This Mayan Chocolate Glazed Bundt Cake recipe creates an amazing cake with a combination of sweet chocolate, cinnamon and smoky cayenne pepper that will make you want seconds!
So, let me apologize to you for posting this *after* the holidays when you’re probably (like me) on a crazy rebound-diet to make up for all the crap you ate back in good ol’ 2013.
When I saw this recipe over on Hip Foodie Mom, I knew I had to try my hand at making a delectable Mayan Chocolate Glazed Bundt Cake.
I’ll play the role of the devil on your shoulder and give you a little poke to say: “Go on. Be bad. Make this.”
The chocolate glaze on this cake is to.die.for. I could just eat that with a spoon. In fact, if you want to save some calories, maybe just skip the cake part and whip up a batch of glaze to drink with a straw.
I’d imagine it’s questionable (to say the least) that this is anything near an “authentic” Mayan recipe, but it’s got chocolate and cinnamon and cayenne, so let’s just go with it.
If you aren’t already part of the Bundt cake tribe, I’d highly recommend joining. I just adore them because they are very hard to screw up and almost always look pretty.
Even a dusting of powdered sugar on top of a bundt cake looks finished and purdy. There’s not much worse than spending hours and hours putting together a layer cake just for it to look like a four-year-old did it.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a bundt pan that didn’t do it’s job right, but if you’re in the market for one here’s a link for the one that lives in my kitchen.
If you’re here looking for a tutorial on chocolate curls, I can tell you that this was my first attempt at making them and I used this method explained by Her Highness, The Pioneer Woman.
Except, because I’m me and not the PW, I forgot about the shortening and just used regular chocolate, which may explain why mine have such stunning color variations. <—- (you liked how I spinned that?)
And this is normally where I’d put a clever closing line, but I can’t think of anything so…
Here’s the Mayan Chocolate Glazed Bundt Cake Recipe!
Mayan Chocolate Glazed Bundt Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- Butter and cocoa powder for "flouring" your bundt pan
- 1/2 c. salted butter
- 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 c. water
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
For the Glaze
- 1/4 c. unsalted butter
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 5 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate - finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare your bundt pan by buttering the inside and coating it with cocoa powder. Tap out any extra cocoa powder.
- Set a saucepan over medium heat and add the ½ c. of salted butter. Once melted, whisk in the cup of cocoa powder. Once combined, whisk in the water and turn off the heat. Whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Slowly pour the liquid chocolate mixture into the bowl while continuing to whisk.
- Once the batter is well-combined, pour it into the prepared bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then tip the cake out onto a plate. Let cool for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by melted the unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then adding in the cream, powdered sugar, and chocolate. Stir until smooth, then turn off the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the bundt cake, then garnish with chocolate curls, sliced almonds, or finely chopped Macadamia nuts.
Nutrition

Looks fantastic. How do you make chocolate curls? Thank you.
Hi, Donna! There’s a link in the post to a page on The Pioneer Woman’s site where she explains how to make them 🙂
This cake looks amazing! Chocolate is my best friend and think this cake will be too. 🙂
Thanks, Melanie! I’m a chocolate addict, too 🙂