Indulge in the Ultimate SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake with Decadent Baileys Glaze
Prepare to have your coffee-loving dreams come true with this incredibly delicious SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake! This truly decadent and fudgy mocha bundt cake is a culinary masterpiece, featuring a generous helping of natural SunButter in the batter. This addition introduces a perfect, subtle nutty undertone that harmonizes beautifully with the rich, deep mocha flavor. To elevate this exquisite dessert further, each slice is finished with a luxurious Baileys Irish Cream liqueur glaze, adding an irresistible creamy, boozy touch that makes this cake absolutely unforgettable. Whether you’re a devoted coffee enthusiast or simply seeking an extraordinary dessert, this SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake promises a delightful experience.
WHAT IS SUNBUTTER? A DELICIOUS & ALLERGY-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE
For those unfamiliar with this fantastic ingredient, or who haven’t yet had the pleasure of trying it, SunButter is a delightful seed-butter spread made exclusively from sunflower seeds! It’s quickly become a kitchen staple for many, offering a versatile and delicious option. SunButter serves as an excellent, wholesome alternative to traditional nut-butters, making it a perfect choice for individuals with peanut or tree nut allergies, sensitivities, or simply for anyone looking to incorporate a healthier, yet equally delicious, spread into their diet. Its smooth texture and mild, slightly nutty flavor make it incredibly adaptable in both sweet and savory recipes.
Beyond its allergy-friendly nature, SunButter boasts an impressive nutritional profile. Each serving provides a substantial 7g of protein, contributing to a feeling of fullness and supporting muscle health. It’s also jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc, all crucial for overall well-being. Furthermore, SunButter contains absolutely no trans-fat and actually has less saturated fat than many typical almond butters, making it a heart-healthy choice. Its unique flavor, derived from roasted sunflower seeds, brings a distinct and pleasant depth that pairs exceptionally well with chocolate and coffee, as you’ll discover in this delightful bundt cake.
If you’re eager to explore more innovative ways to use this versatile ingredient, be sure to check out some of my other popular SunButter recipes! Dive into my SunButter Milk Chocolate Cream Puffs for a delicate pastry treat, savor the rich flavors of my SunButter Salted Caramel Cheesecake, or enjoy a comforting slice of SunButter Banana Layer Cake. These recipes highlight just how wonderfully SunButter can enhance a variety of desserts!
THE CHARM OF A BUNDT CAKE: ELEGANCE AND MOISTURE
While many cakes offer deliciousness, a bundt cake brings an inherent elegance and a unique structural advantage to the table. The distinctive fluted shape, achieved with a special bundt pan, transforms a simple cake into a visually stunning centerpiece with minimal effort. There’s no need for intricate frosting techniques; a simple drizzle of glaze, like our Baileys liqueur glaze, is often all that’s required to make it look spectacular. Beyond aesthetics, the design of a bundt pan, with its central tube, allows for more even heat distribution during baking. This often results in a cake that bakes more uniformly and tends to be incredibly moist, as the batter cooks from both the outside and the inside.
For a rich, dense cake like our SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake, the bundt form is particularly ideal. It helps ensure that the cake remains wonderfully tender and fudgy, preventing dry edges or an undercooked center. The dramatic fluted design also creates more surface area for the glaze to adhere, ensuring every bite is infused with that luxurious Baileys finish. Preparing a bundt pan correctly is key to ensuring your beautifully shaped cake releases cleanly. A thorough application of baking spray, especially one containing flour, or a meticulous greasing and flouring, will ensure a flawless reveal, making you look like a baking pro!
HOW TO MAKE THE SUNBUTTER MOCHA BUNDT CAKE: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Creating this incredible SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake is a straightforward process, but paying attention to each step will ensure a perfect, moist, and flavorful result. Let’s walk through the key stages:
1. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, the foundation of our cake begins with the wet ingredients. Add your eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, full-fat sour cream, natural SunButter, and vegetable oil. Whisk these together thoroughly until the mixture is completely smooth and well-combined. The sour cream here is crucial for adding moisture and a slight tang, balancing the sweetness, while the oil ensures a wonderfully fudgy texture. The SunButter, of course, introduces its unique nutty flavor profile.
2. Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients: Accuracy in measuring dry ingredients is paramount for baking success. In a separate, medium-sized mixing bowl, add your all-purpose flour (measured correctly, ideally by weight), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk these dry components together until they are fully combined and evenly distributed. This step prevents pockets of leavening agents or salt in your final cake, ensuring a uniform rise and flavor.
3. Bloom the Cocoa for Intense Flavor: This is a secret weapon for maximizing chocolate flavor! In a small bowl or a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the sifted Dutch processed cocoa powder and instant coffee granules to the hot water. Mix until a smooth, rich paste forms. Allow this mixture to sit for a minute or two; this process, known as “blooming,” intensifies the cocoa’s flavor. Once bloomed, add this aromatic cocoa mixture directly to your wet ingredients, mixing until it’s smoothly incorporated. The hot coffee also plays a dual role, not only blooming the cocoa but also amplifying the chocolate notes.
4. Gently Combine Wet & Dry: Now it’s time to bring everything together. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. With a whisk or a spatula, mix them together just until they are smooth and no streaks of dry flour remain. The key here is to avoid overmixing! Over-developing the gluten in the flour can lead to a tough, dense cake. Mix only until barely combined for a tender crumb.
5. Add to Pan & Bake to Perfection: Carefully pour your velvety mocha cake batter into a thoroughly prepared bundt pan. Ensure the pan is generously greased and floured (or use a baking spray with flour) to guarantee an easy release. Place the pan into your preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is perfectly cooked through. Once baked, allow the mocha cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before attempting to invert it. This cooling period is crucial for the cake to set its structure, preventing it from crumbling. Only when fully cooled should you drizzle it with the luscious Baileys glaze!
WHY ‘BLOOMING’ COCOA IS ESSENTIAL FOR AN INTENSE MOCHA FLAVOR
You’ll notice in many high-quality chocolate cake recipes, including this SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake, the instruction to combine cocoa powder with hot liquid before adding it to the main batter. This technique is known as “blooming” cocoa, and it’s a game-changer for intensifying chocolate flavor. The science behind it is simple yet powerful: hot liquid dissolves the flavor particles within the cocoa powder, effectively “waking up” and releasing a much more potent and aromatic chocolate essence. Think of it like steeping tea or blooming spices – the hot water extracts and amplifies the flavors and aromas that would otherwise remain dormant if added directly to a cold batter.
When cocoa is bloomed in hot water or, even better, hot coffee, the resulting cake tastes significantly more chocolatey, with a deeper, richer, and more complex flavor profile. The heat helps to break down the cocoa solids, making their flavor compounds more accessible and volatile, meaning you can smell and taste them more vividly. This step ensures that every bite of your mocha bundt cake is bursting with a truly intense chocolate experience, rather than a muted or flat one. It’s a small extra step that yields a huge difference in the final product, transforming a good chocolate cake into an extraordinary one.
While we’re on the topic of flavor intensification, you might also be wondering why this SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake recipe, alongside many other exceptional chocolate cake or cupcake recipes, often includes coffee as an ingredient. The reasoning for this is fascinating: coffee doesn’t necessarily make the cake taste like coffee (unless you add a lot!), but rather it acts as a phenomenal flavor enhancer for chocolate. The subtle bitterness and robust notes in coffee beautifully complement and amplify the natural chocolate flavor, making it taste even richer, deeper, and more profound. It’s a culinary trick that truly makes the chocolate shine, creating a more complex and satisfying mocha profile. Neat, huh?!
