We love our chocolate desserts! But as the weather heats up, who wants to turn the oven on if we can have a no-bake treat to satisfy our chocolate craving? This one is easy and awesome, two qualities every dessert should be required to have! Enjoy every bite, Chocoholics!
| Servings |
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces (approximately 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons strong black coffee
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups walnuts, divided
- 8 ounces graham crackers or cookie of your choice, crushed (approximately 1 package) *See Jan’s Note
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Ingredients
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- Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, both bottom and sides. (A square tart pan with separate bottom or springform pan can also be used.) Chop one cup walnuts fine. In a medium saucepan, slowly melt 8 ounces of chocolate, (reserving 2 oz. for drizzle) butter, coffee, sugar and vanilla extract. When ingredients are dissolved and well incorporated, stir in graham crackers or cookie crumbs, walnuts and raisins if desired. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Chop second cup of walnuts in larger pieces and sprinkle over top of cake. Melt remaining 2 oz. of chocolate in microwave or pan and drizzle over nut topping. Place cake in refrigerator and chill to let set for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Note about Chocolate, Cookies and Walnuts:
For the Chocolate:
The better quality the chocolate, the better the fudge cake. Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Callebaut, and Guittard all contain a high percentage of cocoa for a richer flavor. Also, this fudge cake is a great opportunity to use your favorite dark chocolate varieties that may have chile pepper, sea salt, raspberries or cherries incorporated into them.
For the Cookies:
You have many options. Besides graham cracker crumbs, I’ve used Vienna Wafers, and a variety of Pepperidge Farms cookies like Milano’s, Brussels and Sugar Cookies. Surprisingly, when you grind up the cookies up in a food processor, mini-prep or blender, even the cream-filled cookies will pulverize into basic cookie crumbs!
For the Walnuts:
If you want glazed walnuts for the topping, heat 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt in a small skillet and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add walnuts and cook until walnuts are coated, about 3-4 minutes. Spread walnuts onto a baking sheet line with parchment paper. When cooled and hardened, sprinkle walnuts over top of cake.
