With its wealthy, gooey heart, it’s no shock that the Tunnel of Fudge cake rose to prominence. Although it didn’t win first place on the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in 1966—it got here in second place—Ella Helfrich’s chocolaty creation took over the hearts and kitchens of bakers throughout the US.
The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest, initially titled the Grand Nationwide Recipe and Baking Contest, began in 1949 as a means for the Pillsbury household to rejoice the corporate’s eightieth birthday and to advertise its model of flour. Bakers from everywhere in the nation submitted their recipes, however simply 100 fortunate bakers have been chosen for an opportunity to win $25,000—equal to greater than $315,000 at this time! The bakers have been flown to New York Metropolis to compete on the Waldorf-Astoria resort. This was not a simple feat, since in 1949, the resort didn’t have the flexibility to maintain 100 ovens and baking stations and was pressured to faucet into the town subway’s electrical system to energy the ovens. The competition was so extremely anticipated that even former First Girl Eleanor Roosevelt was in attendance to assist with the proceedings and handy out awards on the finish. The Bake-Off® was an immense success, changing into an annual occasion, drawing in followers from across the nation, every vying for his or her likelihood to win the money prize or just desirous to bake the successful recipe. On the 1966 Bake-Off®, one contestant would are available second place, however her recipe would perpetually stay on in cookbooks and recipe playing cards by bakers in every single place.
Ella Helfrich, a house baker from Texas, entered the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest armed together with her Bundt pan and a recipe that might grow to be so well-liked that the first-place winner could be forgotten. The walnut-studded cake was wealthy and chocolaty and, most significantly, had a river of fudge working via the middle. With no apparent motive for the fudgy heart in addition to the distinctive pan through which Helfrich baked the cake, the Tunnel of Fudge was a thriller that individuals have been all too desirous to discover. Quickly after the winners have been introduced, Pillsbury obtained greater than 200,000 letters requesting Ella’s recipe and details about the pan she used.
On the time, Bundt pans weren’t widespread items of bakeware. The truth is, the phrase “Bundt” was not used till after the founding of Nordic Ware and the inception of the Bundt pan. Began in 1946 by Dotty and Dave Dalquist in Minnesota, Nordic Ware started promoting Scandinavian cookware out of the younger couple’s basement. The Bundt pan got here into being as a light-weight aluminum counterpart to a cast-iron gugelhupf pan. (Gugelhupf, or kugelhopf, is a German yeasted cake also called bundkuchen.) The pan is characterised by its tube-like form that permits for even baking, in addition to the fluted edges that give the cake a sublime aptitude and make it straightforward to chop and serve. Ella and her artistic cake launched this fashionable pan into stardom, and the Bundt pan quickly turned a staple of each baker’s kitchen. The Dalquists obtained hundreds of requests for his or her pan after the Bake-Off® competitors and needed to hold their manufacturing facility working 24 hours a day to maintain up with the flood of orders.
Pillsbury stored Ella’s authentic recipe unchanged till the mid-Nineteen Eighties, when one in every of its key elements, Double Dutch Frosting Combine, was discontinued. Nobody might re-create the recipe with out it, and followers of Ella’s cake have been offended. Pillsbury obtained letters of grievance till the corporate up to date the recipe to incorporate a substitution utilizing confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, although some say it didn’t yield the identical consequence as the unique model. The discontinuating of the frosting combine each pressured and inspired bakers to offer the cake their very own private aptitude, although creating the fudge inside was a tough process—the cake requires precision and following each step precisely as is written. Any misstep might end in a collapsed or fudge-less cake.
The magic of the cake lies in its oozy heart, which requires an nearly two-hour cooling time within the pan earlier than being turned out onto a cooling rack. This enables the partitions of the cake across the tunnel to solidify and maintain the fudge inside. If the cake is turned out of the pan too quickly, the partitions will break up open, leaving you with a collapsed pile of fudge. The cake batter is just like a brownie batter, with the next quantity of fats and sugar than flour when in comparison with an ordinary cake; because of this it gained’t bake all over, leaving you with a scrumptious gooey center. One other key facet of the cake is that the nuts assist create the construction of the tunnel—the dense cake would in any other case collapse in on itself as a result of the smooth inside is unable to help its personal weight.
The lasting impact of Ella’s iconic Tunnel of Fudge is greater than merely rising gross sales at Nordic Ware and excessive demand for her recipe. Nordic Ware and Pillsbury collaborated on a boxed cake combine made completely for Bundt pans. With all of the flavors any residence baker might need, the boxed mixes remained well-liked nicely into the Nineties. It’s not straightforward to search out these packaged Bundt cake mixes on grocery retailer cabinets at this time, however they’re nonetheless being offered on-line.
In true Bake from Scratch trend, we’ve taken this traditional cake and made it our personal. Moderately than utilizing walnuts, we’ve swapped them out for pecans. Their distinct taste helps them stand out from the richness of the cake. Ella herself was rumored to choose pecans, although her authentic recipe contained walnuts. When Pillsbury up to date her recipe, in addition they included a thick chocolate glaze on high of the cake. Our Dulce de Leche Glaze provides a level of magnificence, with flecks of vanilla bean seeds glinting all through. Our Tunnel of Fudge pays homage to historical past of the cake, from the pan to the nut garnish on high, but it’s a contemporary traditional that can proceed to be liked for generations to come back.
Tunnel of Fudge Cake
- 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 gentle brown sugar
- 6 massive eggs (300 grams), room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons (9 grams) vanilla bean paste
- 1¾ cups (210 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2¼ cups (281 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (85 grams) sifted Dutch course of cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (3 grams) instantaneous espresso powder
- 1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt
- 2 cups (226 grams) finely chopped toasted pecans* (¼-inch items or smaller)
- Dulce de Leche Glaze (recipe follows)
- Garnish: chopped toasted pecans
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
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Within the bowl of a stand mixer, stir coconut oil by hand till easy and softened. Add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar; utilizing the paddle attachment, beat at medium-low velocity simply till mixed. Improve mixer velocity to medium, and beat till fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one by one, beating nicely after every addition. Beat in vanilla bean paste. With mixer on medium-low velocity, beat in confectioners’ sugar.
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively flour, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt. With mixer on low velocity, progressively add flour combination and finely chopped pecans to butter combination, beating till nearly mixed. Fold by hand simply till mixed.
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Spray a 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Unfold batter into ready pan. Firmly faucet pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter 10 instances.
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Bake till high is shiny and set and an instant-read thermometer inserted close to heart registers a minimum of 165°F (74°C), 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for half-hour. Utilizing your fingertips, gently press down heart and edges of cake. (This helps reduce the hole within the heart of the cake.) Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 1½ hours.
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Invert cake onto wire rack, and let cool fully. Spoon Dulce de Leche Glaze onto cooled cake. Garnish with pecans, if desired.
Dulce de Leche Glaze
Makes about ½ cup
- 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
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In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir collectively dulce de leche, 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water, vanilla bean paste, and salt; warmth on excessive in 10-second intervals, stirring between every, till pourable. Use instantly.
