Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Diane Rossen Worthington

 

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

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I have made my share of chocolate cakes but this updated version of the original Tunnel of Fudge Cake outshines most of them. Did you know that the Tunnel of Fudge cake put Bundt pans on the baking map? According to numerous accounts, in 1966, Ella Rita Helfrich submitted her recipe for a chocolate cake with a gooey, fudgy center to the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. She came in second (though her cake remains much better known than that year's winner).

As Christie Matheson recounts in her new book Cake Simple the original recipe "called for lots of sugar, no actual chocolate, and Pillsbury's since-discontinued Double-Dutch Fudge Buttercream frosting mix. It was tasty, for sure, but overly sweet. While you do need a substantial amount of sugar to make the chemistry work right, it doesn't need to be quite so cloying."

This version is deeply chocolaty, made with bittersweet chocolate and spiked with cacao nibs, then topped with a rich, dark chocolate ganache with a touch of fleur de sel. (You can find cacao nibs in specialty stores, online or at your grocery store.) And, yes, it still has the magical tunnel of gooey fudge running through the center. I can't think of anything better to Valentine's Day than a big slice of this cake with your sweetheart. Enjoy.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Reprinted with permission from Cake Simple by Christie Matheson (Chronicle Books, 2011)

Serves 12 to 14.

1 1/4 cups (287 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus melted butter for greasing the pan

3/4 cup (75 g) cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pan

3 ounces (85 g) bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour

2 cups (185 g) confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (175 g) cacao nibs

1 cup (220 g) packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

5 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Bittersweet chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/gas 4. Brush the inside of a 12-cup (2.8 L) Bundt pan with melted butter and dust it lightly with cocoa powder. (Use a pastry brush to help distribute the cocoa powder and tap out any excess.)

2. Place the bittersweet chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature before using.

3. Whisk together the cocoa powder with the flour, confectioners' sugar, salt and cacao nibs in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla. Add the cooled melted chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. (Don't use a cake tester for this cake -- it won't come out clean.) Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Do not try to take the cake out of the pan any earlier than this! Then invert the cake onto the rack and let it cool completely (another 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours). Drizzle the cake with the ganache (see recipe below) and let it set for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

 

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream

Pinch of fleur de sel

1. Put the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the cream to scalding (when little bubbles form around the edge of the cream but before it begins to boil). Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover, and let sit for about 3 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted. Add the fleur de sel and whisk together until smooth and uniform.

Dessert Cake, American

 

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