WHAT IS DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA, AND WHY WE USE IT HERE
This SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake recipe specifically calls for Dutch processed cocoa powder. If you’re asking, “What the heck is Dutch processed cocoa powder?”, you’re not alone! It’s an important distinction in the world of baking that significantly impacts flavor and leavening. Dutch processed cocoa is created by taking natural cocoa powder and treating it with an alkaline solution, typically potassium carbonate. This process neutralizes the natural acidity of cocoa, raising its pH level to around 7 (neutral). This “alkalization” process strips away some of the acidic properties, resulting in a cocoa powder with a much milder, less astringent, and slightly smoother taste. By removing that characteristic sourness or bitterness often found in natural cocoa, the pure, deep chocolate flavor is able to shine through much more prominently, creating the illusion that the cake tastes even more chocolatey – which is exactly what we want for a rich, decadent chocolate cake recipe!
However, it’s crucial to understand that regular natural cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder cannot always be used interchangeably in recipes. This is due to their differing pH levels and their interaction with leavening agents. Recipes that rely on baking soda for their rise depend on an acidic ingredient to activate the baking soda. When baking soda (an alkaline substance) reacts with an acid, it produces carbon dioxide gas, which creates air bubbles and causes the cake to rise. In many traditional chocolate recipes, natural cocoa powder, which typically has an acidic pH of around 5.3, serves as this essential acidic component.
Therefore, if you were to substitute Dutch-processed cocoa powder (with its neutral pH) into a recipe designed for natural cocoa and baking soda, the baking soda wouldn’t have enough acid to react with, and your cake might not rise properly, resulting in a dense, flat texture. This is why it’s so important to follow the recipe’s specified cocoa type. In our SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake recipe, we use Dutch processed cocoa for its superior flavor profile. To ensure proper leavening with baking soda, we’ve included another acidic ingredient: full-fat sour cream, which has a pH of approximately 4.5. The sour cream provides the necessary acid to activate the baking soda, working in harmony with the baking powder (which contains its own acidic component) to give our bundt cake a beautiful, light, and airy crumb, despite its rich fudgy texture. This careful balance ensures both exceptional flavor and perfect structure.
THE LUXURIOUS BAILEYS GLAZE: THE PERFECT FINISHING TOUCH
No decadent cake is complete without an equally luxurious topping, and our Baileys Glaze is truly the crowning glory of this SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake. The creamy, slightly boozy notes of Baileys Irish Cream liqueur are an absolute match made in heaven for the rich, deep mocha and subtle nutty flavors of the cake. Baileys brings a unique blend of Irish whiskey, cream, and cocoa to the table, echoing and enhancing the existing flavors in the cake while adding its own signature warmth and richness.
Creating this glaze is incredibly simple, requiring just confectioners’ sugar and Baileys. The key is to add the Baileys a tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously, until you achieve the perfect consistency: thick enough to cling to the cake and create beautiful drips, but still fluid enough to pour smoothly. This balance ensures a generous coating that sets beautifully, adding not just flavor but also a glossy, inviting finish. The gentle hint of alcohol cooks off during setting, leaving behind just the exquisite taste of Baileys, making it a sophisticated addition.
For those who may prefer a non-alcoholic option, or simply want to experiment, you can easily substitute the Baileys in the glaze. A simple vanilla glaze made with milk or water and vanilla extract would be a delightful alternative. For an even more intense coffee kick, consider an espresso glaze using strong brewed espresso. A classic chocolate ganache would also be a fantastic choice, adding another layer of chocolate indulgence. However, for the ultimate experience that truly complements the mocha and SunButter, the Baileys Liqueur Glaze is highly recommended to complete this stunning dessert.
TIPS FOR A PERFECT SUNBUTTER MOCHA BUNDT CAKE
Achieving a flawless bundt cake requires a few careful considerations. Here are some pro tips to ensure your SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake turns out perfectly every time:
- Pan Preparation is Key: Bundt pans have intricate designs, so thorough greasing is non-negotiable. Use a high-quality baking spray that contains flour, or meticulously grease every crevice with softened butter and then flour the pan, tapping out any excess. This prevents sticking and ensures your beautiful design comes through.
