Sometimes when I find myself in a baking rut, unable to come to a decision on what I want to make next, I turn to Shane for advice. The only problem is that 99% of the time I ask him what he’s in the mood for, he responds with chocolate crinkle cookies. He’s a creature of habit, that’s for sure. I often wonder if he loves those cookies so much because they were pretty much the first thing I ever baked and blogged. Don’t get me wrong, they’re tasty, but I’m pretty sure I’ve made better things since, so I think more than anything they’re a sentimental favorite 🙂
Recently I was surprised when I posed the “what should I make?” question and actually got a different response – chocolate cake! And luckily, I had the perfect recipe in mind. I flagged this tunnel of fudge cake the minute I saw it on Annie’s site. I’ve had my eye on a very similar recipe in one of my cookbooks for ages, but that one had nuts unfortunately. I wasn’t sure how critical they were to creating the tunnel of fudge effect, and since the recipe didn’t indicate either way I hadn’t tackled the cake yet.
This is easily one of the coolest cakes I’ve ever made, I am so in love with it! I don’t know how or why it works, but as the cake bakes, two distinct textures are created. Along the outside edge, a rich chocolate cake, and in the center, a fudgy, almost molten tunnel of goodness. I took a chance at halving the recipe and baking the cake in a 6-cup bundt pan, hopeful the result would be just as good as with a full-size cake. I definitely held my breath as I cut the first piece of cake, crossing my fingers I’d find the tunnel effect inside, and I was delighted that I did. The cake is topped with a thick chocolate glaze adding to the richness, and making this a chocolate lover’s dream!
We enjoyed this one so much Shane decided not to take it into the office to share with his coworkers. Sorry guys, I’ll have to come up with something else for you later this week 🙂
Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake
slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Entertaining, Holiday 2010 (via Annie’s Eats)
{Note: you can halve this recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt pan. See instructions for reduced cooking time. Also, the recipe makes a ton of glaze. Next time I’d probably make 1/2 to 2/3 of the recipe.}
Cake
1/2 cup boiling water
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cups (8 oz) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 oz) light brown sugar
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Glaze
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
Place the chocolate in a small bowl, then add the boiling water. Let stand for about a minute, then whisk the mixture until smooth. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar and salt together into a large bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and vanilla until combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then, with the mixer on low, add the egg/vanilla mixture and beat just until incorporated (the mixture might look a little curdled, it’ll come together don’t worry). Pour in the chocolate mixture and beat until combined. With the mixer still on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake start to pull away from the pan and the top springs back when lightly pressed (if you halve the recipe and bake in a 6-cup bundt, the baking time will be less, mine was about 32 minutes).
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for about 1 1/2 hours before turning it out onto the rack. Let the cake cool completely on the rack before glazing, about 2 more hours.
To make the glaze: Add the heavy cream, corn syrup and chocolate to a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the glaze stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly, then drizzle over the cake. Allow to set for at least 10 minutes before serving.
It’s not just sentiment, those crinkle cookies are the best! This cake is also real tasty though, thanks for making it!
This looks heavenly! I wouldn’t let my husband take it to work either! Yum!
This looks heavenly! I wouldn’t let my husband take it to work either! Yum!
This looks heavenly! I wouldn’t let my husband take it to work either! Yum!
I think I’m on board with anything that includes a tunnel of fudge!
That will have to go on my to bake list I am a great fan of bundt cakes.
I sometimes have a hard time decided too, but my husband never suggests chocolate…his idea always involves cheesecake. This cake, though, looks awesome. So fudgy and moist. Beautiful, Tracey!
I love the title!! And I love that you halved the recipe…I do that all the time. Because even at a half-batch, it still looks like you had plenty of fudge going on 🙂
I’ve been thinking about this cake sicne Annie posted it and now probably going to be dreaming about it too! I don’t blame Shane one bit for not sharing with his co-workers! 🙂
Beautiful….. Would want to Dive into that Chocoalte….
-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!
OOoooh Tracey – this looks AWESOME! I love desserts that separate into fun levels, and you can’t go wrong with chocolate!
