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Hot Chocolate Cake takes the cozy mug you love and bakes it into a tender Bundt, with real hot cocoa mix in the batter, melty chocolate chips and marshmallow bits in every slice, and a glossy ganache glaze on top. I baked one on a *cold November afternoon* and the girls declared it better than the mug, marshmallows included. It is the bake your mug of cocoa dreams about, cousin to my hot cocoa bombs.
Real hot cocoa mix, chocolate chips, and marshmallow bits baked into one glossy glazed Bundt.
Hot Chocolate Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 60 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 716kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Cozy milk chocolate with pockets of marshmallow and melty chips
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with my marble cake
Quick Answer
Cream softened butter and sugar in a large bowl, whisk in the eggs and milk until smooth, then gently whisk in hot chocolate mix, baking powder, baking soda, and flour until no dry clumps remain. Fold in chocolate chips and mini marshmallow bits, spread the batter into a buttered 10 inch Bundt pan, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Glaze the cooled cake with melted chocolate chips whisked with heavy cream and top with more marshmallow bits.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Hot chocolate mix does double duty. The mix brings cocoa, sugar, and milk powder in one scoop, seasoning the crumb with genuine hot cocoa flavor instead of plain cocoa bitterness.
- Marshmallow bits survive the oven. The crunchy dehydrated bits, the kind that come in cocoa packets, hold their shape while baking and melt on the glaze, unlike fresh marshmallows that vanish.
- Creamed butter builds the crumb. Beating the butter and sugar first whips in the air that gives this dense Bundt its tender, sliceable texture.
- The Bundt pan bakes it evenly. The center tube lets heat reach the middle of the thick batter, so the cake bakes through without drying the edges.
- A two ingredient ganache finishes it. Chocolate chips melted with heavy cream in the microwave make a glossy pourable glaze with zero candy thermometer stress.
- Buttering the pan is the release insurance. A thorough coat in every ridge lets the cake drop out clean, the make or break moment of any Bundt.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It genuinely tastes like a mug of hot chocolate, cocoa mix, melty chips, and marshmallows in every slice.
- The batter is one bowl and a hand mixer, and the glaze is a 60 second microwave job.
- The ganache style glaze sets glossy just like the topping on my turtle cake.
- It is the kind of no fuss win that pairs beautifully with our chocolate mug cake on a busy week.
- It is the kind of no fuss win that pairs beautifully with our homemade boozy hot chocolate on a busy week.
- It earns a spot in the rotation right next to our chocolate pudding cake.
Key Ingredients
The cocoa shelf of your pantry becomes a Bundt.
- Hot chocolate mix: The signature. A half cup of the powdered mix flavors the whole crumb with true hot cocoa taste.
- Salted butter: The base. Creamed with sugar, it builds the tender texture and balances the sweetness.
- Chocolate chips: The melt. Semi sweet chips stud the cake and melt again into the glaze.
- Marshmallow bits: The fun. The crunchy cocoa packet kind bakes into the batter and decorates the glaze.
- Whole milk: The moisture. It loosens the thick batter so the cake bakes plush, not dry.
- Heavy whipping cream: The glaze. Melted with chips, it turns into a glossy two ingredient ganache.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
One cozy Bundt, plenty of ways to stir it up.
- Use peppermint hot chocolate mix and crushed candy canes on top for a December version.
- Swap the chips for white chocolate for a two tone slice.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne to the batter for Mexican hot chocolate flavor.
- For a boozy pairing while it bakes, my Kahlua hot chocolate keeps the theme going in a mug.
- Dust with powdered sugar instead of glazing for a simpler, less sweet finish.
- For another spin on this idea, try our chocolate peppermint poke cake next time.
- For another spin on this idea, try our german chocolate cake next time.
- In the mood for something different? Our classic homemade hot chocolate scratches a similar itch.
How to Make Hot Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 10 inch Bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every ridge. Cream the butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs and milk until the mixture is smooth and runny.
