Fever-Worthy Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Last Monday I came home feeling a bit under the weather.  But like any adult, I pushed through; I went to work on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Tuesday I even went for a last training run before the big 10k race on Sunday.  By Thursday morning I knew something was more seriously wrong, but I took a Tylenol and went to work.  My boss’s birthday was the next day and last year I had made a cake for the lab in celebration.  I couldn’t do any worse this year.

I left work early but still went to the grocery store and bought all the cake-making necessities.  Chocolate is my boss’s favourite, so this cake was going to be intensely chocolaty.  By the time the cake was baked and cooled and the filling was made my fever had sky-rocketed.  Would a normal person have stopped and called someone else from the lab to buy a cake?  I don’t know, because that person is not me.  I am a baker, and I can’t allow store-bought cake for a lab celebration!

I almost gave up when the original frosting recipe I tried turned into a weird gloopy mess.  But I turned to my staple chocolate swiss meringue buttercream and forged on.  The final step: a chocolate fudge layer for the center and to swirl on the outside. 

Oh man, this was good.  This was so worth it.  With the heat radiating off my body and my throat screaming with pain at every swallow, I ate cake scraps with this chocolate fudge topping.  Finally, chocolate curls on top and I was done.  I pulled the covers up to my chin and sweated through the night. 

The next day I somehow carried the cake to lab.  My mission was complete.  I couldn’t even wait until the big unveiling.  I went to the clinic and was diagnosed with strep throat.  Just in time for the weekend, and definitely no racing on Sunday.  But the cake was done and I still had leftover fudge topping at home.  Life was not that bad.

Fever-Worthy Chocolate Fudge Topping
From The Best of Fine Cooking: Chocolate

3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt over a double boiler or in 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring after each interval. 

Combine evaporated milk and sugar in a blender and blend until the sugar has dissolved (to check, see that there are no grainy bits when you dip your finger in and rub).  Add the melted chocolate and blend until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. 

That’s it!  The sauce will thicken a little more upon standing.  Can be used to fill, frost, or ice cakes or cupcakes, can be drizzled over ice cream, or used for dipping fruit or crackers.  Cover with plastic wrap to store.  Will keep for up to two days at room temp or for up to a week or more in the fridge.  Just warm up a little in the microwave and stir well after taking out of the fridge.