Hyde Park Fudge Cake
Submitted by jewels1966
Hyde Park fudge cake is a rich chocolate Bundt made with unsweetened chocolate, sour milk, and a glossy double-boiler chocolate icing. An old-fashioned classic.
YIELD
1 cakePREP
25 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsThis old-school fudge cake has been passed around since the days when sour milk was a pantry staple and Bundt pans ruled Sunday baking. The name nods to New York’s Hyde Park, and the cake delivers on every nostalgic note: dense chocolate crumb, moist from both water and sour milk, with a glossy chocolate icing poured over the top.
Unsweetened chocolate melted with shortening forms the base. Sour milk is the secret behind the tender crumb. Its acidity reacts with baking soda to create lift, and the slight tang cuts through all that sugar so the cake reads chocolatey rather than one-note sweet. No buttermilk on hand? Stir a tablespoon of vinegar into regular milk and let it sit 5 minutes.
Dusting the greased pan with fine breadcrumbs before chilling is the old-school trick for a clean Bundt release. It leaves a nubby crust that browns beautifully and keeps the cake from sticking in those detailed flutes.
Pro Tips
- Chill the prepared pan before pouring in batter. Cold pan grease holds the breadcrumb coating in place and prevents sliding during baking.
- Check the cake at 50 minutes with a toothpick. Bundts vary wildly by pan thickness, and overbaking turns this cake from tender to dry fast.
- Pour the icing while it’s still warm and pourable. A cooled icing turns fudgy and streaky instead of glass-smooth. Add a teaspoon of hot water to thin if needed.
Variations
- Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the batter for a deeper chocolate bass note.
- Stir a handful of mini chocolate chips into the batter for extra fudge-y pockets.
- Top with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts while the icing is still wet for crunch and presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Grease a Bundt pan.
Dust with fine bread crumbs and chill.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Melt the chocolate with the shortening.
Combine eggs, water, milk, and vanilla.
Blend well. Mix flour, sugar, soda, and salt thoroughly.
Gradually add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients, blending on low speed of mixer until just mixed, scraping bowl well.
Pour into pan and bake until done, 50 to 65 minutes.
Cool in the pan 30 minutes.
Turn out on a cake rack and glaze with icing.
Icing: While cake is cooling, heat the sugar in the evaporated milk in the top of a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved.
Melt butter and chocolate together.
Combine with chocolate mixture. You may add one to two teaspoon hot water to the icing to enhance the sheen. Pour icing over the cake.
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