This is my great grandmother’s recipe, and there is a reason it has been my mom’s go-to dessert for years. Friends often ask my mom to bring these when she comes to visit! They are about as simple as it gets. I like to cut them into small squares and keep them in the freezer, and my daughter likes to make brownie sundaes with them after Sunday Supper. You can’t blame her 💫

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
1 7/8 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 chopped pecans (optional)

The key to good fudge cakes is to stir the batter as little as possible.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan.

Melt butter and chocolate together. You can do this over medium heat in a sauce pan but you can also melt everything together in the microwave. Microwave one minute, stir, then microwave in additional 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted. Wisk in instant coffee powder.

Pour melted chocolate mixture over sugar and stir until just combined. Add eggs and vanilla and lightly combine. Add flour and salt and lightly combine. Add pecans, if using, and fold in.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes until top is hard and edges begin to crack. The toothpick test will not work! Let thoroughly cool in pan before cutting into squares.