Tunnel of Fudge Cake
A wonderfully rich and chocolatey cake with a fudgy tunnel running through the middle!
Now that is one tunnel I would love to travel, with a spoon in hand. In fact, I recently was sightseeing in a tunnel of sorts - an interior passageway of the retired British Royal Yacht, the Brittania, moored in Edinburgh, Scotland, when around a corner we encountered a fudge stall! Who could just nod politely and pass that by? We didn’t notice anyone that did. Buying different kinds, we were able to sample one another’s: white chocolate raspberry, chocolate mint truffle, chocolate peanut butter and just chocolate with nuts. Back to this tunnel recipe, that is precisely what this tunnel is: chocolate fudge with nuts!
A retro recipe it is, due to the fact that this originated from a recipe made by my mother which required Pillsbury’s Double Dutch Frosting Mix which no longer exists. Yikes! (except perhaps on eBay - 35 years old?)
Over the years I searched for a similar recipe and rejoiced when I finally found one of the same name that had adapted the recipe to work without the retired “must-have” and it worked and was every bit as delicious and fudgy as the original!
Basically, this is a chocolate pound cake with just about a pound of butter in it. The mysterious tunnel is created by slightly underbaking it so it doesn’t cook solidly in the interior. Just enough to leave the fudgy tunnel in the middle. Now this is a tunnel worth exploring!
tunnel of fudge cake
1 3/4 cups softened butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cup flour, plus 3 tablespoons
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup bundt (tube) pan with butter or oil and an even dusting of flour.
-In large mixing bowl beat butter with sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well blended. By hand, stir in flour, cocoa, salt, vanilla extract and nuts. (This step is essential for the success of the recipe. Do not use an electric mixer for this step.) Blend thoroughly.
-Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. (Be sure your oven temperature is correct. You cannot test this cake for doneness with traditional methods as it will have a soft, fudge center.)
-Remove from oven and set cake upright in pan on cooling rack for one hour. Invert cake onto serving plate and allow to cool completely.
-Meantime, in a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, milk, salt and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake, letting it run down the sides. Continue to let cake sit another 30 minutes, until glaze has set.
-Serves 10 - 12.
Stir in dry ingredients and nuts by hand - absolutely necessary for best results!
Glaze cooled cake with chocolate glaze and allow to sit until glaze sets before serving.
A delectable chocolate cake worthy of any gathering - a celebration of various textures of the sweet we love best!
