A recipe for homemade, super-chocolatey Hot Fudge. Thick as molten lava. Couldn’t be more delicious.
Hot Fudge
Course: DessertCuisine: American2/3
cup15
minutes35
minutesWhen prepping, measure the chocolate, cocoa, and water directly into the saucepan. Measure the butter and syrup into a measuring cup together, and the sugar and salt in a bowl together.
Ingredients
1.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70%)
0.5 oz. (2 Tbs) Dutch-processed cocoa
2.75 oz. (1/3 cup) water
1.5 oz. (3 Tbs) butter
1.5 oz. (2 Tbs) corn syrup
2.25 oz. (1/3 cup) sugar
Pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla
Directions
- In a small heavy saucepan (ideally nonstick) over medium heat (setting 4), melt the chocolate and cocoa with the water, stirring constantly. Add the butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Simmer, stirring until the sugar has completely melted. Stop stirring and reduce heat so that the mixture is at a moderate boil (setting 2). Let boil until the mixture thickens and reduces to just under ⅔ cup, 5 to 10 minutes (see notes). Swirl the mixture in the pan occasionally but do not stir.
- Cool slightly and add the vanilla. Keep warm or reheat in the microwave, stirring gently.
Notes
- Substitutions: extra dark chocolate (as high as 85%) for the bittersweet, without any adjustment to the sugar amount.
- ⅔ cup: butter a heatproof glass cup before measuring. Once you pour the hot fudge into the cup, you have to stir it down until there are no bubbles. Otherwise you’ll get a wildly inflated measure. Reduced to ⅔ cup, it will be very thick. You don’t have to have it this thick. You can reduce it less if you prefer a runnier sauce.
Social Learning
As an alternative, use a 4-cup heat-proof glass measure or bowl to cook the hot fudge in the microwave instead of on the stovetop.
Chocolate Percentages
If your chocolate bar (or chips) lists a percentage, the higher the percentage, the more bitter the chocolate. The lower, the sweeter. Milk chocolate may be in the 10-40% range. Anything over 50% might be considered dark.
- 60-69% – Semi-sweet
- 70-85% – Bittersweet
- 86-99% – Extra dark. Often an acquired taste.
- 100% – Unsweetened. Used in cooking or baking.
So, if you can’t find the 70% I recommend for this recipe, use what you can find, and make modest adjustments to the sugar, as you see fit. The 70% with the amount of sugar I’ve recommended makes a pretty dark fudge sauce that’s not quite as sweet as store-bought, and more chocolatey.
The Backstory
This recipe comes from “The Cake Bible.” See the reference for it in the fine print, below. I’ve made some adjustments. If you’re curious about the original recipe, or if you want to see some absolutely stellar cake recipes, then you definitely check out the book. I highly recommend it. It’s not for the feint of heart. Instead, it’s for someone who loves to bake super-high-quality, from-scratch cakes. By the way, It’s also jam-packed full of all the tips and tricks that will get you in the major leagues of home baking.
Hot Fudge
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. References: Beranbaum, Rose Levy. “Hot Fudge” in The Cake Bible. (William Morrow, New York, 1988) p. 88. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.
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Une belle gourmandise
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Thank you, Delphine!
Move away Hersheys!!! Yes to homemade hot fudge, gotta make this! I could almost celebrate spring today in Chicago with 80 degrees outside, but I am almost sure we are getting our 3rd winter in a few days!
Ugh! Don’t remind me of third winter! I know what you mean, though. I go for a walk along the lakeshore every morning, and today: shorts. Yesterday, gloves, but then an afternoon that felt like summer. Day before: to cold to make it seem fun.
Sub. for corn syrup? Will maple syrup or even honey work? Have never made fudge sauce, bet it’s fantastic.
Hmm, that’s a great question. It does contribute to texture and sweetness, as would honey, but the real reason is to give the syrup a glossy look. I’m not sure if honey would do that.
I’ve never cooked with “golden syrup,” because it’s hard to come by in the U.S., but I seem to get the impression that it’s used similarly to corn syrup. And I’ve seen British recipes for hot fudge that use it.
Oh my!!!!!!!!!
Oh my, indeed!
Mmm… that looks very comforting, Jeff.
Thank, Gary!
Oh yum. Ready for those summer ice cream sundaes!
Exactly!
The most luxurious and decadent treat doesn’t need to be fancy or include expensive ingredients. And this hot fudge perfectly fits the bill. Oh boy – it looks so rich and smooth!
Thanks, Ben!
Love the cake bible, Jeff, as well as her Christmas cookie book. This hot fudge looks sensational. Time for a sundae!
Thanks, David!
A favorite on ice cream – every time we would go to Dairy Queen I would always order a hot fudge sundae while my hubby would get a banana split 🙂
Well, you would enjoy this, then. It’s more very chocolaty, and very thick and rich.
Hey Jeff, this hot fudge sounds next-level! Love how you’ve amped up the chocolate intensity, bittersweet with Dutch cocoa is a bold, delicious move. And that molten lava thickness? Yes please!
Thanks!
this sounds so good Jeff but no to the corn syrup. I guess you could use other kinds of syrups?
cheers
sherry http://sherryspickings.blogspot.com.au/
I’ve never used golden syrup, but I get the feeling that it’s used in similar ways.
With summer on the horizon, I can see me making this homemade hot fudge frequently. The store bought jars are getting quite expensive and don’t taste nearly as good as this, I bet!
I tell you, everything is getting expensive. And I have a feeling the trend is going to continue.
Why did I pull this up when I was already hungry! haha, mmmmm looks delicious
Ah yes, a classic mistake! If I made this while hungry, I would’ve just eaten it all up.
Una delicia de postre, para saborear poco a poco. Un abrazo y feliz semana!
Thank you! Yes, I suppose that bit by bit would be the right way to go … but I say indulge!
Adoro il cioccolato, che golosità, davvero irresistibile!!!!
Thank you!
Wow! Talk about decadent. This looks like the perfect sauce for ice cream! I am usually not much of a sweet eater (I am sweet enough 😉 ) I just couldn’t help but lick my lips as I’m reading the recipe and ogling the photos.
I have to admit that I’d normallyk just buy a jar of hot fudge, but I made this for a cake recipe, and it was quite a bit better than what comes out of a jar. Chocolatier!
Jeff you are so brave and clever to attempt to make this. It looks so very good.
Oh, bravery had little to do with it. It was an adventure, though!