Oh. My. God. This looks like the greatest thing ever created.It looks so rich and just YUM! I love rich rich chocolate goods. I’m pretty sure if this were the last thing I ate before I’d die, I’d die a very happy girl. I’ll definitely be making this soon!
Loooove this! It sounds so tasty!
OMG I declare this the best bundt cake ever, look at that chocolate its what dreams are made of!
gahhh this looks SO good! I love that there are two textures created. I love my cakes soft on the inside and harder on the outside. i saw this on annie’s eats and was drooling…and now you’ve made me drool even more!
Your food photography has gotten so dreamy! Love the pictures and I don’t care that Jack won’t eat sweets, I am going to find an occasion to make this cake!!!
This looks amazing. I could just eat the chocolate glaze right off the top of that cake. I wonder how that tunnel of fudge is created?
This looks amazing. I didn’t try this sooner because of the nuts, but now there is nothing stopping me. yum 🙂
This looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to try this!
I saw this on Annie’s site too, and I can’t wait to make it! Your endorsement puts it at the top of my to-bake list 🙂
This looks borderline illegal… Amazing!!
I need a bundt pan!! Love how fudgy the center is. Looks delicious!
Am I dating myself when I say that I used to bake the Pillsbury version of this cake when I was little? If anyone can come up with the chocolate macaroon version, that would be fantastic!!
Oh my God, so much chocolate! I want to dive head-first into this cake. Would be perfect with some homemade vanilla ice cream I just happen to have in my freezer!
I’m excited that you found a version without nuts! I’ve been hesitant to make e CI one for that reason, I’m not sure the girls would eat it with the nuts. And I’m happy to see that a smaller version works well, since we don’t need that much cake. =)
Oh my god, the chocolate glaze is just perfect! I am craving for chocolate now ….
Another amazing post for me to drool over… I’m featuring it in this week’s Food Fetish Friday series (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and as always I love following your creations… Thanks so much for sharing.
I’m not a big dessert person and rarely click on such photos to view the recipe. But the fab darkness of the cake intrigued me. This sounds so delicious I may have to make it soon, thanks.
You are welcome to join in my monthly food blogger event THE SOUP KITCHEN, here offering a new theme each month. All bloggers are welcome, hope to see you participate soon.
This looks great. I too have always wanted to make the tunnel of fudge cake, however my recipe calls for a
full cup of nuts and says it is essential for making it work. Now, I MUST try this recipe. Thanks for another great one.
This looks wonderful! I want to try this, but I prefer milk chocolate and was wondering how sweet this cake was. You use only bittersweet chocolate for both cake and glaze, so does it taste more bitter and dark or mellow and sweet? Also, is using hershey unsweetened cocoa good enough to use? thanks!
Maybe a helpful tip … You should definitely try to post prep and cook times at the beginning of your posts. I looked through the recipe for the cook time and mistakenly only noticed that it was 40 mins to bake but that it has to COOL for 1-1.5 hours and then 2 more hours before glazing… On the flip side it was delicious!
Maybe a helpful tip … You should definitely try to post prep and cook times at the beginning of your posts. I looked through the recipe for the cook time and mistakenly only noticed that it was 40 mins to bake but that it has to COOL for 1-1.5 hours and then 2 more hours before glazing… On the flip side it was delicious!
Where can I find the recipe with the nuts? Id love 2 try this!
How many eggs did you use when you halved the recipe?
@Anonymous: I used 2 1/2 – I generally halve eggs when it’s required to halve a recipe. Do you have a scale? If so, what I usually do is crack the egg into a small bowl to weigh it, then beat it with a fork to break it up and add half (by weight) to the recipe. A large egg is usually 50 grams, so I’ll add 25 grams to the recipe.
If you don’t have a scale, you could also do this by volume though I’m not sure of the quantities you’d use since I’ve never done it that way.
Does this cake keep well? I want to make it for Sunday… Can I make it tonight or tomorrow night?
Hi Jen,
It keeps fairly well for about 2 days, so making it tonight might be pushing it. Tomorrow night should be fine though – hope you enjoy!