simple fudge cakes

Last Friday, my friend Rachel hosted a casual dinner party in the East Bay. While I sat in thick traffic heading out of the city after work, my friends prepared a very impressive (and winter-appropriate) meal. The menu included a whole roasted chicken stuffed with rosemary, grilled flank steak equipped with homemade chimichurri sauce, broiled prosciutto wrapped asparagus, baked baby red potatoes with rosemary & garlic and a large salad with butter lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes and gorgonzola cheese. Everything was delicious (nice work, guys!).

I brought along wine and a homemade dessert called simple fudge cakes that I baked the night before. The recipe is from Gourmet Made Simple by Gena Knox. My friend Jessica gave me this cookbook for my birthday and it's proven to be a great resource; I often reference it for ideas when cooking for friends and family. The fudge cakes were a hit, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

here's one of the fudge cakes, about to be served

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

powdered sugar for garnish

Preparation:

First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9x12 pan lightly. Then, place the butter and chocolate together in a sauce pan, placed over a fry pan with simmering water (double boil so there isn't direct heat on the sauce pan). Stir occasionally, heating until the mixture is smooth. Next, combine the sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir in the chocolate mixture until all ingredients are combined smoothly. Then add the chopped pecans if desired (*I usually add about 1/4 cup after pouring the mixture in the pan, because I only include nuts in half of the dish. I personally think this particular dessert tastes better without nuts).

After you transfer the batter to your greased pan, bake for about 30 minutes, or until a small knife inserted in the center of the dessert comes out with a few crumbs attached. After the dessert cools for about 5-10 minutes, top with powdered sugar, using a sifter or mesh strainer.

If you like chocolate, I think you'll definitely enjoy this rich, dense treat.

*Tips*

*It is important to keep a close eye on these when they're in the oven; the dessert will be very dry if overcooked

*Cover extremely well and store on counter, not in fridge

*This dessert is especially tasty with a tall glass of milk or cappuccino, and some like it topped with a small scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream