Chocolate cake cravings. Who else has them? It can’t just be me.

What would you say to a chocolate cake so good that even people who don’t get chocolate cake cravings crave it? Hint: “ooh, ooh, pick me!”

What if it was one bowl, quick mix, Chocolate Fudge Cake heaven?

This is the kind of cake that you make in that fancy-ass bundt pan that you bought in a fit of “OMG that Cathedral shaped bundt pan is so adorable I must own it, NOW” but kind of never use, because it takes a really big mixture and I don’t know, maybe ring-shaped cakes don’t feel like part of your life plan.

Well, they should now. In fact, I am going to make a point of bringing back the bundt cake. They are pretty as a picture with absolutely no input required from you, are highly conducive to no decorating because of their fancy shapes – just a dust of icing sugar, a drizzle of chocolate, a slosh of flavoured syrup or a thin frosting poured over is all that’s required, they bake faster on account of having a hole in the middle, and, well, darn it, they are just so homely and welcoming and old fashioned. Not to mention that cakes like this can be served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and eaten for dessert.  Of course my plan might entail me needing to own another shape of bundt tin, just so you guys don’t get bored looking at the cathedral shape, but I am totally fine with that.

I nearly never make chocolate cake with nuts in. I hardly even put nuts in brownies. The closest I get to a chocolate and nut cake is when I make flourless chocolate cake with just eggs, chocolate, sugar, butter and almond meal. But I have to say, that there is room in life for the nut studded chocolate cake, particularly when the cake is basically a tall, soft, smooth, fudgy, old-school american diner extravaganza. And I can safely put my hand on my heart about the old-school american bit: the recipe is adapted from one of Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Fudge Cake recipes – circa 1955.

I haven’t even finished eating this cake and I want to make it again, this time with a splash of bourbon in the mix. Or with bourbon soaked raisins. Or chocolate chips. Or all of the above.

Pecan Walnut Chocolate Fudge Cake

ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp bourbon (optional)
70g butter, soft
120g dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids), melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

60g dark chocolate, melted, for topping
15g butter, melted, for topping

mixing

First grease and flour your bundt pan. Melt about 1 tbsp of extra butter and using a pastry brush, paint the butter on the inside of a 10 cup capacity bundt or ring pan, making sure to cover every part of the inside of the pan. Tip about 1/4 cup of extra flour into the pan and shake and tip the pan around until all of the inside of the pan (including the inner spike!) is coated in flour. You may need occasionally to tap the pan sharply against the bench to avoid the flour clumping up on the sides of the pan. Invert the pan over the sink and bang the side of the pan sharply against the sink edge a few times so that all excess flour is removed from the pan.

Combine all ingredients except for the nuts in a large bowl and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed of mixer to high, and beat for about two minutes until the mixture is smooth and lightened in colour. Stir in the nuts (the mixture is fairly liquid!). Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 160 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the deepest part of the cake comes out clean (the cake will still whisper!). Invert onto a cake rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before lifting the pan away from the cake. Let cool completely.

To make the topping, combine the melted chocolate and butter and stir until smooth. Drizzle or spread the chocolate mixture over the top of the unmoulded cake.

Enjoy!xxx