Tunnel of Fudge Cake

This vintage cake features a slightly undercooked center that is fudgy and intensely chocolate in flavor. Make sure to follow the recipe exactly, no substitutions (other than the ones I listed above in my section on tips and substitutions). This cake relies on the oven temperature to be accurate as you cannot use the traditional toothpick test, as the undercooked “tunnel” will give you a false reading. If you undercook the cake, there won’t be a solid “baked” layer of cake on the outside to support the cake, and if you overbake cake, you’ll end up with a nice chocolate nutty cake, but no fudgy center.

If you are unsure about your oven temperature, use an oven thermometer, or use an instant read thermometer to test the doneness (it should be finished at 180°F to 185°F). And if you don’t own either of those, just go with your own experiences with your oven. If cakes you bake in the past tend to bake faster than the recommended time in recipes, your oven is running a bit hot, so drop the temperature down 25°. If previous cakes take longer to bake, then increase the oven temperature by 25°.

Course coffee time, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bundt cake, chocolate, vintage

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 40

Rest Time 2

Servings

Calories 566kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

Inclusions

1 cup chopped pecans 120 g (can substitute another chopped nut, see note above)
1 cup cacao nibs 115 g (see note above, can be substituted with more nuts)
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Batter

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter at room temperature, 285 g or 2 1/2 sticks
1 cup white sugar 200 g
3/4 cup brown sugar 165 g
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil 65 g
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon espresso powder optional but recommended
2 cups confectioner’s sugar powdered sugar, sifted, 230 g
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder sifted 70 g
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
For pan
2 tablespoons melted butter shortening or cake goop (see section above)

To finish

Powdered sugar or optional chocolate glaze (see note below for chocolate glaze recipe)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the chopped pecans and cacao nibs in a dry skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring and shaking the pan frequently, until the nuts and cacao nibs start smelling fragrant. Immediately remove from heat and drizzle the melted butter over it and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and set aside to cool.
Make the cake batter by placing the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed, increasing to medium speed, mixing the ingredient together until the entire mixture is fluffy and light in texture and color, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally, to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Beat the oil, egg yolks and espresso powder together. Reduce the speed to low, and then drizzle the mixture into the bowl, making sure to incorporate it fully. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add the sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder to bowl, and slow mix to incorporate. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping down thoroughly between each addition.
Add the flour and the buttered nuts (the butter should have cooled around the nuts). Gently fold these ingredients in, either on low speed, or by hand with a large flexible spatula.
Brush a metal bundt pan with melted butter, shortening, or with cake goop (see section above). Dust with cocoa powder. Gently spoon the batter into the pan, smoothing it out to make sure the cake batter is evenly distributed in the pan.
Place the pan in the oven, then immediately reduce the heat of the oven to 350°F. Bake for 40 minutes. Do not test the cake with a toothpick, instead you have to rely on the accuracy of the oven. See my note above in regard to this.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit on a wire cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Then press down on the cake all the way around, to reduce any air pockets that might have formed around the “tunnel of fudge” inside the cake. Then let the cake completely cool, a total of 2 to 3 hours.
Once cooled, gently loosen the cake with a thin knife around the edges of the pan. Then invert the pan onto a cake platter or cake stand. Sharply tap it onto the counter or tabletop to release the cake.
Dust the cake with powdered sugar or glaze it with a simple chocolate glaze (see note below for the chocolate glaze). Slice carefully, as the inside of the cake will have a fudgy interior filling.

Notes

Optional chocolate glaze: This cake is plenty chocolate fudgy on its own, especially with the addition of the cacao nibs, so I usually just dust it with a little bit of powdered sugar and serve it as is. But if you want to take it over the top, you can make a chocolate glaze and drizzle it on it before serving.

To make a chocolate glaze, melt 2 ounces (57 g) of chopped dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons (1 ounce or 28 g) of butter in a microwave safe bowl, cooking in bursts of 30 seconds and stirring between each cycle. You can also melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler or directly in a pot on low heat. Once melted sift in 1 cup (115 g) of powdered sugar, stirring to dissolve.

Mix in 2 tablespoons of warm milk or cream and stir until the glaze is fluid. You can add more milk or cream as necessary. Pour or drizzle the glaze over the cake once it is cool to room temperature. Keep in mind the glaze will solidify as it cools so if you make ahead of time, you might want to warm it up in the microwave a bit to make it more fluid.

Nutrition