Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Recently I made a birthday cake for a good friend with the fairly limited palate of a 10 year old boy. He wanted chocolate, and I wasn't going to mess around. I knew that getting fancy with flavours would not be appreciated-no wacky fruit filling or liqueur infusions; some nuts would be okay, maybe.

Still, I hadn't made a cake for a while and wanted to test my baking muscles. Browsing through Cooking with Les Dames D'Escoffier, I found a winner. Shirley Corriher, biochemist and cookbook writer, and her update on a Pillsbury classic, the Tunnel of Fudge Cake. A runner-up in the Bake-Off contest in the 1960s, this recipe helped popularize the bundt pan and developed a cult following. A simple chocolate cake with walnuts, its secret is an inner ring of fudge within the baked cake. This was originally achieved with a Pillsbury frosting mix, now discontinued, but Corriher re-worked the recipe without. Published in the NYTimes Science section, it is extremely detailed and Corriher explains exactly why it works. All baking demands precision, but I was careful to follow to the seemingly minute detail (natural cocoa, as she insists the more commonly found Dutch-processed will cause the cake to fail). She explains it much better than I could, so I am linking to her recipe and the accompanying article.

The method is fairly standard, beginning with creaming butter and sugar (usually a pain by hand, a greater pain with flimsy forks). Make sure butter and eggs are at room temperature, both for ease of creaming and the benefit of your end result.

School was briefly out for me and I re-purposed my book stand into a cookbook stand.

The finished product, dusted with confectioner's sugar. You could do a frosting or glaze, but the cake itself is so rich and sweet that it isn't necessary and may be too much.

The birthday boy and cake in action.

A terrible attempt to show the inside tunnel of the cake.

I was a bit nervous about the tunnel effect and the consistency of the cake-you can't check for doneness with a thermometer, but rather must trust your oven temperature's accuracy, or use an oven thermometer if you lack this trust. All in all, the cake was a huge success and great for chocolate lovers. I will definitely be making it again.

Asparagus, chorizo and bean salad

I am settling into my summer routine, balancing work, 2 courses and some light yachting (go ahead, be jealous). I am still cooking, but the majority of the time I am looking for recipes that are quick, inexpensive, yield lots of leftovers to be packed up for lunch (and dinner on my long days) and use a minimum of dishes. This gem from the smitten kitchen archive meets all the criteria and looks and tastes like spring, a great way to use up in-season asparagus.

Asparagus, chorizo and bean salad

• 1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed and chopped into ~2 inch pieces
• 2 chorizo sausages, sliced into 3/4 inch pieces (or other spicy sausage)
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 1/2 cups bread cubes
• 1 cup beans (canned is great, I used great northern beans but she uses cranberry beans in the original-whatever you have on hand)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet until very hot, and add all ingredients except beans and salt and pepper. Stir to coat well with oil, and cover and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times more. Remove from heat, add beans and seasoning and serve.

Hot Docs, get your Hot Docs!

So in the chaos of finishing up papers, exams, starting a new job and moving out of dorms (where I have a real kitchen!), my blogging has fallen by the wayside. But that's all about to change! I seem to have misplaced my camera cord, but I assure you I have been cooking exciting things and will post all about them soon.

In the meantime, I will highlight some of the excellent gastrocentric documentaries on offer at Hot Docs through next Sunday in Toronto.

The Story of Furious Pete follows the title character through his struggle with anorexia and subsequent rise as a competitive eating champion. Check out his youtube channel for a preview. His eating is incredible, revolting, and heartwarming. Yes, heartwarming. It's a really sweet film, a lot of it shot in Toronto and I would definitely recommend it (it's gone rush though, so line up early).

Candyman: The David Klein Story traces the invention of the Jelly Belly, possibly my favourite candy (also Ronald Reagan's).

I cannot wait to see Kings of Pastry (screening with Seltzer Works, which is a neat short about the seltzer industry). 16 world class pastry chefs compete for France's prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier award.

Dish: Women, Waitressing, and the Art of Service tackles gender issues in the service industry, and because it sold out so quickly, a third screening has been added for Sunday the 9th.

These are only a handful of the great films playing over the next week and a half, and if you're in Toronto I urge you to check them out.