Chocolate Fudge Ribbon Cake! A fudgy, chocolaty Bundt cake with a creamy cheesecake filling baked in, then drizzled with a smooth, rich chocolate icing.

History of Cake Mixes

Chocolate Fudge Ribbon Cake uses a cake mix as its base. Did you know that cake mixes were first introduced in the 1920s, but did not catch on with American cooks until after World War II?

According to Food Timeline, “Betty Crocker had always stood for quality in the minds of consumers, but during the first half of the twentieth century, convenience foods were not associated with good eating. All that changed in 1947, when the first Betty Crocker cake mixes hit America’s shelves. The debut mix was labled Ginger Cake but would soon evolved into Gingerbread Cake and Cookie Mix. Devil’s Food Layer Cake and Party Layer Cake Mix-products that offered an alternative to the time-consuming process of baking a cake from scratch-soon followed. The early mixes bearing the Betty Crocker label eventually yielded more than 130 cooking and baking products.”
—Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands, Janice Jorgensen, editor, [St. James Press:Detroit MI] 1994, Volume 1: Consumable Brands “Betty Crocker” (p. 53-56)
[NOTE: The Betty Crocker trade name is owned by General Mills]

Cooking Tip

I prefer a chocolate fudge cake mix for this recipe, but devil’s food and German chocolate cake mixes work just as well.

Midnight Chocolate Cake is another great recipe that uses a chocolate fudge cake mix as its base.

Chocolate Fudge Ribbon Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 18.5 oz chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 4 eggs
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease & flour bundt pan or spray with Baker’s Joy.
3. Place cake mix, milk, 1 stick melted butter, & 3 eggs into mixing bowl. Mix with electric mixer until all ingredients are well combined, but do not over beat the mixture.
4. Pour cake batter into prepared pan & set aside.
5. Once your cake batter is prepared, beat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, & cornstarch in a small bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg & vanilla & mix well. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk.
6. Next, form a shallow trench around the middles of the cake batter. Slowly pour cheese mixture evenly into the trench. Do your best to avoid cheese mixture touching the bundt pan.
7. Place pan in the center of oven & bake for 50-55 minutes.
8. Once the cake is out of the oven, cool for 20 minutes & remove from pan. Cover with a bread towel or cloth. Cool completely before icing.

Icing Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. While the cake bakes & cools, place butter, cocoa, & milk is a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
2. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Stir frequently.
3. Once the mixture has been brought to a boil, remove from heat & allow to cool.
4. Combine mixture with sugar & vanilla & beat until smooth.
5. Drizzle over cooled cake & allow to set before serving.