- Gently whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, hot chocolate mix, and flour until the batter is smooth with no dry clumps of flour remaining.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits until they are evenly distributed through the batter.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool before turning it out of the pan.
- Make the glaze by microwaving the chocolate chips and heavy cream in 30 second intervals, whisking between each, until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and top with extra marshmallow bits before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Butter every ridge of the Bundt pan. A missed spot is the difference between a showpiece and a patch job.
- Use the crunchy marshmallow bits, not fresh marshmallows. Fresh ones dissolve into sticky pockets in the oven.
- Do not overmix after the flour goes in. Whisk just to smooth so the crumb stays tender.
- Cool the cake before flipping it out. Ten to fifteen minutes in the pan lets it firm up enough to release in one piece.
- Glaze a fully cooled cake. Warm cake thins the ganache into a puddle instead of a glossy coat.
- Add the marshmallow bits while the glaze is wet. They stick like sprinkles and stay put once it sets.
- Double up for gatherings. Serve it alongside our hot chocolate cookies and watch both disappear.
- Double up for gatherings. Serve it alongside our white chocolate mousse cake with butterscotch and watch both disappear.
- Make it a full spread. Our Grinch hot cocoa rounds out the table.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our flourless chocolate cake, chocolate poke cake, and easy chocolate fudge.
Hot Chocolate Cake FAQs
Yes, and this hot chocolate cake is built around exactly that swap. Hot chocolate mix contains cocoa plus sugar and milk powder, so it bakes a sweeter, creamier flavor than straight cocoa. The recipe balances the extra sugar in the mix, so use a standard sweetened hot cocoa mix rather than unsweetened cocoa powder here.
Use the crunchy dehydrated marshmallow bits, the little ones from hot cocoa packets, sold in tubs near the cocoa. They keep their shape in the batter and soften into sweet pockets as the cake bakes. Fresh mini marshmallows melt and disappear in the oven, so save those for the mug and keep the bits for this cake.
Butter the pan generously and deliberately, working into every ridge and around the center tube, or use a baking spray with flour. Then give the baked cake 10 to 15 minutes in the pan before inverting, that rest lets the crumb firm up and pull away from the sides. A clean release is 90 percent pan prep and 10 percent patience.
Store the glazed hot chocolate cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, the ganache glaze acts like a moisture seal over the crumb. In a warm kitchen, refrigerate it and let slices come back to room temperature before serving. The unglazed cake also freezes well for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly.
The usual suspects are overbaking and overmeasured flour. Check the cake at 40 minutes with a skewer and pull it as soon as the skewer comes out clean. Spoon and level the 3 cups of flour rather than scooping the cup into the bag, packed cups can add half a cup of extra flour and steal the moisture.
Yes. The batter fits a 9×13 pan or two 9 inch rounds, just drop the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and start checking around 30 to 35 minutes. The Bundt makes the prettiest presentation for the glaze drip, but the hot chocolate flavor, chips, and marshmallow bits work in any shape.
Made this hot chocolate cake? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if it beat the mug version at your house!
Hot Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup hot chocolate mix
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup mini marshmallow bits
Glaze:
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Extra mini marshmallow bits optional
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter down a 10-inch Bundt pan.
- Cream the granulated sugar and butter together until smooth in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer.
- Whisk in the eggs and milk until the mixture is smooth and runny.
- Gently whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, hot chocolate mix, and flour until the cake batter is smooth and no dry clumps of flour remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallow bits until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Spread the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool while you prep the glaze by melting the chocolate chips in the microwave with the cream e on 30 second intervals until completely melted. Whisk until smooth
- Spoon the glaze over the cake, top with mini marshmallow bits if desired and serve.
Notes
- Make sure you are using at least a 10 cup bundt pan for this cake.
- You can use silicone or a metal pan.
- Make sure the pan is greased so it comes out easily.
- You will want to let this cool in the pan slightly before turning out to cool completely.
- Other toppings can be used, see above for some ideas.
- Use any of your favorite hot chocolate mixes in this.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
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