Red velvet fudge

I've never made fudge before but boy have I enjoyed it. A lady I used to work with made the most delicious chocolate fudge I've ever had. Unfortunately her recipe is a well-kept secret so I was left to begin my fudge-perfection quest from square one. Red velvet seems to be quite popular at the moment so when I saw this red velvet fudge over at I am Baker, I had found my square one. I'd be lying if I said it was easy but it was worth it. I think you need to own a candy thermometer to get it right unless you really know what you're doing. Although mine was a little on the soft side (I think I needed to heat it a little more) it was delicious.

Start the fudge by combining the sugar, cocoa, buttermilk and red colouring in a large saucepan. It will bubble significantly so make sure the saucepan holds about 5 times what you're putting in there. I used fresh buttermilk from when I made vanilla butter. Stir the mixture to combine and bring it to the boil. Don't scrape down the sides but continue to stir the mixture constantly.

Bring the fudge up to at least 238 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't think mine was ever going to get there. It seemed to sit at 200 degrees for-ev-er but it got to its destination eventually. I think this is where I made my mistake. It needs to get to at least 238 so you probably need to let it get a bit hotter than that before reducing the heat.

Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer. It's very very important not to stir it at all. Don't touch it! I got a little lost at this stage as the original recipe didn't specify how long to simmer it for. I just left it for a few minutes then removed it from the heat. Once you remove it from the heat, it needs to get down to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

It seemed to take forever for the temperature to go down and I started doubting myself. I did a little googling and found that lots of recipes added the butter then let the temperature go down so I did just that. Add the butter but don't stir and leave it until the temperature drops.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer, add the vanilla and beat it until it loses its glossy appearance. It took about 15 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin. Make sure the paper extends over the sides and the ends (not like mine). I had a little accident pouring the mixture into the pan. Leave it to sit for a few hours until it sets. I had to refrigerate mine to get it to harden but I'm pretty sure that was because I didn't heat it quite enough in the boiling stage.

When the fudge hardens, cut it into squares and enjoy!

Recipe

Red velvet fudge

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Author: Claire Cameron - Claire K Creations

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Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring

Instructions

• Line a loaf tin with baking paper making sure that the paper extends over the sides and ends of the pan.
• In a large non-stick pan, combine the sugar, cocoa, buttermilk and food coloring. Stir to combine it all then bring the mixture to the boil.
• Stir it constantly but don't scrape the sides of the pan.
• Keep heating and stirring until the mixture reaches at least 170C(238F). This takes quite a while so be patient.
• Now reduce the heat to a simmer and leave it to simmer away. Don't touch it though. No stirring!
• Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes then add the butter (still no stirring) and allow it to cool to 43C (110F).
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and add the vanilla. Beat it until the fudge loses its shine.
• Pour the mixture into the lined tin and leave it to set. I put mine in the fridge.
• Cut the firm fudge into squares to serve.

Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations