Before the Mix — Duncan Hines' Fudge Squares

Vangie cutting Fudge Squares Cake
on her birthday.

     As I was planning a birthday luncheon, I perused Duncan Hines’ Adventures in Good Eating and The Art of Carving in the Home, for a quick and simple dessert. One of the things I really like about this book (a reprint of the original 1939 edition) is that the recipes are straightforward with simple directions and common ingredients. (I do have to admit that sometimes a few things are missing—for example, no pan size was listed in the recipe that follows but my suggestion is contained in parenthesis.)

     Since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, I pulled out a heart shaped decorating shield that a friend brought back from Germany (simply lay it over the top of the cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar for an instant design). That, in turn, reminded me that even though Hines’ restaurant guidebooks (Adventures in Good Eating) were written for Americans, they also had international appeal. His biographer wrote, “By late 1947 Hines had sold nearly 2 million copies of his books. He had become so popular he was now getting book orders from people in India, China, South America, Australia, Europe, from people planning a trip to the US who wanted to make their plans around the restaurants and inns he recommended.”

Vangie's birthday gathering. 

Fudge Squares   (Makes one 9”x9” cake)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

2 oz. bitter chocolate or 1/3 cup (unsweetened) cocoa (powder) + 1 tablespoon butter (I used cocoa and butter)

½ cup cake flour

1¼ cups (granulated) sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs—beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

1.     Melt butter and chocolate.

2.     Sift the cake flour, sugar and salt twice (after measuring) and add to the above (ingredients).

3.     Stir eggs, vanilla and nuts into mixture (and pour into a greased 9” square baking pan).

4.     Bake in (preheated) 350° to 375° oven for 25 minutes.

Baked cake is cooling on a rack.

I placed a plastic shield over the cake (that had been turned out out a cake platter
 and sprinkled the cut outs with powdered sugar.

And, here's the finished product! I served it with whipped cream and
French Silk Frosting -- letting each person add what they wanted.

This is recipe #520 from Adventures in Good Eating and The Art of Carving in the Home, was submitted by Duncan Hines, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Other recipes we've posted from this book include: 
 *Betty Cass' Brown Sugar Cookies   * Chocolate Upside Down Cake    * Date & Nut Cakes   * Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres (or Sandwiches)   *Taffy Tarts    *Nut Macaroons