Baked Chocolate Fudge

In my recent post on Tiger Tea Cakes I talked about my lack of resistance to chocolate. And this got me thinking and thinking and thinking about chocolate. And all the good chocolaty things I had ever eaten. And then my mind recalled this baked fudge I had made a while back. And this got me thinking and thinking about this baked fudge. And next thing I am in the supermarket tossing unsalted butter and cream into my trolley. And woe and behold, there I am pulling a batch out of the oven. You can imagine the gory details of what followed.

If only I could off held for a few weeks I would have the exscuse of Easter. When you are more or less obliged to scoff down chocolate. But no, I am officially as weak as water. A slave to the little grey cells.



The thing about this baked fudge is that it is utterly decadent, delectable and deadly. Silky smooth, creamy, rich and deeply, deeply chocolately. Just reading this post has added an inch to your hips. Sorry, but it's true!!!



Sadly, it's all too easy to make. A bit of melting and mixing and baking in a water bath and you are done. When it first comes out of the oven it will be very soft. With more the texture of a firm chocolate mousse. By the next day it will still be quite soft, but will have settled to a firmer and denser texture.

As if the fudge was not evil enough it also offers unparallelled opportunities for bowl and spoon licking. Woe is me!!!



Baked Chocolate Fudge
(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, July/August 2006)

400gm dark chocolate, chopped
120gm unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
5 eggs
2 tbspn plain flour, sifted*

Place the chocolate, butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Whisk together the flour and eggs. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.

Pour into a small rectangular loaf tin (12x21cm) lined with baking paper. Ensure that the paper rises above the edges of the tin as the fudge will rise a little. Place the tin in a deep baking tray and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the tin's sides.

Bake for 2 1/4 hours in a 150C oven or until the fudge is cooked. To test if it is cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of the fudge. If the batter clinging to the skewer easily rolls into a little ball, then the fudge is done.

*This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tbspn = 4 tspn (20ml). 1 US tbspn = 3 tspn (15ml).