It was all candles. Candles on the mantel, the table, the desk in the hall. It was very dark. I thought all of us looked great by candlelight. We discussed The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The power was off for about two hours. Fortunately the night before I baked a Gateau di Sirop (recipe)with a bottle of Steen’s Cane Syrup. Baked Split Second Cookies with Bon Maman Fig Jam. Extra sharp cheddar and Honeycrisp apple slices. And Tess and Chris brought me a box of St. Moritz truffles from Oxford Centre downtown. Lovely. A gold box with an oval window in the middle. There’s a spider and a tiny dancer one and a pumpkin one and each one is delicately embellished. Just before everyone arrived, Laura had sent a picture on my phone of a lovely ring on a finger. Then she called. James Weaver asked her to marry him and she said YES. It was a happy night!
Tess told me every flavor and I promptly forgot almost all of them. Going to have to eat each one and be surprised,
Usually cheesecakes but lots of other great stuff, too. And she made a tray of these chocolate cupcakes with tiny chocolate chips and cream cheese for the school meeting this afternoon. So moist and flavorful. Thanks Ellen. She said take some home and I did! Three for the little cupcake stands my friend Joanne gave me. One for Ray who came to fix the window and doors and one for Roberta who waited for him to come and for Steve who brought the lettuce home to go with the quesadillas. I had already eaten mine at school but wished I had been piggy and brought another one home. Thursday evening impromptu “dinner party” with dessert by Ellen. click to see Ellen’s fridge
Do you remember Ellen's refrigerator with the cream cheese and beer from July 18th posting?
The inventor of the Bundt Pan (Nordic Ware) Mr. David Dalquist, passed away in January 2005. I read his obit in the Times. Having never owned one, that week I bought a Bundt Pan, bid and won a Bundt Cake Cookbook on Ebay. I had plans.
Four years later I finally baked the Tunnel of Fudge cake for Sunday supper guests, a farewell to summer meal on the front porch. I sliced up some pieces and slipped them into wax paper lunch bags for them to eat later- or for breakfast. I followed the recipe to the letter even though I wanted to add vanilla and salt. A side of vanilla ice cream would have been good.
Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake on Cake Stand Kitchen Counter, Waits for Guests
Great article in the Washington Post January 11, 2005 by Mr. Hank Stuever but it cost too much to republish. Heartily recommend you “google it” though. and the recipe is all over the web
The Tunnel of Fudge Cake, a second-place Pillsbury Bake-Off winner in 1966, was developed by Ella Rita Helfrich of Houston, Texas, who won $5,000.
1 3/4 c. butter, softened
1 3/4 c. granulated sugar
6 eggs
2 c. powdered sugar
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. cocoa
2 c. chopped walnuts
GLAZE:
3/4 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
1/4 cup cocoa, like Hershey’s
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk
Heat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan or 10-inch angel cake pan. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually add 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, beating until well-blended. By hand, stir in 21/4 cups flour, 3/4 cup cocoa and the nuts; mix until well-blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 58 to 62 minutes. (Because this cake has a soft tunnel of fudge, an ordinary doneness test cannot be used. Accurate oven temperature and baking time are critical.)
Let the cake cool upright in the pan on a rack for 1 hour, then invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.
To make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk. Mix until well blended, adding the remaining 1/2 tablespoon milk to make a spooning consistency.
Spoon the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, allowing some to run down sides. Store the cake tightly covered.
