Choc Chip Fudge Traybake
Bite into a slice of this buttery choc chip fudge traybake and embrace your inner hedonist. Dark chocolate chips provide the perfect foil to pieces of sweet fudge, creating a delicious, but not sickly sponge. It’s a real party pleaser for sure and it makes a perfect cake sale bake into the bargain. The recipe is from a baking cookbook by The Pink Whisk.
Post updated to include more information and a recipe card, March 2022.
I’m sure most of you will know Ruth Clemens as the highly accomplished finalist in the first series of The Great British Bake Off on BBC television three years ago. I expect most of you will be familiar with her engaging and informative blog The Pink Whisk.
But did you know that she has published not one, but two print books as well as several e-books? The Busy Girl’s Guide to Cake Decorating which I have to confess I have not seen, came first.
I was, however, recently sent a copy of her second book, The Pink Whisk Guide to Cake Making to review. Published by David & Charles it is priced at £12.99 and is available in most book shops as well as from The Pink Whisk’s very own online shop.
The Pink Whisk Guide To Cake Making
I’ve been following The Pink Whisk blog since its inception back in 2010 and have found it interesting, thorough and informative. I’ve tried a few of Ruth’s recipes in the past and they have worked really well every time; she is not a ‘fling it all together and hope for the best’ type of girl.
She has her readers very much in mind when writing and delivers well researched, practised and reliable recipes. This approach carries through to her book. In the introduction Ruth explains how she made 25 versions of her golden syrup cake before she was satisfied enough to include this recipe in her book. See what I mean about thorough?
Aimed primarily at the novice or unconfident baker, this 127 page step-by-step guide leads the reader gently but smartly through the art of making cakes. There is a guide to equipment, a comprehensive guide to basic ingredients and a few pages of techniques, such as how to tell when a cake is properly baked, how to line a tin and how to rescue your cake when it looks as though it’s gone wrong.
Cake Recipes
The main part of the book contains the recipes. It’s arranged by the three main baking methods: creaming, whisking and melting. Ruth gives top tips throughout and whilst she gives the reader explicit technical instructions to follow, she also encourages them to be adventurous and play with different flavours.
Although there are only 28 recipes in total, they are by no means standard fare. Ruth has come up with a diversity of types and flavours and there are bakes here to interest the more experienced cook as well as the beginner. The rhubarb and custard bombe sounds particularly fun and quite a technical challenge as well. It’s rhubarb season at the moment. Just saying.
As you’d expect from the pink whisk, pink is the dominant colour of the book. Either the text or pages are in pink and there are flourishes of pastel blue throughout, which gives a nice bit of contrast.
There are plenty of pictures to give an idea of what the final bake should look like, something that is lacking in most cookbooks these days. Many of the recipes have photos to accompany the step-by-step instructions.
These recipes are then followed by something similar, so the same method can be used. A nifty way of providing interest without having to photograph every step again. Once a Victoria sponge has been mastered, for example, a whole world of combinations is opened up.
Choc Chip Fudge Madeira Traybake
The banana and cardamom chocolate brownie cake grabbed my attention and I fully intended to make it. But when I was ready to start baking, I realised I didn’t have any bananas.
I did, however have some of my aunt’s homemade fudge which she gave me for Christmas. So I rapidly changed track and turned my hand to Ruth’s choc chip and fudge madeira cake. I made a few adjustments of course – I just can’t help myself (sorry Ruth!) For a start, I decided to make it a traybake rather than a loaf cake.
It’s a fairly straightforward cake to make. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs, stir in flour and add chocolate chips and fudge. Voila! The main thing you need to remember is to get the butter out of the fridge well before you need to use it. I’ve been caught out by rock hard butter way too many times.
Once the cake is baked and cooled, cut it into nine large squares or twelve slightly more refined rectangles. You don’t have to decorate them, but a drizzle of dark chocolate and a few pieces of fudge scattered over the top makes them look even more appealing.
I had complete confidence in Ruth and knew this cake would turn out well and it did. It rose well, cut well, looked good and tasted good. It wasn’t as sweet as I thought it might be, which I take to be a bonus.
In fact this choc chip fudge traybake is a real crowd pleaser and absolutely perfect for a cake sale. That banana and cardamom chocolate brownie cake is definitely on my radar though.
What Is The Best Fudge To Use?
Plain vanilla fudge is a good one to use for this choc chip fudge recipe. If you use anything else, the flavours might start to get muddled. But ultimately, go with whatever fudge grabs your fancy or needs using up.
Other Choc Chip Recipes You Might Like
- Apple chocolate chip muffins
- Caramel chocolate chip bars
- Chocolate chip apple crumble
- Cinnamon choc chip friands (vegan & gluten-free)
- Coconut & fennel chocolate chip cookies
- Skillet choc chip cookie (vegan)
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this choc chip fudge madeira traybake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more traybake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Choc Chip Fudge Traybake. PIN IT.
Choc Chip Fudge Traybake
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter – softened
- 150 g golden caster sugar (I used vanilla sugar and no vanilla extract)
- 2 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g flour (I used half wholemeal spelt, half plain white)
- ¾ tsp baking powder.
- 60 g dark chocolate drops
- 50 g fudge chopped into small pieces
Topping
- 25 g dark chocolate
- 25 g fudge chopped into small pieces
Instructions
- Cream the butter with the sugar until it’s very light & fluffy. I do this by hand with a wooden spoon, but you can use an electric mixer instead, if you prefer.150 g unsalted butter – softened, 150 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the eggs, one by one followed by the vanilla extract.2 large eggs, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix gently until you can no longer see any flour.180 g flour, ¾ tsp baking powder.
- Add the chocolate buttons and fudge pieces and stir into the mix.60 g dark chocolate drops, 50 g fudge
- Spoon into an 8″ (20 cm) sq silicone cake mould or lined tin and bake at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 25 minutes. It should be well risen, golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Topping
- Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water. Drizzle it over the top of the cake with a teaspoon or piping bag.25 g dark chocolate
- Scatter the fudge pieces over the top.25 g fudge
- Allow the traybake to cool then cut into 9 large squares or 12 more refined rectangles.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Cake Making Giveaway
David & Charles have kindly offered a copy of this excellent book to two lucky Chocolate Log Blog readers.
To be in with a chance of winning one of the books, please fill in the Rafflecopter below. You will need to leave a comment on this post which then gives you additional chances to enter if you so wish. Rafflecopter will pick a winner at random from the entries received.
Please give me some way of identifying you in the comment section as I will need to verify the validity of entries and will always check back to the comments to ensure that part has been done. Any automated entries will be disqualified.
This giveaway is only open to those with a UK postal address. You need to be 18 or over to enter. Winners will need to respond within 7 days of being contacted. Failure to do this may result in another winner being picked.
Prizes are offered and provided by David & Charles and Chocolate Log Blog accepts no responsibility for the acts or defaults of said third party.
Closing date is Saturday 8 June 2013
i would like a red whisk blend with my kitchen
I would love an orange whisk to match my kitchen
I should say black to go with my kitchen but really I’d go for purple, as I love everything purple.
Red for me 🙂
I’d like a Cerise pink whisk.
A lovely red one.
Green or Orange to go with my tiles / floor 🙂
My kitchen is vintage / shabby chic in style and very pink! So I would love a pastel pink whisk!
Any, as long as it help me do the job quickly
Ruth Clements is such a brilliant baker / food writer. Can’t wait to have a peek at this great new book
pink…..of course!
yellow
A pink one just for me please!! Cakes look super good on here! :)_
I think it would be the pink whisk itself , hey its not just girls who like pink lol . Plus it would fit into the purple/red colour scheme
a rainbow coloured whisk would be unique, yum!!
Stainless Steel
Green or Red!
absolutely love baking 😀 at home, in school with the children, at families houses, I love it xxx
Green…. Matches my colour scheme x
I would love a lime green one 🙂
beige whisk
I’d like a nice bright orange one bright and cheery
blue or red for my red white and blue theme
pink x
i would like a pink whisk!
i would say black but my girls would want everything in pink
Stainless Steeel all the way
I would choose red, to match my decor 🙂
A Pink Whisk,my favourite colour 🙂
Purple would be my choice.
yellow, orange or red for me
Pink! Although a red one would match my current colour scheme!
a green one!
A black one as my kitchen has black & silver utensils
It would have to be a purple whisk as it’s my favourite colour 🙂
Red for me x
Cream or orange
Silver
Nice and bright, fed up with all the brushed aluminium etc in kitchens nowadays, so Pink would stand out.
Bright purple. I’m forever putting it down to do something else then losing it so hopefully a bright colour should stand out.
Ohh Pink.. Purrrrfect for my kitchen 🙂
Something bright and funky – lime green or bright orange 🙂
Pink 🙂
Red would be nice to match the glass tiles in my kitchen
Purple, I seem to be obsessed with that colour these days
Turquoise 🙂 xoxo
It would have to be blue to match the name of my blog 🙂
A royal blue whisk would be nice
Would have to be purple
Red as it looks so stylish
Blue and white for the Shaymen.
Light blue
A bright red one to go with my toaster 🙂
I’d love a multi-coloured one.
