Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Fudge Drizzle (eggless + dairy-free option!)
This ultra-moist Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake has a velvety cheesecake swirl, deep chocolate flavor cake, and a glossy fudge drizzle. This cake comes together surprisingly quickly and makes the perfect holiday crowd-pleaser big enough to share and impressive enough for any celebration.
Yield: 12 servings
Equipment
- 9x3.5 inch Bundt Pan (24 x 8.4 cm)
- Spatula
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Layer
- 340 g Cream Cheese soft; see notes for options
- 120 g Plain Yogurt room temperature; see notes for options
- 75 g Sugar cane or castor
- 21 g Corn Starch
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 270 ml Milk room temp; see notes for options
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice or white vinegar
- 100 g Cane Sugar or castor sugar
- 110 g Light Brown Sugar
- 85 ml Oil any neutral oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 44 g Cocoa Powder
- 240 g All Purpose Flour
- 1+1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 85 ml Hot Water or Hot Brewed Coffee
Chocolate Fudge Drizzle
- 85 g Dark Chocolate or semi sweet chocolate
- 60 ml Whipping Cream
- 1 tbsp Glucose Syrup or Light Corn Syrup
Instructions
For the Cream Cheese Layer
- In a bowl, combine soft cream cheese and yogurt, whisking slowly to break up lumps, then faster until the mixture becomes completely smooth and creamy.
- Add the sugar and vanilla, whisking until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the mixture and whisk again until smooth; set aside the cheesecake swirl.
For the Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃), grease a 9-inch x 3.5-inch (24 cm x 8 cm) Bundt pan with soft butter using a pastry brush and then spray non-stick oil spray all over the pan.
- In a bowl, mix the milk and lemon juice; let stand for 5 minutes to create homemade buttermilk.
- Add oil, sugar, and vanilla to the buttermilk and whisk until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture turns glossy.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together to remove lumps and aerate the mixture.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mixture in two batches, whisking gently just until the batter becomes smooth avoid over mixing.
- Pour in the hot water or brewed coffee, whisking slowly as the cocoa blooms and the batter deepens in color and becomes glossy.
- Pour half the chocolate batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing it into an even layer.
- Add the cheesecake mixture by spoonfuls on top of the first layer, keeping it away from the edges. Add the remaining chocolate batter on top and smooth gently with a spatula.
- optional: Use a thin knife or skewer to swirl gently through the layers once or twice, creating a marbled effect without blending the layers together.
- Tap the pan lightly on the counter to remove air pockets. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the chocolate portion comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes so it firms slightly and pulls away from the sides. Place a serving plate or cake stand over the pan, invert, lift the pan off, and let the cake cool completely.
For the Chocolate Fudge Drizzle
- Warm the whipping cream until steaming (not boiling) and pour over the chopped dark chocolate. Add liquid glucose or light corn syrup.
- Let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy.
- Allow to cool briefly until slightly thickened, keep stirring as skin may form then drizzle generously over the cooled cake, letting it cascade down the bundt ridges.
- Reserve some chocolate fudge drizzle for serving is desired.
- Store in an airtight container or under a cake cloche for 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.
Notes
- Cup vs weighing scale: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams.
- Before you start to make any recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the process will go smoothly and easily.
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with for accuracy.
- Milk: You can use any dairy-free unsweetened milk (like oat, soy, almond) or dairy based whole milk.
- Butter: Dairy-free butter sticks or any salted butter of your choice.
- Lemon Juice: You can substitute with Apple Cider Vinegar / White Vinegar and vice-versa.
- Sugar: Cane sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar or castor sugar. Ensure the sugar is vegan-friendly (some sugars are processed with bone char) or organic cane sugar.
- Plain Yogurt: Use dairy-free unsweetened yogurt or any plain Greek yogurt or sour cream of your choice.
- Cream Cheese: Use dairy-free cream cheese such as Tofutti / Violife / Kite hill or any plain cream cheese of your choice.