Chocolate Bundt Cake Christmas Wreath (Printable)
Festive chocolate Bundt shaped like a wreath, glazed and topped with sugared cranberries and rosemary.
# What You Need:
→ Cake Batter
01 - 2½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 tsp baking powder
04 - ½ tsp baking soda
05 - ½ tsp salt
06 - 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
07 - 2 cups granulated sugar
08 - 4 large eggs
09 - 1 tbsp vanilla extract
10 - 1½ cups buttermilk
→ Chocolate Glaze
11 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 - ½ cup heavy cream
13 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
→ Holiday Wreath Decoration
14 - ½ cup fresh cranberries
15 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
16 - 4–5 sprigs fresh rosemary
17 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
# Steps:
01 - Preheat the 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, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
04 - Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated. Blend in the vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add the sifted dry ingredient mixture and the buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold gently until just combined—avoid overmixing to keep the crumb tender.
06 - Pour the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
07 - Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before glazing.
08 - In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat 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 evenly over the completely cooled cake, allowing it to cascade naturally down the sides for a dramatic finish.
10 - Lightly dampen the fresh cranberries with water, then roll them in granulated sugar until evenly coated. Allow them to dry on a wire rack. Arrange the sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs around the top of the cake to mimic a festive wreath. Finish with a light dusting of powdered sugar for a snowy holiday effect.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The cocoa depth in this cake rivals any bakery version, and the buttermilk keeps every slice outrageously moist for days.
- Those sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs turn a simple Bundt into something guests genuinely gasp at when you carry it to the table.
02 -
- Grease your Bundt pan like your sanity depends on it, because losing half a cake to a stuck pan after an hour of work is a misery I have lived through twice.
- Let the glazed cake set for at least 30 minutes before moving it, as that resting time turns the ganache from slippery to softly firm and prevents sliding disasters.
03 -
- If your ganache breaks and looks grainy instead of shiny, whisk in a tablespoon of warm cream and it will come back together almost instantly.
- Cocoa powder works better than flour for dusting the Bundt pan because it blends invisibly into the dark cake instead of leaving a pale residue on the finished edges.