Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan Cake
I made this 'Pastry Queen' cookbook recipe for dinner when Casey, Denver and Brady came over for dinner. It was like a molten chocolate cake with all that oozing, rich chocolate sauce, yum!
Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan Cake
(1 bundt cake, 18 standard cupcakes, or 12 jumbo cupcakes)
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate-Pecan Glaze
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup high-quality dark cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (sifted then measured)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 - 12 cup bundt pan with butter, sprinkle lightly with flour and tap over the sink to remove any excess flour.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Be careful not to boil the mixture. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla to the warm cocoa mixture all at once; whisk until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt all at once; whisk until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Don't worry if there are some small lumps. Pour the batter into the pan. If using muffin pans, fill each cup two-thirds full.
Bake for 40-50 minutes; the cake is done when it has pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and feels firm to the touch. For cupcakes, check for doneness after about 20 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan about 20 minutes. Cupcakes need only a total of 10 minutes cooling time.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aramatic. Chop the pecans.
Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the milk, cocoa, and powdered sugar and whisk until glossy. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, salt and pecans.
Loosen the cake with a knife or spatula and overturn it onto a serving plate. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, covering it thorougly. Don't worry if some of the glaze pools inside and around the cake. For cupcakes, remove the from the pan, and peel off the paper liners. Invert each cupcake onto a small serving plate - this way they look like tiny cakes - and cover with glaze.
This cake will keep up to 3 days, covered, at room temp. Unglazed and well wrapped, it will keep frozen up to 3 weeks. When frozen, bring the cake to room temp and glaze just before serving.
Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan Cake
(1 bundt cake, 18 standard cupcakes, or 12 jumbo cupcakes)
Cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate-Pecan Glaze
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup high-quality dark cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (sifted then measured)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 - 12 cup bundt pan with butter, sprinkle lightly with flour and tap over the sink to remove any excess flour.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Be careful not to boil the mixture. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla to the warm cocoa mixture all at once; whisk until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt all at once; whisk until the dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Don't worry if there are some small lumps. Pour the batter into the pan. If using muffin pans, fill each cup two-thirds full.
Bake for 40-50 minutes; the cake is done when it has pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan and feels firm to the touch. For cupcakes, check for doneness after about 20 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan about 20 minutes. Cupcakes need only a total of 10 minutes cooling time.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them in the 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aramatic. Chop the pecans.
Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the milk, cocoa, and powdered sugar and whisk until glossy. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, salt and pecans.
Loosen the cake with a knife or spatula and overturn it onto a serving plate. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake, covering it thorougly. Don't worry if some of the glaze pools inside and around the cake. For cupcakes, remove the from the pan, and peel off the paper liners. Invert each cupcake onto a small serving plate - this way they look like tiny cakes - and cover with glaze.
This cake will keep up to 3 days, covered, at room temp. Unglazed and well wrapped, it will keep frozen up to 3 weeks. When frozen, bring the cake to room temp and glaze just before serving.