Purple – it’s the wife’s favourite – Paul Witney
I have a pink whisk, its brilliant 🙂
laura
xx
A red whisk would be lovely to match my other kitchen accessories
pink
Blue – maybe my son would like to help out then!
I’d like a lime green whisk!
Yellow to match the sun shine..
Bright red!
A red whisk
Love a Red Whisk to match the walls of my kitchen
I’d love a purple one but I dont think it would go in my kitchen lol
The recipes look amazing. I love cooking and baking, especially for the kids and my hubby. Tray bakes are such a joy for the kids, they can get involved with the decorating but I am sure I am not alone with the bit they enjoy the most…..licking the bowl!!!! as for whisks as the comments seem to be??? I have many metals ones they work well but I would love a purple one think it is the colour a la mode! the book looks fab xx
Baby pink!
Hele
turqouise to match with my other kitchen accessories
Green!
mluckw@gmail.com
green
I’d love a purple or pink whisk, my favourite colours.
Purple and/or silver 🙂
I already have a multi-coloured whisk. Its great. Though if I was to buy a new one, it would have to be red, to match my other kitchen gadgets!
Purple – my favorite colour
Black
Red!
I’d love to win a copy of this, The Pink Whisk is fab!
I’d have a green whisk in my kitchen especially for my boyfriend!
Purple would be my favourite!
Black. Well, goes with the music in this house.
Purple to match in with my toaster and Kettle
Red
Purple
I’d just loooove a pink whisk @mscazzingtons on twitter
Blue I think
baby pink or baby blue whisk to match my kitchen 😀
Green, it’s my favorite color or red to match my kitchen counters. Decisions, decisions!
Ooh – nice cake
Red, always red!
Would love a blue one
I would have a purple whisk!
pink
My kitchen is painted red with cream accessories, so either red or cream
Yellow whisk would be lovely.
a whisket a tasket a green and yellow basket? oops! not the right song! um,,,,,, let’s see- i think orange would go nicely in my sunny wee kitchen, thanks!
Red for me, it would match my other things.
Love a pink one.
red or silver:)
I’d love a purple whisk x
A really bright neon yellow would brighten things up.
Blue or green – I have a bit of a Mediterranean vibe going on
It seems lots of us have red kitchens. I would love a red one too but the one I have at the moment is grey.
I inherited my grandmother’s vintage Kenwood mixer, which has a sky blue trim. I am gradually adding blue accessories to my kitchen to match it, so would choose a blue whisk. It can be difficult to get the correct shade of blue, so I am just going for any blues which is turning out very nice as it gives a more modern look. Vohn x
My boyfriend’s last name is Cowe so I want one of those whisks with a cow on top!
Blue
baby blue to match my vintage kitchen cupboard doors
turquoise
Green
pink
I’d love to have a silver whisk to go with the kitchen
These recipes look so tasty. Not the best for a diet but I’m sure I will get over that.
I’d have a lovely red one.
red as I have a couple of red appliances
Green – it’s an uplifting colour! But probably should be black to match the colour of how my baking usually pans out!
Oh noooooo – it sounds like this book is just what you need!
A sky blue one
a deliciously chocolate colour!
Pink or purple!
i’m trying to go for greens when i get my new kitchen so i would go for a green whisk 🙂
I’d love a pink whisk to match the book!
Red – would match my kitchen! Also whisking with something the colour of love might make my cakes taste yummy!
purple, definately purple, i love all things purple
Beautiful bakes…Ruth is ace she really knows her stuff, I always go to her first book for basic recipes in different measurements/sizes etc. It has never failed me. x Here is my review from last year…Busy-girls-guide-to-cake-decorating.
Orange!
I’d have to have an aqua blue whisk as that is the colour of my kitchen
How very delicious that bake looks. I follow The Pink Whisk, but don’t have either of these books will need to remedy that!
Might have to look into this book then. I’ve been put off more than one buying a recipe book due to no photos. I like to have some idea of what I’m cooking/baking, especially if I’ve never tried the recipe before! So this one having photos is a huge selling point for me 🙂
Bright cerise pink – wouldn’t go with anything, but I’d LOVE using it 🙂
I ought to say terracotta, to match the kitchen, but actually I think a bright red one to make me whisk aggressively would be a great idea
Pink or purple would be my choice of whisk – very girly!!
pink or green would match in nicely with my decor!
I’d love a red whisk, it would add much excitement o my baking! Thanks for the giveaway!
well I already have a rainbow coloured whisk so that would be mine… C, those cakes look so incredible… my mouth is simply watering like crazy!… nice giveaway, thank you x
I’d love a yellow whisk! It would help to brighten up my baking! 🙂