My decadent, moist gluten-free chocolate chip bundt cake is an easy copycat of the gluten-free Nothing Bundt Cake, so you can skip the bakery prices. I use a combo of GF instant vanilla pudding mix, oil, and sour cream to give a classic gluten-free bundt cake crumb — soft, dense, and tender. And of course I didn’t skip the signature thick drizzle of cream cheese frosting on top.
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The Best Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Bundt Cake
The popular chain bakery, Nothing Bundt Cakes, not only made ultra moist cakes a national sensation, but their gluten-free chocolate chip bundt kind of blew it out of the water. It’s so good that it’s hard to believe it’s gluten-free. Exactly my goal when creating bunches of homemade gluten-free cake recipes.
Of course I immediately set myself on the mission of making a copycat GF Nothing Bundt Cake with the uber moist chocolate chip crumb and thick ribbons of cream cheese frosting. Plus, making a gluten-free bundt cake from scratch means I know exactly what’s going in it in a safe gluten-free home kitchen.
Much like copycat gluten-free pink frosted crumbl cookies, we can now have our cake and eat it too! To make the rich, decadent crumb I first leaned into using an oil and sour cream combo. All oil made the cake too greasy because fat has a harder time absorbing into gluten-free flour. Sour cream adds fat and moisture, while coating the GF starches to make them soft.
Using instant vanilla pudding mix is another trick for getting a moist gluten-free chocolate chip bundt. The combo of pudding mix with sour cream also means having to add less liquids, which can lead to gumminess because they are not as easily absorbed into GF starches.
Ingredient Tips
For the gluten-free flour, I highly recommend using Cup4Cup gluten-free all-purpose flour. It has cornstarch added to the starches, which works really well in GF cakes. I find it way less gritty than other blends, does a better job absorbing the moisture, and setting the structure.
As far as the vanilla pudding, make sure to grab instant and not “cook and serve.” Popular brands, like Jell-O do not contain any unsafe ingredients, but it is not certified gluten-free. To be completely safe, I recommend buying a gluten-free pudding mix.
Lastly, the chocolate chips. I like using miniature chips because they stay evenly dispersed and do not sink to the bottom of the bundt pan. Plus we are making a homemade Nothing Bundt cake so we need loads of chocolate, right?
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Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Mix the bundt cake batter
It’s not complicated — just takes some measuring and dumping. First mix together all the dry ingredients, including the pudding mix. Add in the liquid ingredients — eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla. After mixing together the batter will be very, very thick!
Trust the hot water
I like to use this to make gluten-free cakes really moist. It saturates the GF starches to help eliminate any grittiness. Slowly pour in the boiling water and mix on low speed.
Spread and bake
Pour the batter into the greased bundt cake pan and spread evenly. If the cake pan finish isn’t truly nonstick, you may want to dust a little GF flour in the pan after greasing so it releases easily. Bake in a 350°F oven for 55 minutes, or until a long cake tester comes out clean.
Cream cheese frosting
After the cake has completely cooled (this will take about 90 minutes), it’s time for the cream cheese frosting. To frost in the Nothing Bundt cake style, place the frosting into a large ziplock bag or pastry bag. I find placing the bag in a tall, sturdy cup and then filling, makes this process easier.
Snip the end off and pipe in swirled ribbons. It’s kind of fun and brings the cake all together.
Bundt cake pans are very deep, so they require a long baking time. If you plan on using a substitution, less time will be required for shallower pans. For either bundt cakes, or any other cake recipes, I recommend this cake tester because it’s more reliable than a toothpick.
Making Mini Bundts – AKA Bundtlets
If you read through the comments below, you’ll see many readers have turned this GF bundt into smaller bundlets. For individual cakes, use a bundtlette pan. However, it is important to note the capacity of the smaller pans so the batter does not overflow while baking.
