This Cookie Dough Bundt Cake is a black cocoa chocolate cake and has a chocolate chip cookie dough surprise inside.
I’m super excited about this post, as it’s my first one as a member of Bundt Bakers — a community of bakers who each make a monthly themed bundt cake. This month’s theme was “Hidden Surprise”. Huge thanks to Anshie from Spice Roots for hosting this month’s Bundt Bakers with this awesome theme!
I’m not an expert bundt baker. This Cookie Dough Bundt is only my third ever bundt cake. But since discovering the vast array of amazing bundt pans from Nordic Ware, I am totally hooked and happy to have a reason to bake a bundt every month. Not that I need a reason, but it’s nice to have a specific theme to work towards with a great group of bakers.
I’m also not an expert on baking anything with surprises inside. In fact, this was my first time ever. As such, there were some fails and learnings.
I wanted to make a chocolate bundt so that I could test out the black cocoa I bought a few weeks ago. Black cocoa is a super dark Dutch-process cocoa that makes chocolate cakes, well, super dark. Think Oreo cookie dark. It’s pretty intense and you want to use it sparingly (mostly for color). For this recipe I used half black cocoa and half regular Dutch-process cocoa.
For the Hidden Surprise in this Cookie Dough Bundt, I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the dough, then split each in half to make small dough balls. I had a total of 14, but you could make as few or as many as you’d like. I stuck these on a cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer overnight (30mins would do though, you just want to make sure they’re firm).
I halved the cookie recipe, which would have been perfect for a 12 cup bundt pan, but it was a bit too much for the pan I was using (6 cups), so I had some leftover cookie dough. Terrible, right? After eating a few spoonfuls I baked up the rest.
The next day, I made the cake batter, poured 1/3 of it into the bundt pan, and arranged 7 dough balls at regular intervals. I added another 1/3 of the batter over top and placed the remaining dough balls offset with the ones underneath. I then topped it off with the rest of the batter.
There wasn’t as much batter as I thought there would be, so I had to push the cookie balls down to make sure they were covered. The batter rose a LOT, but the cookie dough stayed where it was at the bottom of the pan. In hindsight, I should have maybe just done one row of cookie dough. Alternatively, I should have placed the second row of cookie balls on top of the remaining batter and let it bake up that way. That’s what I would do next time!
Aside from the poorly dispersed cookie dough, the cake tasted amazing! Super chocolatey, and the cookie dough added a nice contrast. Definitely one I’ll be making again!
Cookie Dough Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/4 recipe Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough *
Black Cocoa Bundt Cake
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp black cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ganache
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter 28g
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Prepare as per recipe here.
- Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop 7 balls of cookie dough. Split each in half and roll into a ball shape.
- Place on a cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30mins.
Black Cocoa Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 6-cup bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small measuring cup, mix milk and sour cream until combined.
- Place butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on med-high until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with milk mixture. Beat until just combined.
- Spread 1/3 of the batter evenly in the bundt pan. Place 7 frozen cookie balls at even intervals.**
- Add 1/3 batter to cover cookie balls and add the remaining 7 cookie balls, offset with the ones underneath.
- Top with remaining 1/3 batter and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake for approx. 45mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool in bundt pan for 10mins. Rap bundt pan on the counter to loosen cake and turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely.
Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate into a bowl.
- Bring cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate and cover bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Let stand 2 minutes.
- Add butter and mix until smooth.
- Let stand, stirring occasionally until thickened. You can place it in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Pour glaze over cooled cake.
Notes
**In hindsight, I should have maybe just done one row of cookie dough. There wasn’t as much batter as I thought there would be so I had to push the cookie balls down to make sure they were covered. The batter rose a LOT though, so the cookie dough was all stuck at the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, I should have placed the second row of cookie balls on top of the remaining batter and let it bake up that way. That’s what I would do next time! Adapted from Martha Stewart.
This recipe makes enough for a 6 cup bundt pan but can easily be double for a standard 12 cup bundt pan.
Morgan says
Can you use packaged cookie dough?
Olivia says
Hi Morgan! Yes, that should work fine.
Sare TERZİOGLU says
Hi, from Turkiye Liv.
I made this bundt cake last weekend. İt was delicious and eye- catching.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful recipes.
Olivia says
Thank you Sare! I’m so glad you liked it :).
Abigail says
Olivia, you are definitely one of the most talented bakers I know in the blogging world! Love your cakes – they are always show-stoppers!
Olivia says
Thank you Abigail!! That is maybe the nicest compliment I have ever received! <3
Mireille says
perfect crumb and so luxurious with the ganache
Olivia says
Thanks Mireille! 🙂