Shortbread Fudge Cake Combines the Best of Two Treats
After school guests are a frequent occurrence at our house. With busy schedules including chauffeuring kids’ to activities, working, going to the gym to exercise, and keeping a house running smoothly, most moms do not have time to bake. I usually let one of my other duties slide insuring that there is a cake on the cake stand or a jar full of cookies on the counter. I like making the old standbys - chocolate chip, peanut butter, or oatmeal cookies, pound cake, and brownies, but also like to throw in a new recipe every once in a while.
I have been a frequent visitor to the Cooking Light web site lately. Not only does it have recipes from Cooking Light magazine, it also includes recipes from Costal Living, Cottage Living,Health, South Accents, Southern Living, and Sunset magazines as well as MyRecipes.com and MyHomeIdeas.com.
I am a fan of a good, dense, chocolatey brownie and a flavorful, rich shortbread cookie. I hit the jackpot with the recipe I found on the Cooking Light web site for Shortbread Fudge Cake. Being a $1000 Brand Winner in the Nestle Toll House contest, I was almost assured that the treats would be delicious. And they did not disappoint. There is a nice contrast between the buttery, pecan shortbread and the moist, chocolate brownie. A combination made in heaven. The dessert is more of a bar cookie than a cake; the name is a little misleading.
With a total preparation/cooking time of a little over an hour, these treats can be made in no time. Skip the gym today. Make some cookies instead.
Shortbread Fudge Cake
Prep: 25 min., Cook: 50 min.
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup butter
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)
Press dough into an ungreased 13- x 9-inch pan.
Bake at 350 °F for 25 minutes or until golden.
Microwave chocolate morsels and 3/4 cup butter in a 2-quart glass bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring twice.
Whisk in eggs, vanilla, remaining 1 cup granulated sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup flour until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over prepared crust.
Bake at 350 °F for 25 minutes or until set. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 bars. Transfer bars to wax paper; dust with powdered sugar. Store bars in an airtight container. If desired, serve with whipped cream or ice cream, and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
I made this last weekend and they are amazing! Very moreish, as they say in England. But the brownie layer did stick to the sides of my pan. So I would recommending greasing just the sides between baking the first layer and plopping on the second.