A Glazed Fudge Birthday Cake and a Tribute

I made this cake for my husband’s birthday last Sunday.  It’s a tradition in our family.  Turned out to be a bittersweet celebration because his mother died the day before.

While frantically going through photo albums before my mother-in-law’s funeral, I found the picture below.  It contains several interesting details.

Circa 1986

1. The older lady is my husband’s mother.  Anytime she was around her grandchildren, she was happy. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor last year and the complications finally caught up with her.  She was a generous and loving Christian servant. We will miss her terribly.

2. Check out my son’s birthday cake.  It’s the same glazed fudge cake I made this weekend.  Looks like I’ve been baking this cake for over 20 years.

3. One of my sons is a CPA. Can you guess which one?

Back to the cake….We love this cake but it’s slightly quirky.

For starters, it’s made in a food processor. I acquired the recipe while assisting with a cooking school taught by Abby Mandel. At the time, she had just published a new cookbook called Cuisinart Classroom. Not sure why, but this recipe was not included in the book.

While I’m sure this cake could be made with a regular mixer, I have never tried it myself. The author originally touted the food processor as a way to make a chocolate cake without melting the chocolate , supposedly quicker and more flavorful. Not sure if I buy that–but the cake tastes fabulous. Can’t argue with fudgy and tender.

Secondly, the cake has a tendency to fall if not handled carefully.  The old picture above provides evidence.  Be sure to use the 9-inch spring form pan specified.  Also, let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan.  Even it falls a little, it won’t affect the taste.

Glazed Fudge Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (3 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
1 1/4 cup sugar (8 3/4 ounces), divided
1/3 cup boiling water
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa
3/4 cup butter (6 ounces), room temperature, cut into 6 pieces
1 tablespoon dark rum (or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract)
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
First: Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper or wax paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place inside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Second: Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in work bowl of food processor and process 5 seconds to blend and set aside.

Third: Place the chocolate and 1/4 cup sugar in work bowl and process 1 minute or until chocolate is finely minced. With machine running, pour hot water through the feed tube and process until the chocolate is melted.

Fourth: Add the eggs and cocoa and process 1 minute.

Fifth: Add remaining sugar (1 cup) and process 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down the inside of the bowl.

Sixth: Add the butter and process 1 minute more. Add rum and sour cream and process 5 seconds.

Seventh: Add the dry ingredients and combine by turning the machine on and off 3 or 4 times until the flour just disappears. Do not over process.

Eighth: Pour the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan.

GLAZE

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons water
3 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup powdered sugar (1 ounce)
2 teaspoons dark rum or vanilla extract

Directions:
First: Put the chocolate and powdered sugar in the work bowl and pulse food processor on and off 3 times to chop the chocolate, then process continuously until it is finely minced.

Second: With the machine running, pour the hot water and butter through the feed tube and process until the chocolate is melted. Add the flavoring and process for 5 more seconds.

Third: Refrigerate the glaze until it begins to thicken then spread over the surface and sides of the cake.

To Decorate: Melt 1 1/2 ounce white chocolate in small zippered plastic bag. Make tiny snip across corner of bag. Draw parallel strips across cake. Using thin knife draw lines perpendicular and parallel across white chocolate lines to make a chevron design.

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