Tunnel o' Fudge

We've established by now that I REALLY like cookbooks.  So it shouldn't be too surprising that I got excited about Shirley O. Corriher's BakeWise (ISBN:9781416560784).  This is a fantastic compilation of a range of baked goods, including breads, desserts, and little bites.  The best part about it, though is Corriher's approach-- she discusses the science behind the recipes.  There are general sections of science-- such as the introductory discussion of how ovens work or the chapter on steam-leavened goods-- and little blurbs at the beginning of each recipe pointing out which phenomena apply.  The following recipe (which was published in the New York Times along with an article explaining the process she used to perfect it) highlights how brown sugar gives a fudgy flavor, how tons of sugar will prevent a cake (or any baked good) from setting properly, and (although it's not technically a scientific thing) the difference nuts can make in a recipe, "roasted nuts make this cake.  Don't leave them out."  (Sorry folks with allergies.)

Also in the introduction to the recipe, Corriher explains the history of this cake.  Apparently it was all the rage in the 1960s (missed that decade, sorry), so much so that when Pillsbury discontinued the icing that was used to make it, they got swamped with angry letters (if the movies are correct, these were sent by angry bouffant-styled housewives dressed like Audrey Hepburn or Mary Tyler Moore.  I like this image.)  So they released a recipe to make the cake without their icing.  (They must've been REALLY set on discontinuing it!)  It has to be a bundt cake, because the center is going to remain gooey.  The edges will cook nicely though, and you'll be left with a tunnel-like ring of fudginess.

Improved Tunnel of Fudge Cake
2 1/2 C mixed walnuts and pecans (in pieces)
1 1/4 C plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 C sugar
3/4 C (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C canola oil
Yolks of 2 large eggs
2 C confectioners' (a.k.a. powdered) sugar
3/4 C natural cocoa (NOT Dutch-processed/alkalized)
4 large eggs (whites and yolks!)
2 1/4 C flour
Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Move a rack in your oven to the bottom 1/3 of the space (and make sure your pan will fit on it), and place a baking stone on it.  Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  [I don't have a baking stone.  Yet.  They improve the ability of the oven to maintain an even temperature, thereby optimizing your making.  It's a good thing, especially for this recipe, which relies entirely on the accuracy of your oven, but you can get by without one.  You're just gambling.]

Roast the nuts on a baking sheet for ~10 minutes, then combine in a bowl with 2 Tbsp butter and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cool, chop coarsely, and set aside.  Grease your Bundt pan.

Beat the 1 1/4 C butter until soft and fluffy.  Add the regular sugar, then the brown sugar, and continue to beat until creamy and light.  The tricky part here, though, is that you need to keep it cool.  Since I don't have a reliable mixer, I had to do this by hand.  I warmed the butter to get it started, but once I got it to a fluffy stage, I cooled it again.  Just pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.

Beat in the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and vanilla.  Add the oil and yolks.  Stir in the powdered sugar BY HAND (you know, unless you want your kitchen to be home to a sweet cloud that really ought to have been in the cake), as well as the cocoa powder.  Still working by hand, stir the eggs in one at a time, until just blended.

Pop your bundt form into the oven for about 5 minutes.  Stir together the flour and nuts.  Fold the resulting mixture into the batter, and pour into the warmed [hot] bundt.  Bake for 45 minutes.  This is where the accuracy of your oven matters-- the center will not set, so you can't test for doneness with this cake.  So cross your fingers, say a prayer, or just be optimistic, and pull it out after 45 minutes.  Due to steam-leavening, there is an air pocket in the center.  This is not ideal.  While the cake is cooling and still in the pan, gently press the inside and outside edges down all the way around the cake.  The cake should be left in the pan until completely cooled (about 2 or 3 hours).  Loosen the cake from the edge of the pan (and curse whoever thought of the silly flutes that look so pretty but make it hard to loosen anything from the pan!).  Corriher uses a thin knife.  I used my cake tester.  Flip the cake out of the pan and onto a plate, platter, or cake-saver base.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I took a risk with this cake and my probably (almost certainly) not properly-temperatured oven; I've had issues baking things before.  But I wanted to try it so badly, I forged ahead.  And I'm glad I did.  It didn't turn out quite the way I expected, but it had a delicious, rich flavor.  My fiancé, who only likes about 2 types of cake, liked it, too!  It was almost cookie-like on the outside, and rich and gooey inside, almost like a brownie.  It was hard for me to eat just one piece.