A big mug of hot chocolate is always a welcome treat on a winter day. I have been known to serve hot chocolate when I’m entertaining, but even a decadent drink is not usually the star of the show when it comes to dessert. This Hot Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Fudge and Marshmallows is a cake inspired by classic hot chocolate, an easy to make dessert that is perfect for entertaining.

The bundt cake is a classic chocolate cake recipe that is made with plenty of cocoa powder. The cocoa powder gives the cake a deep chocolate flavor without making it dense or brownie-like. Bittersweet cocoa is balanced out with both brown and white sugars, as well as with a generous splash of vanilla extract.

The cake is delicious on its own if you are simply looking for a nice chocolate cake, but it becomes a showstopper once it is completely decorated. Since I love topping my hot chocolate with marshmallows, I knew that I wanted marshmallows to be on top of my finished cake. A regular frosting would be too sweet when paired with the marshmallows, so I opted to use a chocolate ganache instead. This ganache is very simple – just two parts dark chocolate to one part heavy cream – and makes a ganache that can be poured or spooned onto the top of the cake. It is very similar to the chocolate fudge sauce that you can buy as an ice cream topping, so feel free to substitute premade sauce (good quality chocolate sauce is always a smart choice!) if you want to save a little bit of extra time on assembly. Add the marshmallows to the ganache while it is tacky to ensure that they stick.

I finished my cake off with a dusting of ground peppermint candies. Peppermint and hot chocolate is a classic flavor combination, and the red candy adds a nice pop of color to the cake, as well. I highly recommend serving this alongside a mug of steaming hot chocolate – also topped with marshmallows and peppermint – to maximize the effect.

Hot Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Fudge and Marshmallows
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (pref. dutch process)
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup milk (pref. whole or reduced fat)

Topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks
1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease and flour a bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in cocoa powder, followed by the warm water. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture, stirring just until all the ingredients come together and no streaks of flour remain visible.
Pour batter into bundt pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the pan comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before topping.

For topping: Bring cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Pour hot cream over dark chocolate chips/chunks in a medium bowl, then whisk until smooth. Ganache should be thick enough that you can spoon/pour it over the cake. If it is too thin, allow it to cool slightly until it thickens. If it is too thick, microwave it for a few seconds to thin it.
Once ganache is partially set on the cake, decorate with mini marshmallows.

Serves 12-14.

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