The cake batter recipe fills a 12-cup bundt pan. Mini bundt pans come in various sizes, but when pouring in the pan, it should not reach more than two-thirds up the sides. The baking time will also be about 18-25 minutes, depending on the pan volume.
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Copycat Gluten-Free Nothing Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Nothing Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour, I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3.4 ounce dry instant vanilla pudding mix, gluten free
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup hot water
- 1 ½ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a nonstick 12-cup bundt cake pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugars, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low to combine.2 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, 3.4 ounce dry instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients are combined. Gradually pour in the hot water while continuing to mix. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. The mixture will be very thick. Mix in chocolate chips on low speed.3 large eggs, ¾ cup sour cream, ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅓ cup hot water, 1 ½ cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Spread evenly in the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake on the middle rack for 55-60 minutes, or until a long cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting out of the pan and cooling completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- For the glaze, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and powdered sugar until no lumps remain.8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To frost the cake, place the frosting into a large ziplock bag or pastry bag. I find placing the bag in a tall, sturdy cup and then filling, makes this process easier.
- Snip off the corner of the bag and then start in the center hole and squeeze in a straight line to the outer edge of the cake. Swoop back to the center, circling the cake, until it is frosted. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Expert Baking Tips
- This recipe makes a lot of cake batter. Be sure to use a 12-cup bundt pan. If you are not sure of the capacity of yours, fill it with water first. The batter should not reach more than two-thirds up.
- Results of the cake will vary, depending on the brand of GF all-purpose flour used. This recipe was tested with Cup4Cup gluten-free flour, which I highly recommend.
- Since bundt pans are very deep, I recommend using a cake tester to reach the middle of the cake. Also test not only in the middle, but towards the center hole.
- If your bundt pan is older, or does not have a good nonstick surface, grease it liberally with butter or vegetable shortening, then sprinkle with gluten-free flour or sugar. Tap out the excess before filling.
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This is easily one of the BEST gf cakes I’ve ever eaten. It really does taste like the store brand. Also it is versatile. I used the recipe, added cocoa, used chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla as the cake mix in an Earthquake Cake recipe. Turned out delicious every time I’ve made it!
I appreciate you taking the time to share, Marlene! Thank you!
Best,
Melissa
I haven’t cut into the cake yet, so I don’t know about the inside yet. I used the exact ingredients that you called for including the correct flour. I greased the Bundt pan as the instructions said. I used butter flavored Crisco very lightly. The Bundt pan is a nonstick pan that has only been used once before. I baked it only for 55 minutes.
I had difficulty getting the cake out of the pan. Several chunks of it stuck to the pan and I had to pull them out and plug them back into the cake. The cake seems browner than I expected it to be.
Do you have any tips on why I had such difficulty getting the cake out of the pan? Thanks.
Hi Pamela,
My apologies for the frustrations! I’m not sure exactly which brand of bundt pan you are using, but a more surefire method would be to grease the pan with butter, dust it with gluten-free flour, and then shake out excess.
Best,
Melissa
I followed the recipe exactly, but the cake had a gummy consistency and was very brown on the outside. It had good flavor, but I probably wouldn’t make it again due to the texture.
Hello,
I’m curious which GF flour blend you used? The different blends absorb moisture at different rates, which can lead to gumminess.
Best,
Melissa
I used cup4cup. It’s the multipurpose gluten free; the recipe doesn’t specify a particular cup4cup blend.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! First time trying and the recipe was perfect! I used a pampered chef stoneware 6 bundtlette pan and I baked them for about 45 minutes instead of 60. I also used white chips instead of chocolate and maple flavoring instead of vanilla to give a hint of fall.
Thanks for sharing this, Dreylynn! I appreciate it and am so happy you found it delicious.
Best,
Melissa
Made this for my husband’s birthday and he said 10/10. It was sooo good! I used King Arthur GF flour and greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it turned out so great.
Happy Birthday to your husband! Thanks for sharing, Tiffany!
Best,
Melissa