Chocolate Poke Cake with Fudge Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Velvet Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1-¼ cups cake flour, sifted
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1-½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1-½ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 3 tbsp. vanilla extract, if you want pure white use clear vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1-½ cups buttermilk
For the Chocolate Fudge Sauce:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup corn syrup
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 1-¼ cups undiluted evaporated milk, no water added
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 4 tbsp. confectioner's sugar, rounded
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup of a chocolate bar, chopped, for garnish, optional
Instructions
To prepare the chocolate velvet cake:
- Pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, sift together both flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar; set aside.
- Grease and flour a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the vegetable oil, shortening and vanilla; beat well, at high speed with whisk attachment, until light and fluffy.
- Add and beat the eggs, one at a time.
- Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk.
- It is very important to begin and end the additions with the dry ingredients.
- Do not over mix the batter; as soon as it has no lumps in the batter, pour into the prepared baking pan.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan.
To prepare the chocolate fudge sauce:
- You will need only about half of this recipe; the remainder can be stored in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for a couple of weeks to be enjoyed on ice cream sundaes or to use on a second cake later.
- In a medium sized saucepan, stir all of the ingredients together.
- Bring to a very gentle boil; stirring occasionally; simmer for five minutes.
- Watch it very closely, it can foam up and boil over if the heat is too high or the pot too small; this is not a recipe which can be left unmonitored.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.
To prepare the vanilla whipped cream:
- In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla together, at high speed, until stiff peaks form.
To assemble the cake and serve:
- Using the round handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake, stopping about a half inch from the bottom of the pan.
- These holes should be about 3/4 of an inch apart.
- Pour 1-1/2 cups of the chilled fudge sauce evenly over the cake.
- Frost immediately with the vanilla whipped cream and garnish with about 1/2 cup chopped chocolate bar if, you like.