- Measure Ingredients Accurately: Especially with flour, precise measurement is vital. Too much flour can lead to a dry, dense cake. Ideally, weigh your flour (300g for 2.5 cups is a good guide), or spoon it lightly into a measuring cup and level it off.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your eggs, sour cream, and SunButter are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify better, creating a smoother batter and a more even-textured cake.
- Do Not Overmix: As mentioned, overmixing develops gluten, which can make your cake tough. Mix the wet and dry ingredients only until just combined – a few lumps are okay!
- Don’t Peek Too Early: Resist the urge to open the oven door during the first two-thirds of the baking time, as this can cause the cake to sink.
- Cool Completely Before Glazing: This is critical. If the cake is even slightly warm, the Baileys glaze will melt and soak into the cake, instead of forming a beautiful, set layer on top. Patience is a virtue here!
- Inverting the Bundt Cake: Once the cake has cooled for about 10-15 minutes in the pan, carefully invert it onto a wire rack. Don’t leave it in the pan too long after baking, or it might stick. If it feels stuck, gently tap the pan on the counter before flipping.
SERVING AND STORAGE SUGGESTIONS
Once your SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake is beautifully glazed and set, it’s ready to be enjoyed! This cake is absolutely perfect for any occasion, from a casual coffee morning with friends to an elegant dinner party dessert. Serve it in generous slices, perhaps with an extra dusting of cocoa powder or a few chocolate-covered espresso beans for garnish. A dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would also complement its rich flavors wonderfully.
To store your cake, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight cake container. It will remain fresh at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If you live in a warm climate or wish to extend its freshness, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just be sure to bring it back to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture. This cake also freezes well! Simply wrap individual slices or the entire cooled (and unglazed, if possible) cake tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature and glazing, or enjoying.
Get the Recipe:
SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
Mocha Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups (300g) All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly, ideally by weight
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 cups (400g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup (240g) Full-Fat Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup (109g) Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 cup (60g) Natural SunButter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup (75g) Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, (for a deeper chocolate flavor; regular cocoa can be used but flavor will differ, ensure you have an acid if using baking soda)
- 4 tsp Instant Espresso Powder or Instant Coffee Granules
- 3/4 cup (180g) Hot Water
Bailey’s Glaze
- 2 cups (240g) Confectioners Sugar
- 2-3 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
Instructions
Mocha Bundt Cake
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare your bundt pan meticulously by thoroughly coating it with baking spray that contains flour, or by greasing it with butter and flouring it evenly, ensuring no part is missed. In a large mixing bowl, add the measured flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together until they are well combined. Set this bowl aside for later.
-
In a separate large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, granulated sugar, full-fat sour cream, vegetable oil, SunButter, and vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth and thoroughly combined, ensuring the sugar starts to dissolve and the SunButter is fully integrated.
-
In a small mixing bowl or a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the Dutch processed cocoa powder, instant espresso powder (or instant coffee), and hot water. Whisk these together until a smooth, rich cocoa mixture forms. Allow it to sit for 2 minutes to “bloom” and intensify the chocolate flavor. Then, pour this bloomed cocoa mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, etc.). Mix until everything is smoothly incorporated and the color is uniform.
-
Now, pour the combined wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a whisk or spatula until just smooth and no dry streaks of flour are visible. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a tough cake. Pour the cake batter evenly into your meticulously prepared bundt pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, let the mocha cake cool completely in the bundt pan on a wire rack before attempting to invert it. This crucial cooling period allows the cake to set its structure.
Bailey’s Glaze
-
While the cake is cooling, prepare your decadent Baileys Glaze. Add the confectioners’ sugar to a mixing bowl. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of Baileys Liqueur, whisking vigorously until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add the remaining tablespoon of Baileys, a teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is very thick but still fluid enough to pour or pipe easily.
-
Once the mocha bundt cake is completely cool, carefully invert it onto a serving plate or wire rack. Generously pipe or pour the Baileys glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides for an elegant finish. Allow the glaze to set completely for at least 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying your exquisite SunButter Mocha Bundt Cake.