Chocolate Bar Nut Cake

This is the chocolate Bundt cake for serious chocolate occasions. Ten ounces of melted candy bars stand in for cocoa powder, which gives this cake its distinctive flavor and a denser, fudgier crumb than standard chocolate cakes can muster.

Use plain milk chocolate bars, the kind you’d eat as a snack. The smooth chocolate melts cleanly in a double boiler and disperses evenly through the batter. Don’t substitute baking chocolate, since the bitter intensity throws off the balance with the chocolate syrup.

The two and a half cups of chopped nuts is not a typo. They distribute through the long bake without sinking, giving every slice a satisfying crunch against the dense crumb. Pecans, walnuts, or a mix work equally well.

Low oven temperature is what protects the cake during the 90-minute bake. The chocolate, syrup, and sugars all caramelize fast at higher heats, leaving you with a dry crust around an underdone center. Be patient and let it ride.

The buttermilk does double duty: tenderizing the crumb with its acid and reacting with the baking soda for the right lift in such a heavy batter.

Pro Tips

• Toast the nuts in a dry pan for 5 minutes before chopping to deepen their flavor.
• Use a heavy tube or Bundt pan. Thin pans burn the outside before the center sets.
• Test for doneness with a long skewer in the center, since toothpicks may not reach.
• Cool in the pan 15 minutes before turning out so the cake holds its shape.

Variations

• Drizzle the cooled cake with a chocolate ganache glaze for a bakery finish.
• Dust with confectioners sugar instead of glaze for a simpler presentation.
• Add a tablespoon of espresso powder to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor.