Oh, how I love this cake…
There was a time, a long time ago, when Bundt cakes were all the rage. There were all kinds of recipes out there but most had one thing in common, they all started with a package of cake mix and most likely, a package of instant pudding mix. From there a wide variety of ingredients were added to create some truly special cakes. They became so popular that you could find all in one boxed mixes available at the store. Tunnel of Fudge anyone? They were at every bake sale, cake walk, church potluck, and neighborhood block party.Since they were so easy to put together, they were one of the first cakes I baked myself. Then, like all other food trends, they faded away.
They seem to be making a bit of a comeback and there’s even a bakery chain near us that exclusively sells little mini versions of these cakes. Lucky for us, there are tons of recipes out there to remake these classics and I’m sharing one of them with you today. I got this recipe from my wonderful step-mom, Bonnie. She remembers the Bundt cake era well and recently shared two of her recipes with me. I had to laugh when I saw that both recipes call for alcohol. I’m getting boozy dessert recipes from my sweet step-mom who doesn’t drink. It’s clear, however, that the woman knows a good Bundt cake recipe. Bonnie spent some time in my kitchen last year when I forced her to come over and share her amazing minestrone soup recipe with me. Okay, she came willingly, but I was ready to use force. I love her minestrone. You can see her in action here.
Let’s get down to business. Or, as a famous guy from New Zealand once said “It’s business time”. If you get that reference, we are soul mates. If you don’t get the reference, I suggest you Google it and watch the Youtube video immediately after we make this cake. It will improve your life.
Time to pull out the serious stuff. A boxed yellow cake mix, a small box of instant chocolate fudge pudding mix, some wodka (also known in some parts as vodka), and my old friend, Kahlua. This is a grown up cake that will be loved by both drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
For the full ingredient list, scroll down to the printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
Use a hand mixer to combine all of the cake ingredients. Mix for several minutes and then transfer the cake batter to a standard 10″ Bundt pan that you have generously coated with non-stick cooking spray.
Pop the pan in a preheated 325 degree oven and after about 45 minutes it will look like this. This cake bakes up beautifully.
Allow it to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then place your serving platter over the Bundt pan…
…and invert the pan on to the serving platter like so.
The pan should come off very easily. Time to make our glaze!
The original recipe called for dusting the cake with a little powdered sugar but I decided to do something a little different and came up with this Kahlua glaze. What the heck, the Kahlua’s out already, we might as well use a little more.
In a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of Kahlua and 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream and whisk to combine. If you would like a thinner glaze, add additional milk or cream as needed.
I probably went a little too thin this time but you really can’t go wrong here. It’s all good.
Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.
Old fashioned, chocolaty goodness.
Black Russian Cake with Kahlua Glaze
Yield: One 10″ Bundt cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 (16.5 ounce) boxed yellow cake mix
- 1 (3.9 ounce) chocolate fudge instant pudding
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup Kahlua
- 1/4 cup vodka
For the Kahlua glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, plus additional as needed
Directions:
Generously coat a standard 10″ Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer for several minutes or until the dry ingredients have been completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth top of batter with a rubber spatula or spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted near center of cake. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife along the outside edge between the cake and pan and then carefully invert Bundt pan on to a serving platter.
When the cake has cooled completely, prepare the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in Kahlua and milk or heavy cream until well combined. Add additional milk or cream if you need to think the glaze further. Drizzle over the cake, allowing glaze to drip down sides.
I used to make this but with a chocolate cake mix. I made it for company one evening. I was 7 month pregnant and went into labor before I could serve it. We jokingly said our daughter just couldn’t wait any longer for the black Russian cake!
I have a similar recipe which calls for chocolate fudge cake mix, vanilla instant pudding mix, sour cream, eggs oil kahlua and chocolate chips! Decadent.
A friend brought this incredibly delicious cake to my Christmas dinner party last night and it was divine….and even better this morning for breakfast! I’m going to take it to my Junior League Dinner Club next week and decorate it with holly in the middle and raspberries and expect it to be a big hit again! Thank you for posting recipe!
I always use a dark chocolate cake mix instead of yellow cake mix. Comes out as the best chocolate cake you will ever taste. Been told so many times.
when making a glaze for th black russian cake, do I use berry sugar or icing sugar?
Hi Angela. I used powdered sugar which is also sometimes referred to as confectioner’s or icing sugar. So many sugars! 🙂 I hope this helps.
Why not use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow for a richer chocolate flavor?
This is a very old recipe that came to me from my step-mom and I do it the same way she’s always done it but if you try it with the chocolate cake mix, I’d love to know how it works out for you.
I make it always with a deep fudge cake, (pudding in the mix) plus I still add the fudge instant pudding, i use a bit more vodka and Kailua, a little less water. Comes out super moist, that gets better the longer it sits. Like the old school recipe I put a throw away paper doily over the cakes and generously dust with powdered sugar. Going to try your glaze with my next one
When I made this cake it fell apart when I inverted it. I had let it cool in the pan 15 minutes. What did I do wrong?
Hi Linda. I’m so sorry to hear you had issues with the recipe. This is a very old recipe that’s been made over and over again. Cake mix recipes like this are typically no-fail and I can’t say exactly why you would have had the problem you’ve described. I would mention that you do really need to coat your bundt pan generously with non-stick cooking spray. Especially if it’s an older pan. I’d also check to be sure your boxed cake and pudding mixes were in size stated in the recipe. If you used larger packages of these items, that could be the culprit.
do you think you could replace the water in the cake with coffee? wondered if it would deepen the flavor?? thank you
It is a pretty flavorful cake as is but you could give it a try!
I`m a weird college student who doesn`t drink. Okay, veryyy weird. BUT, I do enjoy the taste of kahlua in baked goods!
Ya know, Val, I love your food, but I also get a real kick out of your writing. You have a sly, slightly subversive sense of humor. Who would’ve guessed you’re a Conchords fan?
“It’s business time”, indeed.
I will take that subversive sense of humor comment, thank you very much. Thanks as well for getting the Flight of the Conchords reference. I knew there would be someone!
Oh dear lordy, Val! This cake is calling to me! Amazing recipe.
Wishing this was part of my breakfast this morning!