Hot Fudge Cake

Dining on a Dime, p.232

This is a quick and easy cake to make, and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. I made it two days in a row for a couple reasons: 1) it is really tasty and 2) I forgot to take a picture before I scooped it the first time. Yes, I did say scoop. When the recipe says there is a delicious fudge sauce in the center, it isn’t kidding! This is not a cake you cut and serve on a plate. I served it in bowls. It is quite sweet, and I think it would go great with a scoop of ice cream or a nice cup of coffee or tea. Since it's one of his favorite food groups, my Sweet Husband had some ice cream with it.  :)

A few notes... The recipe calls for flour, but I did not use all-purpose flour. I keep white whole wheat flour on hand, so that is what I used. "White whole wheat flour?" you ask.... Yes, that sounds like another, probably short, blog post. :) When I made the cake, the batter was very thick, more like the consistency of brownies; and there wasn’t a lot. I wasn’t sure what “deep casserole dish” meant, so I put it in a 1 quart soufflé dish which worked well.

The recipe was unlike any I had ever made before.... pour a cup of hot water over the whole thing then put it in the oven. Strange, but I guess that is how the wonderful fudge ends up in the middle. The recipe says it serves nine. I got eight servings of about a half cup each. You really don't need more than that because it is so rich. So here is the recipe!

CAKE

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs. Cocoa

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (I broke mine up with the side of a meat mallet)

TOPPING

3 Tbs Cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

Mix all the ingredients for the cake and pour into a buttered deep dish casserole dish. Mix cocoa and sugar for topping and sprinkle on top of batter. Pour hot water over top and bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. This has a delicious fudge sauce in the center when baked. Serves 9

Batter with topping...

Hot water poured on top...

Ta-da!

Oh, a couple more things... Something kind of fun, especially for the grandchildren who were here...when the cake comes out of the oven, the fudge center is boiling so it makes the cake look like it is breathing. Also, this is really a bake and eat recipe. The second time I made it, I let it cool for a few minutes and the middle fell. It still tasted wonderful, and the fudgey center still was nice and fluid... it just looked ugly. I guess you could say it was a time where you didn't want to judge a book by its cover. :) I hope you will try this recipe; and, if you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!