The Retro Pillsbury Chocolate Cake People Have Been Making Since 1966

Whenever I visit antique and thrift stores, I make a beeline for the shelf of vintage cookbooks. These decades-old (or older) collections are treasure troves of forgotten favorites. These dishes and desserts evoke instant nostalgia when you recognize the ones that once graced your own family’s table.

Many vintage recipes came from regular home cooks, like those found in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbooks, compilations of entries to the company’s wildly popular Bake-Off contests. And one of the desserts from those contests is still a winner today (even though it didn’t win back then!): the Tunnel of Fudge Cake.

The Impact of the 1966 Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Pillsbury held the first contest for home cooks in 1949, selecting finalists from the thousands of entries to participate in a live baking competition.

The Tunnel of Fudge cake was a recipe submitted for the 1966 Bake-Off by Ella Helfrich of Houston, Texas. Although her cake took second place, Pillsbury was inundated with letters from home cooks who wanted Helfrich’s recipe. The fudgy cake was a standout thanks to its intriguing, gooey, almost-molten center of chocolate and walnuts that appears during baking. 

Helfrich’s cake was an unexpected boon to another practically unheard of product at the time: the Bundt pan. Her recipe called for baking the chocolate cake in this fluted, tube-style pan. Almost overnight, Nordic Ware saw orders for its Bundt pan explode. It soon became a staple baking dish in homes across the country.

The Mystery of This Cake’s Fudgy Center, Solved

An ingredient key to achieving the tunnel of fudge in the original cake recipe was a Pillsbury product called “Fudge Frosting Mix.” When the company discontinued the instant mix in the ‘80s, fans of the cake were furious. Pillsbury quickly adapted the Tunnel of Fudge Cake recipe, replacing the mix with cocoa powder and powdered sugar instead.

One reason this cake bakes up with a gooey, fudgy center is that the batter is more like that of a brownie than a regular cake. It has more eggs, butter, and sugar, which results in the cake having a slightly underbaked center at the end of the bake time.

In addition, the recipe calls for two cups of chopped walnuts. While nuts may be optional in other baking recipes, in the Tunnel of Fudge Cake, they’re essential. Walnuts give the gooey center some structure so that the cake doesn’t simply fall apart after baking. 

Why The Tunnel of Fudge Cake Is a Keeper

I made Pillsbury’s updated Tunnel of Fudge Cake recipe in a classic Bundt pan. I have to admit that I read that recipe over and over to double-check the ingredient amounts; there’s just so much sugar and butter! 

Baking it up requires a bit of blind faith. Because of that gooey center, you can’t use the poke-with-a-toothpick doneness check. Instead, I had to cross my fingers and rely on visual cues only: a just-set top and sides pulling away from the the pan.

After the agonizingly long cooling periods, I finally sliced into this behemoth of a chocolate cake. And yeah… it’s ridiculously delicious.

This cake is so rich and chocolatey. Each slice has a center that’s as fudgy as the fudgiest brownie I’ve ever had, filled with the soft texture of walnuts. The filling almost flows from the cake slice.

I’ll go ahead and tuck this Tunnel of Fudge Cake recipe into my recipe box. It’ll make a unique celebration cake for those diehard chocolate lovers in my family.

3 Quick Tunnel of Fudge Cake Tips

• I recommend using a nonstick baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy, to coat the Bundt pan. The first time I made this cake and greased and floured the pan by hand, it fell apart when I tried to unmold it. 
• Also, don’t skimp on the long cooling periods, first in the pan and then on a wire rack. This allows the cake walls to firm up enough to support the gooey center. 
• And remember: no matter what, don’t skip the walnuts!