drizzle the chocolate glaze over the completely cooled cake, allowing it to flow naturally down the sides for an elegant finish.
10 - Lightly dampen the fresh cranberries with water, then roll them in granulated sugar until evenly coated. Let dry on a wire rack. Arrange the sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs around the top of the cake to resemble a Christmas wreath. Dust lightly with powdered sugar for a snowy effect.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The chocolate glaze drips down the sides like velvet and makes everyone think you spent hours on decoration when it takes five minutes.
- Sugared cranberries look like tiny jeweled ornaments and they are surprisingly easy to pull off.
02 -
- Do not rush the cooling step because a warm cake will melt the glaze into a puddle instead of letting it set into those gorgeous drips.
- Greasing every crevice of the Bundt pan is non negotiable, and I learned this the hard way when half my cake stayed in the pan one disastrous Thanksgiving.
03 -
- Tap the filled Bundt pan firmly on the counter three or four times before baking to dislodge trapped air bubbles that cause tunnels in the crumb.
- The glaze should be warm but not hot when you pour it, because the ideal consistency coats the back of a spoon and flows slowly over the edges.