Tunnel Of Fudge: A Seriously Good Cake

First off let me say that I have not been as static lately as my blog might seem to indicate! I have been making cards that needed to be sent off and, in my haste, I forgot to photograph them. I have been working on a knitted shawl in the evenings and  ripped it all out two days ago because I did not like the way it looked and have started again. I've been reading a lot too! Project wise I have one more largeish project to finish this coming weekend and then I can get back to journaling and sewing without guilt!

I had had this recipe for a "Tunnel of Fudge Cake" marked to experiment with and yesterday was the day I finally did try the recipe. WoW ! This really is a wonderful cake. Very rich and remarkably simple. It's from "All Cakes Considered" by Melissa Gray. I love this cook book and reviewed it on my book blog some time ago.  The cake won a $5,000 prize in 1966 (worth, it was noted, $30,000. in today's coin).  The chemistry of eggs and sugar combine to make a tunnel of fudge that runs through the middle of the cake.  It would be a perfect special occasion cake. My friends at work loved it too - and DH thought it was mighty fine

Below: The recipe as it looks in the book

you can double click remember!

 

This is what the NPR website has to say about Melissa Gray and her cakes:

"October 26, 2009 ....Just about every Monday, All Things Considered producer Melissa Gray dashes off an e-mail that reads something like this: "Up front we've got sweet potato pound cake, still warm. Dig in, don't be shy." That goes without saying. When Gray started bringing cakes into the office, she discovered the staff will eat just about anything. Her adventures in baking, and the staff's adventures in eating what she created, are recounted in a new cookbook called All Cakes Considered: A Year's Worth of Weekly Recipes Tasted, Tested, and Approved by the Staff of All Things Considered...."

Below: The cover of this remarkable book

This sort of Bundt pan would be nice to have- I like the design it makes. The recipe calls for an 8" Bundt pan but all I had was a 9" - worked fine.

Below: The cake as it appears in the book.