Tunnel of Fudge

Tunnel of Fudge

An homage to the Bundt cake that started it all, this Tunnel of Fudge Bundt cake is a true classic baked in the beautiful Nordic Ware® Anniversary Bundt® pan. Composed of a rich chocolate cake with a gooey, fudgy center, all complemented by the toasted, nutty crunch of chopped pecans from Schermer Pecans, this Bundt is a favorite for a reason. For a delicious twist on the classic chocolate glaze, we drizzle the whole cake with a rich Dulce de Leche Glaze for a sweet, caramelly flair.

Tunnel of Fudge

Makes 1 (15-cup) Bundt cake

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup (168 grams) refined coconut oil, room temperature
  • 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (165 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 6 large eggs (300 grams), room temperature
  • teaspoons (9 grams) vanilla bean paste
  • cups (210 grams) confectioners’ sugar
  • cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (85 grams) sifted Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons (3 grams) instant espresso powder
  • teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt
  • 2 cups (226 grams) finely chopped toasted pecans* (1/4-inch pieces or smaller)
  • Dulce de Leche Glaze (recipe follows)
  • Garnish: chopped toasted pecans*

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir coconut oil by hand until smooth and softened. Add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar; using the paddle attachment, beat at medium-low speed just until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla bean paste. With mixer on medium-low speed, beat in confectioners’ sugar.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and finely chopped pecans to butter mixture, beating until almost combined. Fold by hand just until combined.
  • Spray a 15-cup Nordic Ware® Anniversary Bundt® pan with baking spray with flour. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Firmly tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter 10 times; smooth with an offset spatula.
  • Bake until top is shiny and set and an instant-read thermometer inserted near center registers at least 165°F (74°C), 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Using your fingertips, gently press down center and edges of cake. (This helps minimize the gap in the middle of the cake.) Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 1½ hours.
  • Invert cake onto wire rack, and let cool completely. Spoon and spread Dulce de Leche Glaze onto cooled cake before serving. Garnish with chopped pecans, if desired.

Notes

*We used Schermer Pecans.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Dulce de Leche Glaze

Makes about ½ cup

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup (148 grams) dulce de leche
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water, room temperature
  • ¾ teaspoon (4.5 grams) vanilla bean paste
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir together all ingredients; heat on high in 10-second intervals, stirring between each, until loose enough to drizzle from a spoon. Use immediately.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Why don’t any of your Bundt cakes have leavening agents??? Everyone I have made from your Bundt cookbook is a flop so dense it’s inedible. I even bought all new flour from King Arthur same results. Cakes need leavening. I’m through using your Bundt recipes as they never turn out I was so excited to receive ten bundt pans as well as your Bundt book for a wedding/shower gift thoroughly disappointed that none turn out it’s ashame when ingredients are so expensive.

    • Hi Danielle,

      Thank you for your question! We’re so sorry the cake didn’t turn out for you. Eggs work as the main leavening agent in this cake, resulting in a rich, dense, and gooey cake. Creaming the butter and sugar also whips air into the batter, and overmixing at the end of Step 3 can make it so those precious air pockets disappear. Finally, you’ll want to make sure that your oven is at a true 350°F (180°C). Any cooler than that and the cake won’t be able to release steam and rise quickly, and all of those air pockets will dissipate as the cake sits waiting to heat up.

      The majority of our Bundt cake recipes call for baking soda, but this one is supposed to be rather gooey and dense, hence the lack of baking soda and use of other leavening agents.

      We hope this helps, and happy baking!

  2. I made this and followed the instructions very carefully. When I turned the cake over after letting it rest for 30 mins, the chocolate center oozed out. What did I do wrong?

    • Hi Zarah,

      I’m so sorry your cake didn’t turn out. The cake is supposed to sit in the pan for an additional 1½ hours to cool and set before being turned out. As stated in step 5 of the recipe:

      “Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Using your fingertips, gently press down center and edges of cake. (This helps minimize the gap in the middle of the cake.) Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 1½ hours.”

      If you continue to have issues with the recipe, please let us know. We hope this helps, and happy baking!

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