Recipes for Readers from Molly MacRae

 

 

On April 17^th the contributors to this blog weighed in on which dessert they preferred from these three choices – strawberry cheesecake, banana split, and chocolate cake - and, more importantly, why. The strawberry cheesecake and chocolate cake lovers are neck and neck. Banana splits come in a distant third with only two votes.  

I now feel compelled to tip the scales in favor of chocolate cake. Really, in favor of chocolate anything. To that end, my posts for the foreseeable future will be Recipes for Readers in which I’ll pair a recipe for a chocolate dessert with a book you might enjoy reading.

First up is a pairing of Tunnel of Fudge Cake with Crystalized Ginger and Knot the Usual Suspects, book 5 in my Haunted Yarn Shop mysteries. This pairing was easy because the recipe appears in the book.  

About Knot the Usual Suspects:  It’s time for Handmade Blue Plum, an annual arts and crafts fair, and Kath Rutledge and her needlework group TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Fiber) plan to kick off the festivities with a yarn bombing. But they aren’t the only ones needling Blue Plum. Bagpiper and former resident Hugh McPhee has just returned after a long absence, yet his reception is anything but cozy. The morning after his arrival, he’s found dead in full piper’s regalia. Although shaken, Kath and her friends go forward with their yarn installation—only to hit a deadly snag. Now, with the help of Geneva, the ghost who haunts her shop, Kath and TGIF need to unravel the mystery before someone else dies. 

Tunnel of Fudge Cake with Crystalized Ginger

Ingredients for the cake

1 cup white sugar

3/4  cup brown sugar

1 3/4  cups butter, softened

6 eggs

2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/4  cups unbleached white flour

3/4  cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2  cups chopped, crystalized ginger (A lot, but good! Feel free to use less.) 

Ingredients for the glaze

3/4  cup powdered sugar

1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa

4-6 tablespoons milk 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Gradually add the 2 cups of powdered sugar, blending well. Stir in flour and remaining cake ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly.

Bake at 350 F for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is set and edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 1 ½ hours. Turn out onto serving plate and cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients in small bowl, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Store tightly covered.

Enjoy!