Home Sweet Home Bakealong 40: Chocolate Fudge (smudge)
Like Beckie this wasn’t one of my more successful efforts. Thinking about it, I’ve messed up a few lately. Hmm. Time for a holiday perhaps? (We’re going to America! Hurrah!)

Fudge of a flexible nature
Attempt #1 revealed that the cream I had was just on the edge of going off, that boiling up the sugar on the big hob is too vicious and that I’m impatient when letting things cool.

Home Sweet Sweet Fudge
In between attempts I managed to break my sugar thermometer. This meant that for attempt #2 I had to go old school for judging the soft ball stage. I’m not sure whether I didn’t boil enough or whether I didn’t wait enough (again) before stirring in the butter (I suspect it was both) but my fudge is more of a smudge consistency. I can just about cut it, but when you pick it up it sticks to you. It’s also still very granular. It tastes a lot better than batch #1. I did have a brainwave today though – I think I’m going to put a lump of the fudge-smudge in the middle of some cupcakes and see what happens. In the meantime any fudge making tips would be very welcome, because it’s back again in about 10 recipes’ time.
Chocolate Fudge
from Home Sweet Home by the Hummingbird Bakery
Makes 16-20 pieces
400g caster sugar
60g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
2 tbsp golden syrup
120ml double cream
30g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanila extract
Boil up most of the ingredients. Add butter, leave to cool a lot. Beat and leave to set.
Join Beckie and me in our Epic 100 part bakealong. Next up: Savoury Cheesecake
I’m adding this to CookBlogShare from www.hijackedbytwins.com which is hosted by the one and only HSH Co-baker Beckie.
It looks great to me – I think fudge should stick to your fingers.
They look delicious. I don’t mind sticky fingers. The smudge would be nice in the centre of chocolates too. If you don’t have a chocolate mould you can use petite fours cases instead. So glad i found a bake along, sorry I’m late though.
Ooh good idea. The cake worked, though I made it as a loaf cake. It was very oozy and gooey with all the fudge inside. Do you own the book? Bake with us!
I hope the fudgey cupcake experiment works! It sounds yummy.
I’m definitely not a fudge expert, but I often make tablet at Christmas and the ingredients look fairly similar. Certainly with tablet you *have* to make sure the sugar fully dissolves before bringing the mixture to the boil, the slower the boil the better, or it will end up gritty. Sometimes adding a little more milk helps if the sugar is reluctant to dissolve. I’m guessing you needed to boil the fudge a bit longer too if it set too soft. Better under than overboiled though!
Very well written story. It will be valuable to
anyone who usess it, as well as yours truly :). Keep
up the good work – looking forward to more posts.