Ah, fudge, one of life’s true luxuries, its crumbly texture and immense sugar content making it an occasional treat for those of us trying, or in my case failing, to lose a few pounds in time for summer. If you choose one day to indulge in this delectable, sweet treat, I suggest you go all out and enjoy every fudge-flavoured treat on the 16^th of June, national fudge day. In this article, I will be sharing three recipes which will help you celebrate fudge day in an appropriate manner whilst perhaps reaching an all-time high blood sugar level in the process.

Let’s start off the national fudge day celebrations with a chocolate fudge cake, a classic and an absolute must-have for any self-respecting fudge enthusiast. There are hundreds if not thousands of different chocolate fudge cake recipes online, all claiming to have the moistest cake and the most luscious topping; however, I think the best recipe must come from the domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson. This recipe is from her cookbook ‘Nigella Bites’ and is almost addictive with its indulgent fudge icing and rich chocolate cake, always leaving you wanting more.

Chocolate fudge cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 400 grams plain flour
• 250 grams golden caster sugar
• 100 grams light brown muscovado sugar
• 50 grams best-quality cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 142 millilitres sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 175 grams unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 125 millilitres corn oil
• 300 millilitres chilled water

For the fudge icing:

• 175 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 250 grams unsalted butter (softened)
• 275 grams icing sugar (sifted)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF.
2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm / 8-inch sandwich tins.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix them at a slow speed.
5. Add the egg mixture and mix until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.
6. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave – 2-3 minutes on medium should do it – or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, let cool slightly.
8. In another bowl, beat the butter until it’s soft and creamy and then add the icing sugar and beat again until everything’s light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix until everything is glossy and smooth.
9. Cover one of the cake halves with about a quarter of the icing, then top with the remaining half. Ice the top and sides of the sandwiched cake, too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

To continue the celebrations, I think we should go for classic fudge with a playful twist, adding colours into the mix and making rainbow fudge. Not only does this incredibly simple recipe from Carnation taste delicious and look fabulous, but it also helps celebrate Pride, another wonderful June event, allowing us to metaphorically hit two birds with one fudge-covered stone.

Rainbow white chocolate fudge

Ingredients:

• 450g white chocolate, chopped
• 397g can Carnation condensed milk
• A selection of rainbow food colouring

Method:

1. Break or chop the chocolate into small chunks and place it in a non-stick saucepan with the condensed milk. Melt the ingredients gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and silky. (Alternatively, melt in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring frequently – don’t rush it!). As soon as the chocolate has melted, stop stirring immediately to reduce the risk of the mixture splitting.
2. Divide the fudge into six small bowls and beat in a small amount of food colouring to each bowl. Ideally, this is done while the mixture is still slightly warm.
3. Line a 12cm tin with baking parchment to overlap the sides.
4. Place the coloured fudge into the prepared tub, spreading it out gently with a plastic spatula or spoon. Chill the fudge for 1-2 hours or until completely set before cutting.

Finally, to conclude the fudge day celebrations, I thought I would go a bit outside the box and find a recipe that combines the well-loved, classic banana bread with a more modern combination of fudge and pecans. This loaf from the Good Food website is absolutely fantastic, with the clever addition of pecans and fudge pieces creating an incredibly moist banana bread, full of flavour and texture.

Banana and pecan fudge loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed, about 200g/8oz peeled weight
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 100g butter, melted
• 100g toffee yoghurt
• 100g light muscovado sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100g pecans, roughly chopped
• 150g pack Werther’s chewy toffees, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
2. Butter and line the base of a 900g loaf tin.
3. Mix together the bananas, eggs, butter, toffee yoghurt and sugar, until well combined.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the mixture, then fold in three-quarters of the pecan nuts and half the toffees.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top. Sprinkle on the remaining nuts and toffees.
6. Bake for 50-55 mins until the loaf is risen and feels springy. Cool in the tin, then remove and peel off the lining.

Featured Image: theilr on Flickr with License.