276010 Tue Jan 18 14:50:53 -0800 2005 6 31 Home Cooking 0 1455211 During a segment on NPR about the bundt cake pan, they mentioned the Tunnel of Fudge cake that won the Pillsbury Bake Off many years ago. Does anyone know the science behind this cake? I looked at the recipe (linked below) and it looks like a pretty standard procedure. The intro also emphasizes the importance of using nuts. What about this recipe creates the tunnel of fudge? Link: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipesearch/showRecipe.asp?recipeID=2868 Tue Jan 18 14:50:53 -0800 2005 0 Jujubee 1 1455221 Do you have a copy of the December 28 New York Times Science Section? There is an article about Nancy Coriherr and her upcoming book Bakewise. The article also highlights the Tunnel of Fudge cake, gives her recipe, and has a multimedia graphic of the science behind the tunnel of fudge cake. http://www.vittlesvamp.com/archives/2004/12/science_alert_m_1.html http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/science/28rbake1.html?ex=1106197200&en=efcceb080b042a42&ei=5070 (since it's been archived, you will have to buy a copy or try some googling. The graphic is great though, if you can get your hands on it.) Link: http://www.vittlesvamp.com/archives/2004/12/science_alert_m_1.html Tue Jan 18 15:32:24 -0800 2005 1455211 0 Anne in SF 2 1455279 My lord--it's posts like these that make me love Chowhound (and Chowhounds) so much. Who else on the planet would know this sort of thing? I don't give a hoot about Tunnel of Fudge science, but it's a joy to know that someone here does. Wed Jan 19 10:13:46 -0800 2005 1455221 0 Cristina 2 1455550 Just FYI--her first name is Shirley (for those googling). Fri Jan 21 12:03:43 -0800 2005 1455221 0 Funwithfood 1 1455254 From the link that was posted it seems like the cake has lots of sugar. "You cannot use the toothpick test because the cake contains so much sugar that the center will not set but will remain a tunnel-of-fudge" Tue Jan 18 21:34:19 -0800 2005 1455211 0 D-NY 1 1455345 My Mom made this cake (using this recipe) this past weekend and it was delish! Wed Jan 19 17:04:21 -0800 2005 1455211 0 Stefanie 1 1455579 I ca't seem to understand the chemistry underlying the need for nuts... any takers? Fri Jan 21 17:26:45 -0800 2005 1455211 0 Emme