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I have been working on concocting recipes for chocolate cake for quite some time now. My last try was a three layer chocolate cake topped with chocolate ganache. The icing turned out wonderful, but I was so not pleased with the density and richness of the cocoa. So, I thought that I would give another try to my chocolate cake journeys. This time I made what I call a “Chocolate Sundae Fudge Cake”, and I am quite happy with the results.

This cake is beyond rich and decadent and is overflowing with warm fudgy goodness. I layered the batter with store bought hot fudge from the fridge (smuckers) and chopped pecans, but you can definitely make your own fudge sauce. Just be sure it is completely cooled before layering it into your batter. The key to this cake is to be patient and let it cool off for a good hour, but as you can see, patience is a virtue and I cut into it well before an hour was up. Waiting for it to cool will give you less of a gooey cut, but either way you are sure to enjoy this sweet treat! Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whip cream!

Chocolate Sundae Fudge Cake

Ingredients
1 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. Milk
2 1/2 C. All Purpose Flour
1 Heaping tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
6 T. Dutch Cocoa
1 tsp. Molasses
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3 C. Sugar
2 Sticks Unsalted butter
3 Eggs
1/4 C. Vanilla Yogurt
1 C. Buttermilk
1/2 C. Water
2 T. Vegetable Oil
Hot Fudge sauce – cold
Chopped Pecans
Confectioners Sugar – optional for garnishing

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour your bundt pan. Set aside. In a saucepan slowly melt your chocolate chips and your milk. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, sift together your flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Using your mixer, cream together your butter and sugar. Gradually mix in your eggs one at a time. Now add your molasses, vanilla, melted chocolate, and your yogurt.

Alternately add in your flour mixture and your butter milk and water. Next mix in your vegetable oil.

Now take some of your batter and spread it evenly. Now take small dallops of your fudge sauce and dallop it in the center all the way around and top with a hand-full of pecans. Layer on top of the more of your batter, dallop fudge sauce along the center and again top with pecans. Pour another layer of batter on top and repeat with fudge sauce, this time leaving off the pecans. Be sure to leave about an inch or two to allow for rising. Note: You will have batter left over.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes before turning onto cake stand. let cool for at least an hour or overnight. Dust with confectioners sugar. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whip cream!

I fixed this cake over the holidays and it was so rich, moist, and comforting, especially with the brown sugar icing and a warm cup of spiced tea to go along with it! It’s super easy. I am still working on it’s perfection, but this recipe was a hit! I especially love it with homemade vanilla ice cream, and I am sure you could turn these into scrumptious cupcakes as well! Yum!

Sweet Potato Pound Cake with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1 ½ C. All Purpose Flour
1 ½ C. Bread Flour
½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter – room temperature
3 C. Sugar
1 ½ C. Cooked Sweet Potatoes – cooled & diced large
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
½ C. Buttermilk
3 Eggs – beaten
¼ tsp. Orange extract
¼ tsp. Almond Extract
¼ tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions: Gently mix in your brown sugar into your potatoes. Set aside. In a large bowl, sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Using an electric mixer or a hand held mixer, cream together your 3 cups of granulated sugar, butter, sweet potatoes, buttermilk, and eggs. Gradually add in your dry mixture. Lightly mix in your extracts. Butter and flour your cake pan generously. Pour your batter in and bake on 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn out onto your cooling rack, bottom side up and let cool.

For The Frosting
8oz. Cream Cheese – room temperature
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter
2 T. Sour Cream
¼ tsp. Vanilla
¼ C. brown Sugar
½ tsp. Cinnamon
3 T. Milk
3 C. Confectioners Sugar
Chopped pecans for garnish – optional
Allspice for garnish – optional

Directions: Simply cream all ingredients together EXCEPT your pecans and allspice. Place your icing into a pastry bag or a sandwich bag and clip the ends to make a small hole…big enough for your icing to come through. You may want to start off small and test it on a paper towel to get the size you want. Do not make your hole to big. Drizzle some icing on top of your cake. Sprinkle pecans on top. Drizzle more icing on top of your pecans and dust with a sprinkle of allspice. Serve with hot coffee, spiced tea, or vanilla or butter pecan ice cream!

Have you ever laid eyes on a cake that was just much too pretty to eat? Based out of Sedona, Arizona, Sedona Cakes are exceptionally designed by Cake Artist Andrea Blaut, and I am quite sure that having one of these at your wedding or shower would have your guests oohing and aahing over it even after your event is over. Cake flavors include “Pomegranate & White Chocolate”, “Tiramisu”, “Raspberry Chambord”, “Chocolate Decadence”, and “Pistachio Key Lime”, and her signature cake is a creamy vanilla cheesecake and flourless dark chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache, and studded with raspberries…Oh my!