Tunnel of Fudge Cake - Everyday Annie

Does that not sound amazing? The moment I first laid eyes on this recipe, I knew we would be fast friends. I made it. We ate it. And oh, did we love it. For a die-hard chocolate lover such as myself, this is a perfect dessert option. It’s part chocolate cake, part molten chocolate cake, part fudge brownie, and let’s not forget about the ganache on top. And dear readers, I must apologize because I’ve known about this cake for longer than I care to admit and I haven’t shared it with you yet. Go make it, enjoy, and we’ll call it even.

Aside from the chocolatey fabulousness, other good things to note about this cake are that it doesn’t require a ton of dishes and it can be made with what I consider fridge and pantry staples. Since it is made in a bundt pan, it’s also less fussy than most layer cakes might be. Just mix up the batter, bake the cake, top with ganache and you’ve got dessert. It’s great in a pinch in case the other dessert you had been planning on was a huge fail – I know from experience. But I have to say, no one was disappointed to have this as their back up dessert. Not one little bit.

Yield about 12-14 servings

Ingredients

To prep the pan:
1 tbsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the cake:
½ cup boiling water
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2¼ oz.) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cups (8 oz.) confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (7 oz.) granulated sugar
¾ cup packed (5¼ oz.) light brown sugar
20 tbsp. (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the glaze:
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

01
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and melted butter. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan.
02
In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Combine the eggs and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup and beat lightly.
03
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add in the egg mixture just until combined. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated. Blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan.
04
Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 1½ hours before inverting onto a cake platter. Allow to cool completely, about 2 more hours.
05
To make the glaze, combine the cream, corn syrup, and chocolate in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Blend in the vanilla. Set aside for about 30 minutes, until slightly thickened. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and let set for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Source

Cook’s Illustrated Entertaining, Holiday 2010