Died & Went To Heaven Chocolate Cake

This bundt cake earns its dramatic name, deeply chocolate and so moist you’d never guess it’s low in fat. The whole thing leans on just a quarter cup of oil, with buttermilk and coffee doing the real work.

A full cup of strong, hot coffee gets whisked in last, which blooms the cocoa and pushes the chocolate flavor darker and richer. Don’t worry, you won’t taste it as coffee, just deeper chocolate.

Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender and tangy, and reacts with the baking soda for a good rise, so the cake stays moist despite so little fat.

The batter will look alarmingly thin once the coffee goes in. That’s exactly right, so pour it into a well-greased bundt pan and trust the process. It bakes into a tender, bittersweet cake that needs nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar.

Pro Tips

• Use hot, strong coffee and whisk it in fully; it deepens the chocolate without tasting like coffee.
• Don’t be alarmed by the thin batter; that’s normal and gives the cake its moist crumb.
• Grease and flour the bundt pan thoroughly so this delicate cake releases cleanly.
• Don’t overbake; low-fat cakes dry out fast, so pull it as soon as a tester comes out clean.

Variations

• Drizzle with a thin chocolate or espresso glaze instead of powdered sugar.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon or a pinch of cayenne for a Mexican-chocolate twist.
• Fold in a handful of mini chocolate chips for extra richness.