Hot Fudge Pudding Cake * Prep Time: 10 mins * Total Time: 50 mins * Servings: 8 About This Recipe "Magically making its own fudge sauce this cake will become one of your favorite last-minute desserts. Serve it with ice cream for an extra special treat. Note: if you use a dutch process cocoa you will have a richer, darker result. TIP: some reviewers have recommended "baking" this in a crock pot on High for about 2 1/2 hours and then letting it cool slightly before serving. Thanks for the tip!" Ingredients 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 cup all-purpose flour 7 tablespoons cocoa, divided 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine, melted 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 1/4 cups water, hot whipped topping Directions Heat oven to 350'F. In medium bowl stir together 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, 3 Tbs. cocoa, baking powder and salt. Blend in milk, butter and vanilla, beat until smooth. Pour batter into 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. In separate bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top; do not stir. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Let stand 15 minutes; spoon into dessert dishes, spooning sauce from bottom of pan over top. Garnish with whipped topping. This is one of my favorite chocolate cakes. Sue

Hi Adele. I've made Lori's a couple of times and it's wonderful. Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze -lorijean 10 12 servings Bon Appetit  January 1999 Cake 12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 6 large eggs, separated 12 tablespoons sugar, divided 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Glaze ½ cup whipping cream ½ cup dark corn syrup 9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped Chocolate shavings or Gold-brushed Chocolate Leaves For Cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, butter paper. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until top is puffed and cracked and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall). Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper. For Glaze: Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Place cake on rack set over baking sheet. Spread ½ cup glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; store at room temperature.) Garnish with chocolate shavings or leaves. Serve at room temperature. Lori __________________________________________________________ I've also tried this one, and while it's also very good, I preferred the first one. La Bete Noir This phenomenal take on a classic flourless chocolate cake lives up to its translation, 'The Black Beast." Cake 1 cup water 3/4 cup sugar 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced 18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 6 large eggs Ganache 1 cup heavy whipping cream 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped Lightly sweetened whipped cream For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan. for ganache: Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream. Makes 16 servings. Bon Appétit September 2006 Jason Aronen Wilde Roast Café Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

I do plan on having three different mousses? in the middle - white, milk and dark. I can't believe how excited I am to make this cake. As much as I hate baking I do love decorating baked things. I guess I can go chocolate overload and do a chocolate fudge icing with a ganache too. I was thinking of sugaring some cranberries and having whipped cream spots around the outside border with a cranberry on each whip cream puff.

Is your oven temperature uneven (hot spots?)or not the right temp? Test the cake with a tester or toothpick near the center 5-10 minutes earlier than a recipe calls for. It should come out clean without crumbs sticking to it. You can use a regular chocolate frosting with this if you prefer as I do: DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE W/WHITE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 4 squares (4 oz) unsweetened chocolate 1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened 1 3/4 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 1/3 cups buttermilk 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 325° with the shelf positioned in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Line two 9" lightly greased & floured cake pans w/circles of parchment. (You can dust the pans w/cocoa instead if you like.) Whisk together the flour, salt, nutmeg & baking soda & set aside. Melt the choclate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Remove the chocolate from the heat & stir until smooth. Let cool. Cream the butter & sugar until light & fluffy, stopping the mixer to scrape the bowl & beaters several times. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture & buttermilk alternated to the batter, beginning & ending w/the flour mixture & mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla & cooled chocolate, blending just until the color is even. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Smooth the batter level, then spread it slightly from the center toward the edges of the pan so that the cake will rise evenly. Bake 35-45 minutes or until the top is lightly springy to the touch & a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the layers from the pan & cool completely on wire racks. Prepare the frosting. Center 1 of the cake layers on a serving plate & cover w/frosting. Place the 2nd later on top & frost the top & sides of the cake w/the remaining frosting. (Put the top of the layers upside down on the platter so the bottom is on top in case the cake "domes" a bit. You'll have a nice flat surface that way.)~~ WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM 6 TBL heavy cream 4 oz white chocolate, chopped fine 1/4 cup creme de cacao 1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened 1 lb confectioners' sugar (4 cups) Cream the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate & stir until completely smooth. Stir creme de cacao into the white chocolate into the white chocolate mixture. Col, stirring occasionally. Cream the butter in a large bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar & beat 5 minutes until light & fluffy. Add the white chocolate mixture to the butter mixture gradually, beating at low speed until the desired ocnsistency is reached. Decorate with dark chocolate shavings.~~Save the Brandywine Valley