Butter Fudge Cake – And A Request

Do you ever see a picture or recipe and decide you just have to make it? That happened to me this week. I saw this amazing butter fudge cake and knew it needed to be made and in my belly. I finally got around to making it yesterday. Because I only have one round pan, it took a bit of time to get the whole cake baked and assembled. It’s only a two layer cake so it could have been a lot worse! At least two pans would be easier but trust me, one is totally doable so don’t be scared off by this at all.

The only plan ahead item for the entire cake, including frosting, is to set out your butter so it comes to room temperature. Everything else can be done as you go. I was honestly expecting the cake to be a bit more yellow but it’s not. Maybe the original picture was slightly deceptive? Either way, it’s still delicious. A soft butter cake with a rich chocolate frosting.

A bit of advice: if/when sifting the powdered sugar for the frosting, sift into a really large bowl or you will absolutely have speckles of sugar all over you and your kitchen. And… if you have a reusable cake tester – find it before your oven timer goes off. Mine is always kept in the exact same spot but apparently got moved by accident and I had to rush to find toothpicks in my baking supplies to test the cake.

Before I get to the recipe… I have a request. I entered a sprinkle contest over at my favorite baking supply store and guess what!? One of my entries made it to the top 8! I need your help to win. It only takes a minute of your time, not even. Please stop by and vote for “First bloom by Rachel”  I’d truly appreciate your vote. Voting is open until February 1st.

Butter Fudge Cake

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
2 hours
Total Time2 hours 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cake
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 2 1/4 C cake flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 1/2 C unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2/3 C milk

Fudge frosting:

  • 5 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 C unsalted butter softened
  • 3 C powdered sugar
  • 5-6 Tbsp milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2: 9-inch round baking pans. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Scrape sides as needed and prior to each new addition. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until just combined. With mixer running on low, add half of your flour mixture followed by half of your milk. Lightly mix and repeat additions until all ingredients are added. Mix until no streaks remain.
  • Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.
  • Removing the cake: Take a large plate, place it top down (or upside down) onto the cake pan. Grasp both the pan and plate, flip. You will hear a slight noise - almost a release of suction - when the cake releases and drops to the plate. You can give a slight shake to assist if needed. Replace the cake pan with a sheet of waxed paper and a cooling rack. Repeat the process as before, grasp cooling rack and plate then flip. Now your cake is out of the pan, off of the plate and right side up! Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

  • Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Alternately you can melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals. Stir after each 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add butter, mix on medium/high speed until smooth and creamy. Mix in cooled melted chocolate. Gradually add powdered sugar several large spoonfuls at a time. Mix well. Add more powdered sugar and half of the milk. Mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add remaining sugar, a touch more of milk and vanilla. Mix well. If consistency is not creamy enough for your liking, add more milk 1/2 tbsp at a time until satisfied.
  • To frost your cake: Cut 4 - 2" wide strips of wax paper. Lay strips in a large square pattern on your cake platter - you want these strips to be just underneath the edge of your cake. Grab one layer and place it directly on the center of your platter - adjust the wax strips as needed.  Add roughly 3/4 cup worth of frosting onto your first layer. This is strictly acting as the frosting layer. Do not begin frosting the sides. Smooth it out over the entire cake layer.
  • Place second cake directly on top of the frosted bottom layer. Add remaining frosting to the top of your cake. Work gently spreading the frosting over the top, pushing excess just barely to the sides. Frost the top first, when that is done work the extra frosting down the sides of your cake. The thicker the frosting the harder it will be to make smooth. When your top and sides are covered, grab a spoon and begin making swirl patterns over the top and sides.
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16 Responses to “Butter Fudge Cake – And A Request”

  1. #
    1
    Danae (The Busty Baker) — January 28, 2011 at 11:31 am

    Yum! I haven’t made just a butter cake in a really long time. And I voted for you! And you’re kicking some butt on it too! You’ve got like 50% of the votes so far!

    • #
      1.1
      Rachel — January 28, 2011 at 11:42 am

      Thanks!! I’m so excited – I hope the votes stay up. :)

  2. #
    2
    Elizabeth — January 28, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    This is my boyfriend’s absolute favorite type of cake. I made a version from smitten kitchen last year but sadly the recipe failed. I might try yours this year.

  3. #
    3
    nicole — January 28, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    ooo that frosting looks so good.
    4 votes from me so far… work, iphone, home, BF’s work computer. ha I got him involved too!

    • #
      3.1
      Rachel — January 28, 2011 at 12:43 pm

      You rock! Thanks so much Nicole :)

  4. #
    4
    Lauren at KeepItSweet — January 28, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    Oh my, I can see how you felt the need to make this! Looks amazingly delicious!

  5. #
    5
    bunkycooks — January 28, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    I just voted for you! This cake looks way better than that nasty stuff I have been drinking this week. I might have to cheat and bake one up! ;)

    • #
      5.1
      Rachel — January 28, 2011 at 4:28 pm

      Thank you!! :) One can never have enough cake! Plus, the weekend is for indulging right?

  6. #
    6
    Lora @cakeduchess — January 28, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    Gorgeous cake! It looks moist and the frosting looks perfect!good luck in the conetest:)

    • #
      6.1
      Rachel — January 29, 2011 at 10:29 am

      Thanks Lora :)

  7. #
    7
    Diane {createdbydiane.blogspot.com} — January 31, 2011 at 1:35 am

    Looks delicious!

  8. #
    8
    naomi — January 31, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    This looks and sounds delish! I just voted for you as well-I love it! Good luck.

  9. #
    9
    Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. — February 2, 2011 at 11:29 am

    omg this looks fantastic. My mouth is officially watering

  10. #
    10
    Lynn @LynnATL — March 14, 2011 at 7:34 pm

    This cake looks over the top delicious. Can’t wait to make it and wow the crowd. Thanks for posting.

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    11
    Shana — May 31, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    I just requested that my sister make this cake for me for my birthday. It was everything I was hoping it would be. Thank you so much for this recipe. It reminds me of the cakes my grandmother used to make. My sister did add a little extra milk to the frosting to make it easier to spread. I can see in the picture yours looks pretty thick (tho following the recipe my sisters was even thicker than yours), Even with the extra milk the frosting was rich and delicious.

    • #
      11.1
      Rachel — June 1, 2014 at 2:40 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it! :)

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